Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

TSU showcasing its excellence on the big screen

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University is on the big screen.

The university’s Public Relations and Communications department has launched a marketing campaign to promote TSU’s excellence.

The university has placed ads in theaters across the region that highlight the new Executive MBA program, and the return of out-of-state tuition reduction. The campaign is scheduled to run during the summer peak months and will have some promotional features in the theaters’ lobbies as well.

The TSU family is encouraged to support their local theater and catch Big Blue on the big screen.

Here are locations where the ads are currently running:

  • Atlanta, GA, Movies ATL, 3760 Princeton Lake Pkwy.
  • Birmingham, AL, Lee Branch 15, 801 Doug Baker Blvd.
  • Chattanooga, TN, Rave East Ridge Theater, 5080 S. Terrace
  • Springdale, OH, Springdale 18 Cinema DE Lux, 12064 Springfield Pike
  • Clarksville, TN, Clarksville Governor Square 10, 2801 Wilma Rudolph Blvd.
  • Cordova, TN, Malco Cordova Cinema, 1080 N. Germantown Pkwy.
  • Franklin, TN, Thoroughbred Cinema 20, 633 Frazier Dr.
  • Plainfield, IN, Metropolis 18, 2490 Metropolis Way
  • Louisville, KY, Stonybrook Cinemas, 2745 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy.
  • Smyrna, TN, Smyrna 12, 100 Movie Row (I-24 & Sam Ridley Pkwy.)
  • Southaven, MS, De Soto Cinema 16, 7130 Malco Blvd.
  • Nashville, TN, Regal Hollywood Stadium 27, 719 Thompson Ln.,
  • Nashville, Regal Green Hills Stadium 16, 3815 Green Hills Village Dr.
  • Nashville, Regal Opry Mills Stadium 20, 570 Opry Mills Dr.
  • Mt. Juliet, TN, Regal Providence Stadium 14, 401 S Mt. Juliet Rd.

 

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Alumni, College of Engineering, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, GRANTS, NEWS, RANKINGS, RESEARCH, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

TSU ranked among Top 30 black colleges with highest starting salaries for graduates

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – When it comes to earning power, Tennessee State University graduates do very well.

A recent ranking of the average starting salaries for graduates at the nation’s top 30 historically black colleges puts TSU at No. 6.

EDsmart, a nationally recognized publisher of college resources and rankings, published the 2017 ranking.

It shows recent TSU graduates are averaging $48,100 in starting salaries.

Officials at TSU call the ranking “a testament of how valuable an education from TSU is for our students.”

“When students see that they will graduate from this institution with a great projected salary, it makes the decision to attend TSU the obvious choice,” said Charles Jennings, Jr., director of the TSU Career Development Center.

The ranking puts TSU graduates in the top tier of earning potential for people receiving undergraduate degrees in 2017. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the average starting salaries for all recent graduates in entry-level positions is $49,785, an all-time high.

This upward movement is more good news for TSU officials, who are doing everything possible to ensure students are adequately prepared and given the necessary tools for success in the job market.

Recently, the university received a $2 million career development grant from the United Negro College Fund. The funding will give the university the tools to prepare and ultimately help TSU graduates immediately secure employment.

“We want to make sure that when they graduate, they’ll have jobs,” said Tina Reed, associate director of the career center.

A number of students who graduated from TSU in May had jobs waiting for them. Most of them credited TSU faculty and programs like the university’s career center with motivating them to be successful.

“Having a job after graduation is a blessing,” said 24-year-old Cametria Weatherspoon, who received her degree in electrical engineering. She has a job working in programming at Lockheed Martin’s Space Systems Company in Littleton, Colorado.

For more information on the TSU Career Development Center, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/careers/

 

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

 

Uncategorized

Grad student receives seed grant for dissertation research

By Britt Mabry Young

Joanne Rong Wang, a doctoral student in the Department of Educational Leadership at Tennessee State University, has been awarded a $7,000 seed grant from Vanderbilt University’s Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion to use toward her dissertation research.

Joanne Rong Wang

Wang’s dissertation, entitled Chief Diversity Officers’ Perceptions of the Degree to which a NACUBO Economic Model is Effective in Producing Outcomes Leading to Institutionally Sustainable Diversity Programs, seeks to study the intersection of finance and diversity in higher education.

“There are rapidly changing demographics in education,” Wang said. “By 2065, there will not be a minority race. Higher education has to respond quickly to be market smart.”

Wang was inspired to study this intersectionality by the rising costs of higher education, increasing budget cuts, and the financial challenges universities face. She believes diversity programs are necessary for the future of higher education because they are essentially marketing strategies. With the high investment costs of education, students want to attend colleges and universities that they feel will represent them. However, diversity programs face issues with long-term sustainability due to leadership changes and financial problems.

“Lots of educational models and leadership have been used to examine outcomes [in diversity programs], but I’m examining them from a business perspective,” Wang said.

When the call for grants was announced, Wang decided to submit her dissertation, which is still in the proposal stage at TSU. More than 60 prospective grants were reviewed and 29 were funded. Wang plans to use the grant to help further her research by funding travel to conferences and hiring statisticians and editors for her dissertation.

Wang is especially excited about an upcoming conference that the grant is funding. She plans to attend the National Association of College and University Business Officers Annual Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she will meet Dr. Jacalyn Askin, the project manager for NACUBO’s Higher Education Economic Models Project. NACBUO is an organization that represents financial officers, whose mission is “to advance the economic viability, business practices and support for higher education institutions in fulfillment of their missions.” After reading a paper Askin had authored, Wang contacted her to discuss her research findings, and the two have been in constant communication ever since. Askin, who sits on Wang’s dissertation committee, will meet in person for the first-time.

Currently, Wang works for Vanderbilt University’s School of Engineering, where she plans, organizes, and executes special projects for the school. She earned an Education Specialist degree in Administration and Supervision with a concentration in Higher Education and a Master of Science in Mass Communications from Middle Tennessee State University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from her home country of China. Wang decided to pursue her doctorate at TSU because she wanted to focus on higher education. TSU is the only middle Tennessee institution that offers a doctorate with an emphasis on higher education. She was also awarded an assistantship working for the dean of the Graduate School, which she thought was a good opportunity.

“Experimenting with different universities has made me expand my view. Each one is very different. TSU is one of few HBCUs in this area, and now I work at Vanderbilt, a PWI. No matter public or private, they’re all different, and all of their diversity plans are different,” Wang said.

EDITOR’S NOTE

Britt Mabry Young is an intern in the Office of University Publications. She is a master’s level student in the College of Education at TSU working on an independent study project with a focus on communications.

 

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

 

Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, RESEARCH, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

TSU hosts town hall meeting on mass transit in Nashville area

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University hosted a town hall meeting Thursday evening to discuss mass transit in the Nashville area.

Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, dean of TSU’s College of Engineering, talks about traffic concerns in Nashville. (Photo by John Cross, TSU Media Relations)

Television station WKRN held the meeting in the Floyd-Payne Campus Center to look at the ways Nashvillians are evolving in how they approach their daily commute.

“We’re glad that we were able to partner with Channel 2 to make the community more aware about what needs to be done, and how they can be a part of it,” said Kelli Sharpe, TSU’s assistant vice president of public relations and communications.

Nashville is in the midst of historic growth with dozens of new residents arriving daily, which impacts everyone as they traverse their way around the city to work, home and school, transit experts say.

Topics at the town hall included traffic congestion, expansion of mass transit and a proposal for a light-rail system.

A panel moderated by WKRN’s Bob Mueller provided most of the discussion. On the panel was Nashville Vice Mayor David Briley, State Sen. Bill Ketron, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, dean of TSU’s College of Engineering.

Hargrove said most Nashville residents believe something needs to be done to address the heavy traffic the city is experiencing, but they also realize that cost is a big factor.

“Generally speaking, the residents of Metropolitan Nashville are in favor of paying more for transportation,” Hargrove said after the meeting. “The question is, what would be the source for paying for that.”

Hargrove said TSU’s College of Engineering is “very engaged in the need to improve transportation.” Over the last several years, he said the College has had in excess of a million dollars in research, primarily funded from the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

He said one project the College is working on looks at traffic safety, and another is exploring ways to optimize the logistics of trucks, or freight, coming in and out of the city.

Last year, a team of six TSU graduate and undergraduate students, along with their professors from the Departments of Civil and Architectural Engineering, conducted a study on five bridges around the Nashville fairgrounds to assess their structural integrity.

The students’ findings were submitted to the city’s structural engineers and used to determine future use of the bridges.

To see the town hall meeting and stories about mass transit, visit http://wkrn.com/2017/06/29/town-hall-meeting-planes-trains-and-automobiles-at-630-p-m/.

 

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

 

 

Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, RESEARCH, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

TSU has record turnout at Nashville Sounds game, President Glenda Glover throws first pitch

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover threw the first pitch at Wednesday night’s Nashville Sounds game, which had a record college attendance of Big Blue.

TSU President Glenda Glover throws first pitch at Nashville Sounds game. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations))

It was TSU night at First Tennessee Park. Chris Freeman, the Sounds’ director of corporate sales, said TSU sold over 300 tickets, which is the most so far this year for a college or university. Freeman said the closest ticket total was Middle Tennessee State University with 240.

“This is really fantastic for TSU,” Glover said before the game. “To have our own special night, and have record sales.”

TSU alum DaMichael Mclean was among the many Big Blue supporters. McLean said he felt proud to be part of TSU when he saw the university’s section, and all the TSU shirts and hats.

President Glover talks with TSU fans. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)

“This is a great opportunity to get people out and about to fellowship,” he said.

In addition to Dr. Glover tossing the first pitch, the Commercial Music Ensemble from TSU’s Music Department played pop music from the 1980s, and senior Darien Phillips played a moving rendition of the national anthem on his saxophone.

“It was great playing in front of all the fans; it was a great opportunity,” he said.

The Sounds, who played the Round Rock Express, also gave away a TSU themed Nashville Sounds hat to the first 1,000 fans.

 

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, RESEARCH, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

Faculty, staff giving shines light on TSU, attracts donors

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University officials say faculty and staff giving is attractive to donors outside the institution.

When there’s strong financial support internally, donors are inclined even more to give because they see how much employees value where they work, said Greg Ketteman, prospect researcher with the TSU Foundation.

He said TSU’s College of Engineering recently reached 100 percent giving.

“Donors ask what the giving rate is for insiders and take that into consideration when making their own gift,” Ketteman said. “Being able to say that 100 percent of faculty and staff have given is a powerful statement when raising money from alumni, corporations, and foundations.”

Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, dean of the College of Engineering, agreed.

“The faculty and staff of the College of Engineering strongly support the leadership of the institution, its college, and more importantly, the students by their contribution to the TSU Foundation,” he said.

TSU student Brandi BeCoats said she appreciates the generosity from TSU’s faculty and staff.

“When people choose to give to the university, what that says to me is that the university is something that’s worth investing in,” said BeCoats, a junior from Nashville.

As of June 19, 2017, Ketteman said 159 TSU faculty and staff have made a donation to TSU, a 31 percent increase over last year. He said this year’s gifts from faculty and staff total $53,043, which is close to last year’s record of $53,565.

 

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

TSU awarded $2 million job placement grant for students

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) -Tennessee State University graduates look to have an advantage entering the workforce due to a $2 million career development grant from the United Negro College Fund.

Staff with the university’s career development center believe the funding will give them the tools to prepare and ultimately help TSU graduates secure employment immediately.

“We want to make sure that when they graduate, they’ll have jobs,” said Tina Reed, associate director of TSU’s Career Development Center.

A number of students who graduated from TSU in May had jobs waiting for them. Most of them credited faculty at TSU and programs like the university’s Career Center with motivating them and providing the tools they needed to not only get jobs, but be successful.

One of those students was 24-year-old Cametria Weatherspoon, an electrical engineering major from Memphis, Tennessee, who is now working in programming at Lockheed Martin’s Space Systems Company in Littleton, Colorado.

“Having a job after I graduate is a blessing,” she said.

Besides TSU, UNCF also awarded a $2 million grant to Morgan State University and Norfolk State University.

Each year, UNCF awards more than 10,000 students scholarships worth more than $100 million. It provides financial support to 37 historically black colleges and universities.

 

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

TSU to host town hall meeting on transportation in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University is hosting a town hall meeting to discuss transportation options in Nashville.

The event, which is open to the public, will take place on Thursday, June 29, at 6:30 p.m. in the Forum in the Floyd-Payne Campus Center.

Television station WKRN is holding the meeting to look at the ways Nashvillians are evolving in how they approach their daily commute.

Nashville is in the midst of historic growth with dozens of new residents arriving daily, which impacts everyone as they traverse their way around Music City to work, home and school, according to WKRN.

Topics at the town hall will include expansion of mass transit and a proposal for a light-rail system.

WKRN’s Bob Mueller will moderate the meeting that will have a panel of local transit experts, including the dean of TSU’s College of Engineering, Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, who is expected to discuss the university’s transportation-related research.

Last year, a team of six TSU graduate and undergraduate students, along with their professors from the Departments of Civil and Architectural Engineering, conducted a study on five bridges around the Nashville fairgrounds to assess their structural integrity.

The students’ findings were submitted to the city’s structural engineers and used to determine future use of the bridges.

 

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

TSU participates in bill signing of historic HBCU legislation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University participated in the signing of historic legislation that will benefit HBCUs across the state.

Gov. Bill Haslam on Wednesday signed the “Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities” that creates an office within the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to focus on HBCUs, public and private.

“Governor Bill Haslam’s signing of the HBCU Initiative is an historic moment for the State of Tennessee and speaks to his ongoing commitment to higher education,” said TSU President Glenda Glover. “Funding this legislation sends a clear message on the important role Tennessee State University and the other historically black colleges and universities play in serving thousands of families, and our global impact.”

A key component of the initiative is a director’s position that will allow a person to be a liaison who fosters a relationship with lawmakers to make them aware of education accomplishments, services and needs of the state’s HBCUs.

The legislation was sponsored by Tennessee Sen. Reginald Tate of Memphis and State Rep. Harold Love, Jr., whose district includes TSU.

Love said the measure is the “first in the nation where the state has said we’re concerned about all HBCUs.”

“Now the state will be focusing on increasing graduation rates, enrollment rates and retention rates at all of our HBCUs,” Love said.

Besides TSU, Tennessee’s other HBCUs are: American Baptist College, Fisk University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Knoxville College, and Meharry Medical College.

 

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

 

Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Uncategorized

Tennessee State University a finalist in 10 categories of HBCU Digest Awards

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University is a finalist in 10 categories of the 2017 Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ Digest Awards.

The winners will be announced at the seventh annual HBCU Awards ceremony to be held on July 14 in Washington, D.C.

TSU is a finalist for University of the Year, and TSU President Glenda Glover is in the running for Female President of the Year.

In sports, TSU’s track and field All-American Amber Hughes, the Ohio Valley Conference Female Athlete of the Year for 2016-17, is a finalist for Female Athlete of the Year among HBCUs.

In other categories, TSU is up for Best Marching Band; Best Student Government Association; Best Alumni Publication; Best Research Center; Best Science, Technology, Engineer and Mathematics (STEM) Program; Best Nursing Program; and Male Alumnus of the Year.

Finalists were selected from more than 175 nominations from HBCUs across the country.

Last year, TSU received awards for: Alumna of the Year, Dr. Edith Mitchell; Female Coach of the Year, Track and Field Coach Director Chandra Cheeseborough-Guice; and Female Student of the Year, RaCia Poston.

To see all the 2017 HBCU Awards finalists, visit: http://www.hbcudigest.com/2017-hbcu-awards-finalists/.

 

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.