NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – High School seniors and their parents can learn about applying and paying for college during the College Goal Tennessee Sunday taking place January 29 at the TSU Avon Williams Campus downtown beginning at 2 p.m.

The two-hour moderated session will help students and their families take the first step in applying for college by offering assistance in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. The federally required form is for students seeking financial aid, including grants, scholarships and loans.

“TSU’s College Goal Sunday FAFSA Workshop will assist prospective college students in applying for financial aid in order to qualify for federal grants and loans and state grants,” said Amy Boles Wood, Director of Student Financial Aid.

According to Ms. Wood, volunteers will be on hand to provide free assistance with completing the FAFSA and will be on hand for questions and answers to benefit students and parents in different stages of the financial aid process. Expert assistance from professionals in the financial aid, admissions, secondary, and higher education communities will be at the sessions to help with the process.

Wood added that student and families who need help applying for financial aid to attend college should not miss this event.

“Along with being the application for federal aid,” said Wood, “the FAFSA form also serves as the application for the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship and the Tennessee Student Assistance Award programs, making it vital to the post-secondary application process in Tennessee.”

Those attending the workshop are asked to bring the following to help fill out the FAFSA. While it is helpful, the information is not required to attend:

• completed 2011 IRS 1040 Tax Return
  W-2 statements and other 2011 income and benefits information
• untaxed income records for the previous year (Social Security, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, welfare or veterans benefits records)
• driver’s license (if any)
• alien registration card (if not a U.S. citizen)

College Goal Sunday is supported and administered by a joint partnership between the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC), Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), and volunteers comprised of members of the Tennessee Association of Financial Aid Administrator (TASFAA), as well as members of Tennessee Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, and the Tennessee Association of Special Programs-TRIO Funding for this program comes from Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis based, private, independent foundation that strives to help people achieve their potential by expanding access and success in education beyond high school.

Tennessee State University is just one of the 35 participating locations across the state. For more information, visit http://www.tn.gov/CollegeGoalSunday.

NASHVILLE (TSU NEWS SERVICE) – 105 Voices of History HBCU National Concert Choir will showcase for the first time in Nashville when they bring their performance to the Grand Ole Opry House Stage, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 beginning at 5 p.m.

Tickets can  be purchased from the Music Department in the Performing Arts Center, Room 104 for $45 or $55 for the reserved TSU seating section in the auditorium. Tickets can also be purchased at the Opry Box office for $25-$55 and or by calling 1-800-SEE-OPRY or online at www.opry.com.

A highlight of talent will be on display through the different genres of classical, Negro spirituals, original works by African American composers, jazz, gospel and country in “Let Freedom Sing”–Celebrating Legacies, Leadership, Legends, and Talent. The concert will also feature stunning soloist from across various HBCUs. During the performance, Dr. Shirley Caesar, Grammy Award winner and Gospel music singer, songwriter and recording artist, will perform with the choir. Five-time Grammy winner Wynonna Judd will be the special guest artist.

During the concert, choir members from Tennessee State University will join voices with choir members from Fisk University as part of “The Voices of Tennessee” special presentation. They will present a salute to Tennessee State University “100 Years” – 2012.

The 105 Voices National Choir is made up of one member from each of the nation’s community of 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and was established to provide a national voice to America to heighten the public awareness of the legacies and the importance of the talent on HBCU campuses. The 105 Voices of History choir performs annually at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and recently internationally in Nassau, Bahamas.  Four Presenting conductors selected from Historically Black Colleges and Universities will lead the choir on the Grand Ole Opry House Stage.

The Choir is sponsored by Partners Achieving Success, a nonprofit organization focused on partnership development with a reach to a broad spectrum of people, firms and corporations with an emphasis to build collaborations through partnerships. P.A.S. has increased opportunities for HBCU students to showcase their talents, develop national leaders throughout the United States, and provide scholarships. One such scholarship recipient was TSU senior music major Brooke Haynes. She was recently awarded a $10,000 scholarship during the Kennedy performance last month.

For more information, visit http://www.hbcuchoirs-105voh.com/.

Department of Media Relations
Rick DelaHaya: 615.963.5312

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

About Tennessee State University

Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university and is a comprehensive, urban, coeducational, land-grant university offering undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees. Founded in 1912 after its organization in 1909 as the Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School, TSU became the four-year teachers’ college in 1922, and elevated to full land-grant university status in 1958. TSU absorbed the University of Tennessee at Nashville in 1979. Tennessee State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 2012 Tennessee State University will celebrate 100 years in Nashville. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

NASHVILLE, (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University has announced that Dr. Walter Kimbrough, president of Philander Smith College, will deliver the Fall 2011 commencement address during the commencement ceremony, Saturday, December 17. The ceremony will be held at the Gentry Complex beginning at 9 a.m.

Dr. Kimbrough is the 12^th president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark. Dubbed the “Hip Hop President” by the Little Rock media, he is one of the youngest college presidents in the nation, taking over the position in 2004 at the age of 37.

Prior to Philander Smith College, he served in administrative capacities at Albany State University, Old Dominion University, Georgia State University and Emory University.

After graduating from the Benjamin E. Mays High School and Academy of Math and Science in Atlanta as the Salutatorian and Student Body President, Dr. Kimbrough earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Degree in biology from the University of Georgia in 1989.  He continued his education at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, completing a Master of Science Degree in College Student Personnel Services in 1991, and in 1996 he earned the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Higher Education from Georgia State University.

Dr. Kimbrough has maintained active memberships in several higher education organizations, including the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), Association of Fraternity Advisors (AFA) and Brothers of the Academy (BOTA). He presently serves as chair of the archives, history, and public information committee of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), and is a past member of the board of directors.

Kimbrough has been recognized for his research and writings on HBCUs and African American men in college, including the creation of the Black Male Initiative at Philander Smith College that has been a model for similar programs. Kimbrough also has been noted for his active use of social media to engage students in articles by The Chronicle of Higher Education, CASE Currents, and Arkansas Life. He was cited in 2010 by Bachelors Degree.com as one of 25 college presidents you should follow on Twitter (@HipHopPrez).

He was named one of the people who made a difference in Arkansas in 2005 by the Arkansas Times newspaper, named by Powerplay magazine in 2006 as one of the 25 influential African Americans in Arkansas, and listed by Arkansas Business as one of 40 under 40 in 2006. In 2007 SYNC Weekly included him as one of central Arkansas’s most notable residents, and Garden & Gun magazine in 2010 named him as one of five “rock climbers,” residents who prove Little Rock has plenty to brag about.

Dr. Kimbrough was named the 1994 New Professional of the Year for the Association of Fraternity Advisors, and the 1998 National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Dissertation of the Year award runner-up. He was selected as a 2001 Nissan-ETS HBCU Fellow, and a 2002 participant in the Millennium Leadership Initiative sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. In 2009, he was named by Diverse Issues in Higher Education as one of 25 To Watch. Finally, in 2010, he made the coveted Ebony Magazine Power list of the 100 doers and influencers in the African American community, joining the likes of President and Mrs. Obama, Jay-Z, Richard Parsons, Tyler Perry, Debra Lee, Michael Jordan, and Tom Joyner.

Philander Smith College is a private, residential, co-educational, four-year undergraduate liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist church and a founding member of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). Philander is classified as a baccalaureate (liberal arts) college by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

For more information on the commencement ceremony, visit the TSU Commencement page.

NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – The College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences at Tennessee State University holds the 9th Annual Poinsettia Open House, Thursday, Dec. 8 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Free and open to the public, the open house will take place at the main campus greenhouse located at the Agricultural Research and Education Center on Ed Temple Blvd.

During the open house, 39 cultivars of poinsettias from two commercial breeders will be on display. Guests will also have the opportunity to take part in a Christmas cactus workshop.

For more information, call 615.963.5320.

Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) remain one of the most popular holiday flowers. Hybridizers have expanded the range of colors from the familiar red to pastel yellow and vibrant bi-colors. The plant’s association with Christmas began in 16th century Mexico. Today, poinsettias are popular Christmas decoration in homes, churches, offices and elsewhere across North America. In the United States, December 12 is National Poinsettia Day.

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About Tennessee State University

Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university and is a comprehensive, urban, coeducational, land-grant university offering undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees. Founded in 1912 after its organization in 1909 as the Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School, TSU became the four-year teachers’ college in 1922, and elevated to full land-grant university status in 1958. TSU absorbed the University of Tennessee at Nashville in 1979. Tennessee State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 2012 Tennessee State University will celebrate 100 years in Nashville. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

NASHVILLE (TSU NEWS SERVICE) – Tennessee State University will officially kick off the holiday season Wednesday, Nov. 30 and Thursday, Dec. 1 when the Department of Music presents Follow the Music…A Holiday Spectacular. Both performances begin at 7 p.m. and are free and open to the community.

A holiday tradition for past several years, the event features student musicians in instrumental, choral, solo and commercial music settings playing and signing holiday and seasonal music that reflect the multiple cultures and diversity of Tennessee State University.

The program follows an unusual format where the audience travels throughout the Performing Arts Center.  The program starts with solos and small ensemble performances in the E.T.  Goins Recital Hall.  The University Choir brings the first part to a close and leads the audience to the Rotunda for traditional caroling.  The audience then moves to the Cox-Lewis Theater and Music Hall for large ensemble performances and a rousing, not-what-you-expect-for-the-holiday conclusion to the program that helps to set the tone for the season.

During the seasonal celebration, guests will experience a range of musical performances that include large groups such as the University’s Orchestra, Choir, Commercial Music Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Collegian; and small groups such as the TSU Meistersingers, Trumpet Choir, and Bassoon Ensemble, along with performances by individual students, including voice solos, and harp, piano, and other instrumental pieces.  The entire program is based upon holiday and seasonal celebration.

For more information please call the Department of Music at 615.963.5341.

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NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences will host a Sustainability Living Community Workshop, Monday, Nov. 7 from 6-8 p.m. The fair will take place at the St. Luke’s Community Center located at 5601 New York Ave., in Nashville. The public is invited to attend this free event.

Funded through a grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the workshop will discuss how ways to save money and energy on water, reducing waste and storm water runoff, improving indoor air quality, and improving neighborhoods. Participants will receive energy saving materials and environmentally friendly cleaning supplies.

For more information, call Aleta Ballard de Ruiz, Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at 615.963.5623 or aballard@tnstate.edu.