GREENEVILLE – When 10 recent graduates participate in their virtual commencement ceremony in August at Tusculum University, they will have a special memento to honor their character and the spotlight they shined on the positive attributes of their fellow students and faculty and staff members.
Alex Cole
These graduates earned a white cord to recognize their selection as a member of the Tusculum 10. This inaugural group, selected by deans, advisers and leaders on the university staff, embodied 10 qualities that make these graduates stand out and advance the institution’s goals – tenacity, unity, passion, initiative, optimism, Nettie-ness, engagement, ethics, respect and selflessness. The first letters of each word spell out TU Pioneers.
Paying it forward, the Tusculum 10 then picked more than 50 students and more than 10 faculty and staff members who represented these principles. The names of those Tusculum family members were placed on banners hung in different parts of the university.
“These 10 seniors have demonstrated class throughout their time at Tusculum and put our mission into action,” said Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president. “We are grateful they have graced our university and have left a legacy that will inspire those who follow them as students. They have also spread joy around the university by recognizing the outstanding spirit among our students, faculty and staff.”
The Tusculum 10’s membership was anonymous until a recent unveiling. The group’s members and the trait exhibited by each person are:
- Ashley Akins, a psychology major from Lenoir City; passion
- Shawna Alder, an interdisciplinary studies, elementary K-5 major from Bean Station; Nettie-ness
- Georgios Charkoutsakis, a business administration major from Malia Crete, Greece; unity
- Alex Cole, an interdisciplinary studies, elementary K-5 major from Jonesborough; respect
- Kyler Johnson, a business administration major from Greeneville; optimism
- Andre Jones, a business administration major from High Point, North Carolina; ethics
- McKenna Keltner, a museum studies major from Midwest City, Oklahoma; engagement
- Lyndsey Pulliam, a biology major from Greensboro, Georgia; selflessness
- Paige Santore, a psychology major from Shelton, Connecticut; initiative
- Brodie West, a nursing major from Greeneville; tenacity
While most qualities are easy to understand, Nettie-ness might not be widely known. That quality is in honor of Nettie Fowler McCormick, an early Tusculum benefactor, after whom Tusculum’s annual community service day is named.
Georgios Charkoutsakis
Shawna Alder
Ashley Akins
The 50-plus students the Tusculum 10 chose could be anyone from a freshman undergraduate to a graduate student. They were picked before the identities of the Tusculum 10 became known. A list of those recipients is available at https://web.tusculum.edu/life/tusculum-ten/.
The idea for the Tusculum 10 originated with Cole, who learned about the idea when she was a student at Stephens College in Missouri before transferring to Tusculum. Motivating her was a desire to recognize students, faculty and staff for contributing to Tusculum’s success and enhancing the campus environment.
McKenna Keltner
Andre Jones
Kyler Johnson
“So many people make Tusculum a terrific place to study and work, and everyone should know how they are strengthening the university,” Cole said. “While the idea started with me, the support of others at Tusculum who wholeheartedly embraced the concept and made the whole program so meaningful was on display the whole time. The Tusculum 10 is an excellent way to celebrate the excellence taking place at Tusculum every day.”
Brodie West
Paige Santore
Lyndsey Pulliam
Dr. Ramona Williams, vice president of enrollment management and financial aid, served as adviser and cabinet sponsor for the Tusculum 10. Cole worked closely with Steveland Anderson, multicultural retention coach for Tusculum’s Student Support Services program, to develop the details of Tusculum’s initiative.
She also consulted with Dr. Dianne Lynch, Stephens’ president, to determine how the program could fit at Tusculum. She then reached out for assistance from multiple other people at Tusculum.
Stephens offers a similar program that has been in place since 1921, and selection as a representative of one of the 10 ideals is a tremendous honor at that institution. One of the people Stephens has honored is Billie Pace, who is now an academic support counselor at Tusculum. She spoke with the Tusculum 10 about the value of the new program.
For more information about the program, please visit https://web.tusculum.edu/life/tusculum-ten/.