GREENEVILLE – Students interested in academic competitions will have an opportunity to be part of a team and receive scholarships through a new initiative at Tusculum University.
Tusculum students Raija Mottley, left, and Aiden Paczek prepare for a debate.
Dr. Kurtis Miller speaks to the debate team.
Tusculum is focusing on increasing the number of students who participate in quiz bowl, esports and debate at the university and is preparing to recruit mock trial students. The initial emphasis will be on expanding the quiz bowl and esports teams, but Tusculum will quickly add growth in the debate team and the launch of the mock trial team to its recruitment efforts.
The university is also investing in the initiative with scholarships for team members that will average about $2,000 per student. These scholarships will be supplemental to what students receive in financial aid from other sources.
“Many students like to demonstrate their knowledge and skills and feed their competitive spirit,” said Dr. David Cook, Tusculum’s provost and vice president of academic affairs. “The enhanced methods we are creating will provide an outlet for them to showcase their academic talent and computer skills while also creating additional diversity in our student body. Plus, the scholarships we plan to offer these students will make Tusculum even more affordable, particularly for students whose families are not blessed financially.”
Tusculum has targeted the 2025-26 academic year to have teams fully organized and the scholarships in place. Tusculum is beginning the process with outreach to high school coaches and students they know would be a good fit. Students with an interest in these academic competition teams are encouraged to reach out to the university on their own as well.
The goal is to have squads of 12 for Tusculum Quiz Bowl and 20-25 for the esports team. Dr. Chuck Pearson, assistant dean of Tusculum’s Math and Science Division and professor of natural sciences, coaches the quiz bowl team. Dr. Nick Davidson, assistant dean of Tusculum’s Sport Science Division, and Dr. Harold Branstrator, associate professor of management, coach the esports team.
Tusculum has a coach in place for the debate team – Dr. Kurtis Miller, assistant dean of the Humanities Division and associate professor of communication. Essentially, the debate team has consisted of students taking the debate course and others who have continued to remain active afterward. The university is developing the final number of students it would like to have on the formal debate team moving forward.
The newest team Tusculum will unveil is the mock trial team. The university is in the early stages of setting the number of students it wants to have on the team and selecting a coach for it.
Spotlight on the quiz bowl team
Malachi Ledford is one of the first members of Tusculum’s quiz bowl team.
Dr. Chuck Pearson, left, helps conduct a quiz bowl tournament for high school students at Tusculum in 2023.
Development of the larger quiz bowl team is the furthest along at this juncture and already has a website in place: https://site.tusculum.edu/quiz-bowl-at-tusculum-university/.
Tusculum envisions the creation of three teams of four players within its squad, and they will compete at six tournaments a year in the Southeast. Dr. Pearson said his hope is that Tusculum Quiz Bowl will qualify for one or more national tournaments — National Academic Quiz Tournaments, Academic Competition Federation and International Quiz Bowl.
Competing as a squad is just one part of the story about being a member of Tusculum Quiz Bowl. Team members will also be able to create and write for high school and college-level quiz bowls, organize local competitions for high schools and be ambassadors for this type of academic competition in the region.
Dr. Pearson is thrilled about Tusculum’s venture into building the academic teams.
“Tusculum is showing a real commitment to these players’ success – in the classroom and in the competitive arena,” he said. “The ability to build the quiz bowl team to a larger size and make it an integral part of Tusculum’s identity as a home for academic teams is really exciting. From my experience in the quiz bowl field, we will be successful recruiting high-caliber students who will relish the prospect of competing regionally and potentially nationally.”
Dr. Pearson organizes and serves in leadership posts for middle school and high school quiz bowl tournaments across the country.
Tusculum will have a ready-made opportunity to promote its quiz bowl team and recruit potential new members during a high school tournament Saturday, Nov. 23, at Tusculum. Originally, this quiz bowl was scheduled for late September, but it was postponed due to Hurricane Helene. Dr. Pearson said this will be the launch of in-person efforts to recruit for the quiz bowl team.
Support from the Athletic Department
Josh Ealy
Tusculum is bringing in additional resources to maximize the likelihood of success. Besides faculty members who will coach the academic teams, Tusculum is enlisting head coaches from some of its athletic teams to collaborate on recruiting students. They will supplement work conducted by the university’s Office of Admission.
Dr. Cook credits Josh Ealy, vice president of athletics, with developing the concept of pairing the academic and athletic coaches as a way to help the admission team. He said the coaches were extremely receptive to supporting the initiative.
“We already have athletic coaches who are in schools and have relationships that can help reach students and other people at these institutions who can be helpful,” Ealy said. “Dr. Cook and I discussed potential strategies to support efforts for these academic teams, and we thought a good approach would be to have an athletic coach come alongside the academic coaches to help them in their recruiting efforts. That way, we get the best of both worlds – additional resources and contacts from the athletic coaches and the expertise of the faculty member coaching the academic team.”
So far, the university has selected Jenna Agostino, head women’s lacrosse coach, to assist with the quiz bowl team and Hunter Chandley, the head coach for the men’s and women’s golf team, to help the esports team. Tusculum is working on identifying the athletic coaches to support the debate and mock trial teams.
Agostino is pleased to back the recruiting effort for the quiz bowl team.
“I love the idea of helping Tusculum grow and diversify our student body,” she said. “I’m also passionate about introducing high school students to Tusculum’s amazing campus and academic possibilities. Being able to help students find their future ‘home away from home’ is extremely rewarding, and I’m excited to continue these efforts with TUs Quiz Bowl team.”
Agostino brings recruitment success to the table. She has more than five years of experience recruiting student-athletes for women’s lacrosse programs and has brought 35 to Tusculum in the three years she has served as the head coach. Not only has she brought the students to Tusculum, she has also achieved a retention rate of about 80%.
“I hope to help Dr. Pearson build his dream team for our 2025 Tusculum Quiz Bowl program and introduce dozens of future prospects to what their future successes can hold by receiving a degree from Tusculum and immersing themselves in the Pioneer experience,” Agostino said.
Dr. David Cook
In addition to discussions with the Athletic Department, Dr. Cook has spoken with the assistant deans of all academic divisions at Tusculum. He has inquired about what types of academic teams exist at high schools that have collegiate equivalents. This exploration is designed to provided additional avenues the university can take to tap into students’ interests and drive enrollment growth for the university.
Through these efforts, Tusculum is also providing niches for students who will enjoy their time on academic teams as they pursue their degrees. Tusculum’s approach will also make the students feel special knowing they have been recruited to the university to demonstrate their skill set.
“This can be a game-changer for Tusculum,” Dr. Cook said. “We have outstanding faculty to serve as coaches, and the academic environment at Tusculum with our focus on research for undergraduates and new programs such as our game design minor will position us to attract students who will flourish. We are energized by the limitless possibilities of these academic teams and look forward to watching these students in action.”
Anyone who would like to assist with these academic competition teams can email Dr. Cook at dcook@tusculum.edu. More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.