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.
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.
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.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The late father of Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover was honored for his leadership and community service as a civil rights activist.
(l-r) Rev. Lester Baskin, Mrs. Irene Baskin, President Glenda Glover, Councilman Edmund Ford, Jr. Rev. Henry Baskin Jr. pose in front of new street sign named in honor of the late Henry Baskin, Sr., President Glover’s father. (Submitted photo)
An unveiling ceremony in Memphis, Tennessee, took place on Saturday, June 17, to name a portion of Weaver Road after Henry Earl Baskin, Sr. The Memphis City Council earlier this year approved the street naming resolution that was sponsored by Councilman Edmund Ford, Jr. and Councilwoman Patrice J. Robinson.
“My family and I are extremely grateful and humbled by this recognition for our late father,” President Glover said. “He believed in equality for all human beings and was not afraid to stand up for his belief that we were all created equally and deserved to be treated as such. Our success as a family is largely because of our father. He was committed to our family.”
President Glover added that she and her siblings remember the family patriarch working tirelessly for the City of Memphis, putting all six of his children through college. Four of his children attended Tennessee State University. As an inspirational leader, he made it a priority to assist other students in obtaining financial aid so that they could attend college.
Baskin Family at street dedication ceremony in honor of family patriarch Henry Baskin, Sr. (Submitted photo)
Mr. Baskin, a World War II veteran who obtained the rank of master sergeant, devoted himself to a career of community service that began in 1955 when he organized the Weaver Clowns Baseball Club because of racial discrimination. He was denied the opportunity to compete against another all white team. Undaunted, Mr. Baskin became president of the Levi-West Junction Civic Club, and led many marches against discriminatory practices, and for better city services for blacks in the Weaver Road-West Junction area.
Mr. Baskin was also an active member of the NAACP, participating in sit-in demonstrations with prominent civil rights leaders and spearheading the march on downtown Memphis that led to sewage lines and indoor facilities for African-Americans in the Weaver Road-Boxtown area. He also led the march that resulted in better fire and police protection, as well as better roads and streets in the South Memphis area.
For five decades, Mr. Baskin also had a voice in Memphis politics. He was a campaign manager, a precinct director, and worked the polls every election to ensure adherence to voters’ rights.
Mr. Baskin, who was the first black foreman in the Memphis Sanitation Department, was also a juvenile court probation officer for more than 30 years before retiring from the City of Memphis as a zone supervisor, a position he held for 29 years.
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.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – TSU head basketball coach Dana Ford recently held his third summer camp to give youngsters a chance to learn the fundamentals of the game, and just have some fun.
Camp participant Genna Hickerson prepares to make a move. (Photo by John Cross, TSU Media Relations)
About 60 youth ages 7-13 attended the camp held last week in Tennessee State University’s Gentry Complex.
They participated in a number of different drills and games designed to develop their basketball skills and overall understanding of the game.
“Our staff really enjoys being able to serve this community with free camps,” Ford said. “Physical activity is good for the kids, and the most important thing is that we teach them to have fun playing basketball. Hopefully we picked up some lifelong TSU fans along the way.”
Ford’s camp is among close to 40 camps this summer at Tennessee State.
Other camps include the Verizon Innovative Learning Camp (6/5-6/16); CAMA Blues Kids Camp (7/3 – 7/7), Summer Math Academy (7/9 – 7/21), Edward L. Graves Summer Band Camp (6/24 – 7/1), STEM Summer Camp (6/19 – 7/21), and Upward Bound Program (6/4 – 7/7).
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.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.(TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University’s Communications Department is honoring a pioneer in news radio broadcasting: TSU alum Don Whitehead.
Don Whitehead and nationally syndicated radio personality Tom Joyner at TSU’s 2017 undergraduate spring commencement. (Photo by John Cross, TSU Media Relations)
The department is creating a documentary about Whitehead, the first African-American hired as a full-time announcer at Nashville-based WLAC, a clear channel radio station whose signal during its early years reached most of the Eastern and Midwestern United States, in addition to southern Canada and the Caribbean.
“Don Whitehead was the first African-American to work with a station with that reach and that is a CBS affiliate,” said Joe Richie, director of TSU’s Center for Media Arts and Production.
After studying drama and receiving a bachelor’s degree from Tennessee State in 1967, Whitehead continued his studies at the historically black college, hoping to earn a master’s in theater.
But he was soon informed by the then-dean of TSU’s Arts and Sciences Department that he had been chosen to speak with representatives of WLAC. After about three meetings, he agreed to take the position as radio broadcaster.
His hiring came at a critical time in American history: shortly after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968.
It wasn’t long before Whitehead was approached by WLAC sales manager E.G. Blackman, who told Whitehead that he was going to have a new assignment. Due to the racial unrest in the southern states – where the majority of the station’s listeners lived – Blackman and other station associates decided to use Whitehead to reach out to the black community.
Whitehead broadcasted from historically black colleges across the southern U.S., encouraging African-American youth to attend school. He was on his way to becoming a prominent part of WLAC’s rich history.
In the late 1940s, when country music became a big business, WLAC added early-morning and Saturday-afternoon shows. But historians say it was the station’s quartet of nighttime rhythm and blues shows in the 1950s, 60s and 70s that made it legendary. WLAC described itself as the nighttime station for half the nation with African-American listeners, especially in the Deep South, as the intended audience of the programs.
“WLAC had a 50,000-watt clear signal that bounced across the stratosphere as the most powerful force in R&B broadcasting in America,” said Michael Gray, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s editor. “The influence WLAC wielded in America during the Nashville station’s heyday from the late 1940s until the early 1970s can hardly be overstated.”
In 1980, WLAC changed its format to news and talk, and is currently the Nashville home for several popular conservative talk shows. However, the station’s early history and Whitehead’s influence have not been forgotten.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum included Whitehead in its 2004-05 major exhibition, Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945–1970.
“He … played a considerable, unique role in covering the era’s conflicts,” Gray said of Whitehead, who was a WLAC radio broadcaster for nine years before signing on with WLAC-TV in sales and advertising. “We appreciate the personal insights and perspectives he offered our visitors during related educational programs.”
Last year, Richie and Brian Day, assistant professor of film and TV production at TSU, traveled to Georgia to meet and interview Whitehead.
“After spending the afternoon with Don, I felt that his personality and story would make a compelling documentary,” Day said. “I hope to have the film wrapped up by the end of the summer/start of the fall. My plan is to submit it to film festivals and then to PBS.”
Richie said the department also plans to launch a campaign this summer to set up a $25,000 foundation scholarship in Whitehead’s name.
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.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.(TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University will receive nearly half a million dollars from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand its research on goat meat production.
The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture on May 16 announced 47 grants totaling almost $17.5 million to improve sustainable agriculture and help rural communities thrive.
Tennessee State leads the nation in research that seeks to boost goat production in the U.S., and plans to use its $496,328 grant to enhance that research.
“We’re pleased that we’re able to get funding to continue our line of investigation on meat goat breeds and their comparative performance,” said Dr. Richard Browning, the lead goat researcher in TSU’s College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences.
Nationwide, agriculture researchers say there’s a demand for goat meat because of a growing population of ethnic groups within the U.S. that consume it, not to mention an increasing number of Americans who are choosing goat over other meats, like chicken and beef, because dietitians say it’s healthier.
To meet the demand, much of the goat meat now in the U.S. is imported from other countries. But TSU’s research, which started in 2002, seeks to change that.
Emily Hayes, a TSU graduate student and research assistant, among some of the breeding does. (Photo by Joan Kite, TSU Public Relations)
“I probably give 10, 12 talks a year across the country on the research,” Browning said. “We have a lot of ethnic groups that have goat as a main part of their diet, and that’s why there’s a demand for goat meat. But we don’t produce enough here.”
TSU’s research herd is comprised of approximately 250 breeding does representing diverse sets of Boer, Kiko, Spanish, Myotonic and Savanna genetics.
Browning said the latest funding from the USDA will mainly be used to study the fifth meat goat breed recently brought into the research program.
“This project is targeting the Savanna goats, which is one of the newer breeds that the industry is looking at as a possible source of improved animal performance,” Browning said.
He said the research is shared with producers, farmers, to help them be more effective in their goat production.
“The other part of this project is to train producers in the detection and management of internal parasites,” said Browning, adding that TSU will be working with goat researchers at Alabama A&M University.
Delicious dish of goat meat at Jamaicaway restaurant in Nashville. (Photo by Courtney Buggs, TSU Media Relations).
Goat meat is naturally lean, meaning it is much lower in saturated fat and cholesterol, having a naturally higher HDL count (the good cholesterol) and a naturally low LDL count (the bad kind of cholesterol), according to the National Kiko Registry. It is also lower in calories than other meats, like beef, and is easier to digest.
Dr. Sandria Godwin is a family and consumer science professor at TSU, as well as a registered dietitian. She has worked with Dr. Browning to produce goat meat recipes.
“It is definitely a healthier choice,” Godwin said.
Heritage Foods USA is an online butcher based in Brooklyn, New York, that supports farmers who raise livestock, including goats. Its cuts are sold to customers in all 50 states, as well as carried in 130 restaurants from New York City to Los Angeles.
The company is an advocate for more U.S. production of goat meat.
“Goats are environmentally low-maintenance and easy to raise,” said Patrick Martins, co-founder of Heritage Foods. “Goat is actually the most widely consumed meat in the world – and America is slowly learning what the rest of the world already knows – that goat meat is delicious, lean, versatile, healthy, and sustainable.”
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.
Although native Floridians, Freddie L. and Dr. Susie Blocker Stewart Robinson, Sr. , were only two hours away from each other in their hometowns of Fort Pierce and Sanford, respectively. It was an 11-hour trip up the road to Nashville, Tennessee that created the setting for this couple to meet.
The voice of the late powerhouse blues and jazz vocalist, Etta James, rocked the then-Tennessee A & I State University Homecoming dance in 1962, which provided the perfect backdrop for a chance meeting between the future husband-and-wife.
The Robinsons celebrate their 50th class reunion together at TSU. (Photo by John Cross, TSU Media Relations)
“That’s how I met him in 1962,” said Susie, still beaming over her college sweetheart. “I stepped on his foot at the homecoming dance.”
Three years later, they were married on February 8, 1965.
At that moment, they became inseparable, spending 52 years of their lives still doing everything “together,” Susie said, including celebrating as Golden Vintagers marking their 50th anniversary as TSU graduates during the annual event held earlier this month.
The two, who were both the first to graduate from college in their families, remember those times on TSU’s campus as a place that felt much like the family they left many miles away.
“My memory of TSU was that something was always going on,” said Freddie, who earned his bachelor’s degree in political science in 1967 and even ran for president of the freshman class. “It was full of activity.”
“The campus was very exciting,” added Susie, who earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1967. “People were close and friendly. People would help you when you were in need.”
Over the years, education became an important career path for the couple with emphasis placed on continuing their studies in the field. Freddie attended the University of Northern Colorado, earning a master’s in curriculum and instruction from Nova Southeastern University and a certificate in administration and supervision from Florida International University. Susie furthered her studies at Nova University in Fort Lauderdale, earning a master’s in administration and supervision, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University.
The duo has enjoyed long careers in education, and credit TSU for giving them their foundation to be successful. Both are long-time educators and administrators with Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Freddie retired in 2004, having served in many roles, including assistant principal and Principal’s Designee. Susie, who retired in 2016, was an elementary teacher, assistant principal, and principal receiving recognition as “Teacher of the Year” and “Mentor Principal of the Year.” Between the two, they have more than 70 years of dedicated commitment to academic excellence.
They remain active in the community and hold life memberships in their respective affiliations of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. They are also members of the Miami Alumni Chapter of Tennessee State University, and currently serve as University Supervisors for Pre-Student Teachers and Internships at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens.
Since the inception of the Vintagers program in 1971, Freddie and Susie have come back to every single one. But the year 2017 has been a little extra special.
“We are so energized and excited to share in this milestone,” Susie said. “I am just so thankful and extremely proud.”
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.
Nashville, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University’s College of Business held an open house on May 11 to showcase its new Executive MBA program.
Dr. Millicent Lownes-Jackson, dean of TSU’s College of Business, speaks to open house attendees. (Submitted photo)
The event, which had a strong turnout, took place at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville. The hotel will also serve as the program’s weekend residency.
“TSU’s Executive MBA Program enhances the vibrancy of the Nashville area’s graduate education tapestry by offering an affordable, convenient, accredited, business curriculum for busy business professionals who desire to catapult their careers to a higher level of success,” said Dr. Millicent Lownes-Jackson, dean of the College of Business. “In one short year, EMBA program participants will acquire critical business knowledge, along with readily applicable global business and leadership strategies, that will enable them to make an immediate and profound impact.”
The 12-month program, which starts in the fall, is delivered in a hybrid format consisting of both in-person and online course offerings. Program participants also have the opportunity to spend 10 days studying outside the United States to broaden their understanding of global leadership.
Frederick Cawthon of Nashville was among those who attended the open house. The 48-year-old, who works in product management, had a daughter to graduate during TSU’s undergraduate commencement earlier this month, and another is a TSU sophomore seeking a degree in business.
While he likes the idea of keeping TSU in the family, Cawthon said the university’s EMBA program is appealing because he believes it will make him more competitive in the workforce.
“It’s an opportunity to network, to become more knowledgeable, more talented; to raise the bar,” Cawthon said.
Dr. Steve Shanklin is one of the program’s instructors. He will be teaching a managerial and decision-making course that he said provides a quantitative and qualitative assessment of good decisions.
Shanklin believes Nashville businesses will benefit from TSU’s EMBA program, as well as the participants.
“Every small firm in town, every medium-size firm, and even those that are world-class operations in our city,” Shanklin said, “they’re strengthened by having stronger people with better decision skills and a dedication to the Nashville area. TSU plays a big part in that.”
Jim Schmitz, area president for Regions Bank, agreed.
“Tennessee State University’s Executive MBA program will strengthen Nashville’s workforce by providing participants with the knowledge to be even better business leaders,” Schmitz said.
Dr. Mark Hardy, TSU’s vice president for academic affairs, said the program’s instructors are top-notch.
“We believe that with the caliber of individuals who will be teaching, the program is going to be very exciting,” he said.
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.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State women’s track and field All-American Amber Hughes added to her decorated career by earning Ohio Valley Conference Field Athlete of the Year for the outdoor season.
The award, which is voted on by the league’s head coaches, was announced by the league office on Thursday, May 11.
For Hughes, who also won OVC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and Indoor Field Athlete of the Year this season, it is her 11th major award from the OVC during her career.
The senior from Atlanta currently ranks sixth in the nation in the triple jump thanks to a distance of 13.62m (44’8.25”) at the North Florida Invitational. Her long jump distance of 6.21m (20’4.5”) is good for second among OVC student-athletes and is 47th in the nation.
On the track, Hughes is currently first in the OVC and tied for 36th nationally in the 100m hurdles (13.35).
Throughout this outdoor season, the OVC has honored Hughes with three Field Athlete of the Week awards and one Track Athlete of the Week honor.
The three-day OVC Championship in Oxford, Alabama, gets underway May 11 and runs through May 13.
AMBER HUGHES MAJOR OVC AWARDS
2017 OVC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year
2017 OVC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year
2017 OVC Indoor Field Athlete of the Year
2017 OVC Indoor Championship MVP
2016 OVC Outdoor Championship MVP
2016 OVC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year
2016 OVC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year
2016 OVC Indoor Field Athlete of the Year
2015 OVC Outdoor Championship MVP
2014 OVC Indoor Freshman of the Year
2014 OVC Outdoor Freshman of the Year
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.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Darlene Mullins would always tell her children to finish what they started. On May 6, the 72-year-old grandmother did just that when she received her degree from Tennessee State University after 55 years.
Darlene Mullins at undergraduate commencement ceremony. (Photo by John Cross, TSU Media Relations)
Mullins was among more than 800 graduates from various disciplines at the undergraduate spring commencement in the William Jasper Hale Stadium on Tennessee State’s main campus.
“I am very excited and just overjoyed to see this day,” said Mullins, who graduated with honors.
For Mullins, the journey to earn a college degree began on TSU’s campus in 1962. But just as it started, it was cut short.
“Love got in the way,” said Mullins, who celebrates 54 years of marriage in August.
She met John Mullins, a senior from East St. Louis, Illinois, who she described as dashing and handsome, “everything to behold.”
Darlene, a former Miss New Jersey and Miss Glamour runner up, had an immediate crush.
“I thought he was the finest thing walking on the campus,” Darlene told Alumni Life, a campus magazine, in 2014.
She said a courtship developed and the two were married a short time later. John stayed on and completed his college work, graduating in 1964. Darlene took on the role of caring for their home and raising a family.
But in putting her education aside, Darlene also gave up on a dream of becoming an Olympic track star as a member of the famed Tigerbelles.
“I came to TSU because I ran track. I wanted to go to the 1964 Olympics,” Darlene said. “Wilma Rudolph was my idol and I was on my way. I get to TSU and meet the great coach (Ed) Temple, but we bumped heads, because I had to make a choice between his track team or Mr. John Mullins.”
More than a half century and two children and several grandchildren later, John and Darlene have remained very supportive of each other, while living in six states over the course of their marriage.
As the children grew older and family care got less, Darlene embarked on a long and successful career in retail and cosmetology.
All the while, John worked for a number of corporate and government agencies before starting his own business, Lions Group Inc., a successful marketing and advertising company in Dallas, Texas. He said his TSU education with a degree in business gave him a good foundation to be an entrepreneur.
“I always knew I wanted to own my own business,” John said.
But as the two moved around with success at every turn, Darlene never forgot her academic aspiration.
“Something kept nagging at me,” she said. “I always told my children to make sure they finish what they started and I kind of felt it was time to live up to my own advice.”
John and Darlene Mullins will celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary in August. (Photo by John Cross, TSU Media Relations)
She decided it was time to go back to school to get her degree. “John did not hesitate for one bit; he said ‘let’s go,’” Darlene said.
“I love this woman so much and always told her whenever you are ready we will go because this is something I knew she always wanted and I will do nothing to hold her back,” John said.
In July 2013, the couple moved back to Nashville to allow Darlene to finish what she started. She returned to TSU and pursued a degree in interdisciplinary studies, sometimes taking as many as 20 credit hours a semester, and earning top grades.
“My goal was to come back and finish at Tennessee State. I didn’t know at the time how long it was going to take, I just knew I had to do it,” she said.
With the 25 credits she had accumulated before dropping out in 1963, Darlene is completing her college work in four years. A member of three honor societies, she is graduating summa cum laude.
“My graduation from college, for me, confirms that I completed what I started more than 50 years ago,” Darlene said. “I am happy.”
The Mullins’ children are Dr. John E. Mullins Jr. of Baskin Ridge, New Jersey, and Darchele Mullins Erskine of Chicago. They are the proud grandparents of Amber Mullins, Sierra Mullins, John E. Mullins III, and Brandon Forney.
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.
