NASHVILLE, Tenn.(TSU News Service) – The second annual
Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Lecture Series will take place on Oct. 17 during
Tennessee State University’s Homecoming week.
Dr. Edith Peterson Mitchell
This year’s featured speaker is Dr. Edith Peterson Mitchell, a TSU alumna and member of the university’s Board of Trustees. She is also a renowned cancer specialist, and retired Air Force brigadier general.
The lecture is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Robert N. Murrell
Forum in the university’s Floyd-Payne Campus Center.
The
lecture series, a component of the Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., Institute, was
established to honor Watkins, a 1966 alumnus of TSU and the first
African-American to be accepted into and graduate from the Vanderbilt School of
Medicine. It features prominent speakers who address areas in health care and
STEM to prepare students for the medical field.
In
addition to the lecture series, the Institute also consists of a pre-med
society and an endowed scholarship.
The late
Watkins is known worldwide for being the first surgeon to successfully implant
an automatic heart defibrillator in a human patient at John Hopkins Hospital.
Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr.
Dr.
Watkins was also a pioneer in civil rights at Hopkins. He fought to diversify
the medical staff and student ranks at the hospital. His legacy of recruiting
and mentoring minority students helped to change the landscape of the medical
profession.
Watkins
retired from Hopkins in 2013, dedicating 43 years of service to helping others.
He passed away on April 11, 2015.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.(TSU News Service) – During a visit to Tennessee State University on Monday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue lauded the land-grant institution’s innovative research, and challenged students to “invest in yourselves.”
Perdue toured the College of Agriculture and gave a
presentation to Ag students in the Farrell Westbrook Complex on the main
campus.
U.S. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue, TSU President Glenda Glover, and College of Ag Dean Chandra Reddy. (Photo by Erynne Davis, TSU Media Relations)
Following the presentation, the College gave Perdue a gift,
and TSU President Glenda Glover thanked him for visiting TSU and for his
support.
“We’re pleased to have you on our campus, and in our
corner,” said Dr. Glover. “We’re so appreciative of all you’ve done for 1890s;
you’ve taken land grants to heart.”
Including Tennessee State, the 1890 land-grant system
consists of 19 universities.
In his discussion, Perdue emphasized the importance of such institutions, and encouraged students to take advantage of what they offer. He also challenged them to “stand, “ be “steadfast,” and “persevere.”
“As you stand, as you’re steadfast to your vision, and
persevere for the next cause, I know that you’ll be successful,” said Perdue,
who also took questions from the students.
“TSU has invested in you, USDA (U.S. Department of
Agriculture) has invested in you, now I want you to invest in yourselves. You
are provided an opportunity that many people in this life do not get.”
Emmanuel Wallace, a sophomore from Memphis majoring in
agricultural sciences, was inspired by what Perdue said.
Perdue receives gift from College of Ag student. (Photo by Erynne Davis, TSU Media Relations)
“I learned to definitely stay steadfast, be confident in
what you’re doing, and continue to strive for excellence,” said Wallace.
Dr. Chandra Reddy, dean of TSU’s College of Agriculture,
said the U.S. Department of Agriculture is very supportive of the university, so
he’s pleased that the department’s top official visited TSU.
“This is awesome, because USDA supports a number of USDA
scholars for us, as well as research and extension facilities at TSU,” said
Reddy. “This is an opportunity for the Secretary to see firsthand how we are
stewarding those resources they are providing.”
During his visit, Perdue noted TSU’s research in hemp, food
safety, as well as its New Farmer Academy, the only one of its kind in
Tennessee.
“You’ve got major research here,” said Perdue. “The research
dollars … are being well-utilized.”
Kristin Day is among numerous TSU students who have
benefitted from USDA. The junior from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, received a
full-ride with an 1890 land-grant scholarship, which also guarantees an
internship with a federal agency.
Before Perdue’s visit, Day, who is majoring in agricultural
sciences with a concentration in agribusiness, said she looked forward to
seeing him again. She said she first met Perdue last month during a visit to
Washington, D.C.
“It’s an honor that he’s coming to TSU, and he wants to sit
down with us and have an intimate discussion,” said Day, who hopes to one day
work with USDA.
Perdue takes questions from students. (Photo by Erynne Davis, TSU Media Relations)
Last year, USDA awarded more than $2 million in teaching,
research and extension capacity building grants to seven TSU professors in the
College of Ag.
The College was also awarded a $450,000 grant from the
USDA’s Agricultural Food and Research Initiative. It’s being used to pursue an
integrated approach to mitigate antimicrobial resistance in cattle and poultry,
and help establish stewardship programs for small and medium-sized ranchers.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.(TSU News Service) – U.S. Secretary of
Agriculture Sonny Perdue will get a glimpse of innovative research and interact
with top-notch students when he visits Tennessee State University on Monday,
Oct. 7.
Perdue is scheduled to attend a breakfast hosted by TSU
President Glenda Glover before touring the College of Agriculture and giving a
presentation to Ag students at 10 a.m. in the Farrell Westbrook Complex on the
main campus.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue
Dr. Chandra Reddy, dean of TSU’s College of Agriculture,
says the U.S. Department of Agriculture is very supportive of the land-grant
institution, so he’s pleased that the department’s top official is visiting
TSU.
“This is awesome, because USDA supports a number of USDA
scholars for us, as well as research and extension facilities at TSU,” says
Reddy. “This is an opportunity for the Secretary to see firsthand how we are
stewarding those resources they are providing.”
Kristin Day is among numerous TSU students who have
benefitted from USDA. The junior from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, received a
full-ride with an 1890 land-grant scholarship, which also guarantees an
internship with a federal agency.
Day, who is majoring in agricultural sciences with a
concentration in agribusiness, says she’s looking forward to seeing Perdue,
again. She says she first met him last month during a visit to Washington, D.C.
“It’s an honor that he’s coming to TSU, and he wants to sit
down with us and have an intimate discussion,” says Day, who hopes to one day
work with USDA.
Last year, USDA awarded more than $2 million in teaching,
research and extension capacity building grants to seven TSU professors in the
College of Ag.
The College was also awarded a $450,000 grant from the
USDA’s Agricultural Food and Research Initiative. It’s being used to pursue an
integrated approach to mitigate antimicrobial resistance in cattle and poultry,
and help establish stewardship programs for small and medium-sized ranchers.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University students looking for internships, full-time employment and co-op opportunities got a major break on Oct. 2. More than 100 companies and potential employers converged on the main campus for the 2019 Fall Career Fair.
TSU student Shaun Anderson, a business administration major, right, talks to Dell representatives at the Career Fair. In the photo are, from left, Bonnie McKissack, Senior Sales Leader; Tiffany C. Perry, Inside Global Sales Manager (TSU alum); Shaheed Whitfield, Recruiter (TSU alum); Elizabeth Casey, Recruiter; and Shelton Cammon, Recruiter. (Photo by Erynne Davis, TSU Media Relations)
Representatives from government
agencies, aerospace, engineering, healthcare and the entertainment industries
set up tents, tables and displays in the Gentry Center Complex to network with
students about career and potential employment opportunities.
Many have scheduled follow-up
interviews with students on the TSU campus.
Officials said nearly
500 students attended the all-day fair, organized by the TSU Career Development
Center in the Division of Student Affairs.
Micaih Mayfield, a junior mechanical engineering major, and Oluwatosin Fagbuyi, a graduate student, also in electrical engineering, were among those looking for career opportunities. Mayfield was looking to land an internship, while Fagbuyi, who graduates in May, was looking for a co-op or full-time employment.
Micaiah Mayfield, a junior mechanical engineering major, talks to representative of BWX Technologies. She said she received many positive responses from companies. (Photo by Erynne Davis, TSU Media Relations)
“Everything looks very promising,”
said Mayfield, of Nashville, who made several stops, leaving her resume at each
point. “A lot of people asked for my resume, they looked over it and asked a
lot of questions about my career goals.”
For Fagbuyi, who was very
optimistic about landing an opportunity, he said going after companies this
early before his May graduation was a good effort.
“I count myself lucky to be able to get this opportunity to attend a career fair,” said Fagbuyi, who received an internship in his undergraduate years as a result of the career fair. “From what I have seen today, I will absolutely get something from it, thanks to the TSU Career Development Center for preparing us.”
Frank Stevenson, associate vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students, said the goal of the fair was to “share some of our amazing students” with these companies and the world.
“We are really excited about these corporations and companies that are here to meet students that TSU produces,” said Stevenson. “It is nice to see them so excited about interacting with our students.”
Major sponsors included General Electric, Altria, LG&E and KU Energy, Humana, Innophos, Inc., and Dell, which was to meet the next day with seven students who received on-the-spot preliminary interviews at the fair. Regions Bank is a standard sponsor. Like many of the other sponsors, hiring TSU students is not new for Dell. At the tech giant’s table during the fair, two of the company representatives and recruiters were TSU graduates, who got their start from the career fair.
Alexander Sellers, Systems Engineering Manager at Boeing, right, who earned two degrees at TSU, received his start from the career fair. He returned as a recruiter and to mentor his young protégés. (Photo by Erynne Davis, TSU Media Relations)
Tiffany C. Perry,
inside global sales manager for North America at Dell, earned a bachelor’s and
a master’s degree from TSU. She said coming back to her alma mater to recruit
is just one way of trying to give back.
“It’s been an awesome day for me,” said Perry. “I am thankful for this opportunity. I am even happier to know that the candidates that came to our table were just incredible, they were prepared and represented TSU well.”
Alexander Sellers,
systems engineering manager at Boeing, was one of those representing his
company at the fair. He talked about the preparation he received, the
importance of the career fair and the excitement to be back on the TSU campus,
where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the College of Engineering.
Antoinette Duke, Associate Director of the TSU Career Development Center, left, presents a plaque to representatives of GE in appreciation of their support as major sponsor of the career fair. (Photo by Michael McLendon, TSU Media Relations)
“The career fair is integral for any student’s progression,” said Sellers, who was first hired by Lockheed Martin as a result of the career fair. “TSU is going to provide you the foundation of think, work, serve, and your classwork. But you have to get connected, and this is what that is all about.”
Antoinette Hargrove Duke, associate director of the Career Development Center, said the fair is an opportunity to properly “position our students.”
“We have spent most of the year preparing our students, getting them job ready,” Duke said. “So, at this career fair, it is our opportunity to partner the two (students and companies) together in hopes that we can increase our chances of making sure when our students graduate that they land employment that’s going to match the education that they have received.”
Duke was also glad
to see former students and alumni of the career center who return as mentors
and recruiters to help their younger protégés prepare for the real world.
“It is just nice to see them giving back to their institution,” she said.
Duke presented each of the major sponsors with a plaque in appreciation of their support to TSU and the Career Development Center.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only
public university, and is a premier, historically black university and
land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24
master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a
comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie
designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams
Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in
McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee
State University provides students with a quality education in a
nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be
global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online
at tnstate.edu.
