NASHVILLE – Tennessee State University head football coach Eddie George will lead a group of draft-eligible college players in the 2023 NFLPA Bowl. George, a Heisman Trophy winner and a former NFL standout, has been named one of the head coaches for this year’s event. The game will take place on January 28 and will continue its tradition of being played at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California.
TSU coach Eddie George will lead a group of draft-eligible college players in the 2023 NFLPA Bowl
George will be coaching against his former Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, who was also a coach in last year’s event. George was announced as the 22nd head football coach at Tennessee State University on April 13, 2021. George played college football for Ohio State University and won the Heisman in 1995. That season, George rushed for a school record 1,927 yards and 24 touchdowns, an average of 148.23 yards per game, while also catching 47 passes for 417 yards and another score. He left Ohio State second in school history in career rushing yards (3,768) and third in rushing touchdowns (44). The Philadelphia native finished with 4,284 all-purpose yards, 45 touchdowns, and a 5.5 yards-per-carry average.
In 1996, George was the first-round draft selection of the then-Houston Oilers. He won the NFL Rookie of the Year award that season and was the Oilers/Titans’ starting tailback through 2003, never missing a start. He made the Pro Bowl four consecutive years (1997–2000) and assisted the Titans to a championship appearance in Super Bowl XXXIV.
The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is the premier postseason all-star game for any draft-eligible college football player. More than just a game, this week-long experience provides players with the opportunity to showcase their game to NFL scouts and coaches, while learning from the best in the business. The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl not only prepares players for the speed and intensity of professional football, but also for the business and lifestyle changes that come with it.
The event, founded in 2012, gives players the best opportunity to showcase their talents to the NFL. Nearly 200 scouts, player personnel staff, general managers, and head coaches from all 32 NFL teams are expected to be in attendance to watch live practices, conduct player interviews and review tape.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University and metro Nashville’s faith-based community came together to celebrate the university through prayer for the new year. Started in 2013 when President Glover took the helm of Nashville’s only public institution, the presidential prayer service was her concept to connect TSU with area churches.
Dr. Glenda Glover’s message for the 9th presidential prayer service is to stay faithful while being ‘up against the wall.’ (Photo by Aaron Grayson)
Prominent clergy members and believers from all denominations gather at historic Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church each January for the event. President Glover is the keynote speaker.
“This is our 9th prayer service, and we start it with prayer and thanks,” President Glover said. “I am thankful that God has blessed me to lead such a marvelous university. And I thank him for trusting me with such an awesome responsibility.”
The community hasn’t attended a presidential prayer service since early 2020, due to the pandemic. Glover’s message was one of being faithful when you’re ‘up against the wall’ and the power of prevailing prayer.
Faith-based community goers during the 9th Presidential Prayer Service at Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church. (Photo by Aaron Grayson)
“You can stop and give up because it’s too difficult, or you can pray and push forward,” Glover continued during her testimony.
The TSU family is also a part of the service. This year it included newcomers to the event, TSU freshman class president Sir Ford and Shaun Wimberly Jr., who is the student trustee on the TSU Board of Trustees.
Ford, a business administration major, says seeing faith-based leaders of various denominations from across Nashville and beyond come together was a great experience.
Sir Ford
“As a freshman, it just shows how the community can come together,” Ford of Nashville says. “The president had a very powerful message, and I am hopeful to see that message translate this semester. I look forward to TSU showing the state of Tennessee what our HBCU represents.”
Wimberly noted that the experience was heartwarming to see the community come together in support of TSU’s prosperity, “from the church to the Jefferson Street community, to the Islamic faith, the Hebrew faith and of course our TSU faculty, staff, and students,” he says.
“I think it only highlights the extent in which the university has impacted people.”
Shaun Wimberly Jr.
Rev. Aaron X. Marble, pastor of Jefferson Street presided over the program as the service continued with scriptures from Rev. Cora Alston, soulful singing from TSU’s Renee Craig, and greetings from every faith community by Minister Samuel X.
Along with members of the clergy and supporters from nearby HBCUs, elected officials also attended in support of TSU. Mayor John Cooper, State Rep. Dr. Harold Love Jr., Metro Council member Sharon Hurt, Davidson County Trustee Erica Gilmore, and many more were present.
TSU alum Rev. Dr. Love said it’s always a great start to the second semester of the school year to galvanize the community, “to ensure every student and faculty has a wonderful experience at Tennessee State,” he said.
State Rep. Dr. Harold Love Jr.
“The second semester we have students returning and you don’t know what their experience has been like while at home … and we want to give them support and let them know, we are here for them.”
Love says he is grateful for his TSU family and the surrounding community.
“TSU has helped mold me. You can also be shaped and molded by the university.”
The service culminated with moving prayers for the city, its youth and young people, along with TSU students, faculty, and staff. The prayer service concluded with a powerful moment when clergy members surrounded President Glover and asked God to continue to crown her wisdom as the spring semester begins on Jan. 17.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Dr. Bobby L. Lovett, award-winning author, historian, and Professor Emeritus of Afro-American history at Tennessee State University, is being remembered as a trailblazing educator, civil rights advocate, and a pillar in the Tennessee historical community.
“Dr. Bobby Lovett made a lasting impression on his students, colleagues, and anyone who crossed his path,” President Glover said. “Dr. Lovett embodied our motto of think, work, and serve and took his role very seriously in cultivating young minds for future leadership and representing TSU.”
For more than 30 years Dr. Lovett served as professor of history at TSU until his retirement in 2011. For 10 of those years, he also served as dean of the then College of Arts and Sciences.
A prolific writer, Lovett’s historical expertise led him to author more than eight books on American and African American History. His most recent book, A Touch of Greatness: A History of Tennessee State University, published in 2012, is part of series that examines the role of historically black colleges and universities throughout the civil right struggle and American history. His 2005 book, The Civil Rights Movement in Tennessee: A Narrative History, won the “Tennessee History Book Award” by the Tennessee Library Association and Tennessee Historical Commission.
Former colleague Dr. Learotha Williams described Lovett as a mentor and friend.
“I would not be at TSU were it not for Dr. Lovett,” said Dr. Williams, associate professor of history, who said Lovett invited him to “look” at the position when it was open.
“In addition to teaching and his love for students, I think when it comes to what he meant to the city, he’s the father of black Nashville history; that is the stuff that he talked about. He was the guy that highlighted and said that we need to pay attention to this one, in order to understand Nashville.”
Lovett was a founding member of the Nashville Conference on African American History and Culture. Started in 1981, the conference brings together historians, educator, students, and other individuals interested in how African Americans shaped the history of Nashville and Tennessee.
He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, where he received his public-school education and completed Booker T. Washington High School. Lovett earned his B.A. at Arkansas A.M. & N State College (today’s University of Arkansas campus at Pine Bluff) and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
Before coming to TSU, Lovett taught history courses in the Memphis Public School System (1969-1970) and at Eureka College (1970-1973).
Dr. Lovett was laid to rest on Friday, Dec. 29 in Woodlawn Memorial Park after funeral services at First Baptist Church Capitol Hill, in Nashville.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University and a local non-profit were able to spread lots of cheer during the holiday season. The university and Simply United Together partnered again to host Toys for Tots on the campus to make sure hundreds of Nashville children awoke Christmas morning with smiles on their faces. On December 17, nearly 2,000 parents were able to select gifts for their children during the annual toy distribution organized by TSU and Simply United Together, a nonprofit that coordinates the pickup of donated toys.
A volunteer, right, helps Erica Dowlen picks out toys for her two children. (Photo by Aaron Grayson)
Erica Dowlen, of Nashville, a mother of a 6-month-old and a 6-year-old, was among those picking up toys. She said with a new baby and barely enough income to cope, she had nowhere else to turn.
“I really didn’t have anywhere else to turn and I heard about TSU. I went and was able to pick out some nice stuff for my kids,” said Dowlen. “I am totally grateful because this was a down year for me. I had just had a baby. I wasn’t able to work as I wanted to provide from my kids.”
It’s estimated that nearly 5,000 children, boys and girls up to age 12, received toys as a result of the program. Volunteers, including TSU students, staff, alumni, and representatives from area charitable organizations and churches, helped with the distribution in Kean Hall on the main campus. Since 2018, TSU has partnered with Simply United Together, and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots to distribute toys on the TSU main campus.
Volunteers help with distribution at the Toy for Tots giveaway in Kean Hall. (Photo by Aaron Grayson)
Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. William Hytche, coordinator of the Toys for Tots program for TSU, said the university is thankful for the continued partnership with Simply United Together to serve needy families during the holiday.
“It is an important service that I think we do as a community,” said Hytche. “TSU is in the community, so we like to serve the community whenever we get the opportunity. We have had this partnership with Simply United for over four years and it has worked very well.”
A volunteer helps stack up toys for parents during Saturday’s program on the main TSU campus. (Photo by Aaron Grayson)
Benetta M. Sears, the local director of Simply United Together Foundation, said she is thankful that TSU has continued to be a site to serve families, especially during this “very critical time.”
“Tennessee State University is very positive. This is a community school also, and the people here are more willing and ready to serve the Nashville community, and we are thankful to continue our partnership,” she said.
For more information on Toys for Tots at TSU, please call Dr. William Hytche at 615-963-5069.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University has received nearly $5 million in a hemp research grant, an investment that could make the state of Tennessee the number one grower in the Southeast region. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the investment this week, awarding the grant to the College of Agriculture towards a new partnership for a Climate-Smart Fiber Hemp Project.
This investment for sustainable hemp fiber research will promote market development of industrial hemp supply as a climate-smart commodity through incentives to underserved Tennessee growers enrolled into the program.
Dr. Emmanuel Omondi
Dean and Director of Research/Administrator of Extension Chandra Reddy said the department is excited to support hemp producers in the state, particularly with climate smart production practices.
“We have been at the forefront of identifying appropriate hemp varieties to grow in Tennessee and have been facilitating producers’ meetings on our campus,” Reddy says. “This multi-million-dollar project strengthens our Center of Excellence focusing on developing Climate Smart practices in managing Natural Resources, Renewable Energy, and Environment.”
The hemp project is a collaborative initiative to expand the production of industrial hemp as a climate-smart commodity, evaluate its greenhouse gas benefits, and promote the value of market development to a cross-section of production agriculture, including historically underserved producers across the state of Tennessee.
Dr. Emmanuel Omondi and PhD student Anand Kumar at Tennessee State University’s agricultural farm.
The project is led by Dr. Emmanuel Omondi, Assistant Professor of Agronomy and Industrial Hemp Extension Specialist.
Omondi says the greatest percentage of funds will be used to provide support and incentives to historically underserved farmers owning up to 500 acres to grow fiber hemp. The fiber hemp will then be processed and supplied to the motor vehicle industry as raw materials for manufacturing critical motor vehicle parts such as fabrics and bioplastics, he says.
“Funds will also be used to continue research into the best management agronomic production practices such as crop rotations, reduced tillage, alternative sources of fertilizers, and good genetics for Tennessee.”
Omondi said he is excited about the opportunity and looks forward to having a, “strong team of multidisciplinary partners who are totally committed to the successful execution of this project.”
TSU alum Frederick Cawthon, President of Hemp Alliance of Tennessee (HAT), who is a key partner within the project, said the overall goal is to create opportunities for underserved Tennessee growers.
“Tennessee can become the leading producer of hemp in the Southeast United States,” Cawthon said. “It’s a proud moment in my career to work alongside my alma mater to create opportunities for Tennessee’s diverse hemp producers. We are committed to growing this industry responsibly, and we encourage all industries to examine how they can utilize this climate-smart and regenerative raw material.”
In collaboration with TSU for the project is HAT, University of Tennessee (UTK), and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) to address the global challenges posed by climate change.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The first Civil War Trails marker paying homage to three African American regiments has been unveiled in Nashville. The marker is located on Foster Avenue near STEM Prep High School. Tennessee State University associate professor of history Dr. Learotha Williams played a major role in the historic project that details the story of the former slaves fighting in the city during the Civil War for the first time as United States soldiers.
The historical marker is located on Foster Avenue near STEM Prep High School.
Williams said during the event that the marker site highlights the important contributions of the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT).
“This battle, this marker, and this moment only represents a new chapter in our understanding of the Civil War in history and our collective memory,” Williams said. “Be mindful that this should be the starting point and not an end. There is much more that we have to discover and learn about the Civil War.”
Dr. Williams helped bring the marker to light by providing his research about the regiments of the USCT. It was noted that this dedication took place 158 years to the exact date of the Battle of Nashville in 1864, involving the three Black regiments.
The unveiled marker is the story of the former slaves fighting in the city during the Civil War for the first time as United States soldiers.
Those attending included representatives from the Battle of Nashville Trust, Stem Prep High School, Civil War Trails, and Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. During the unveiling, several presenters spoke about the need to preserve and expand the number of markers that honor the impact African Americans made on the war.
One of Williams’ history students, Jasmine Sears, said she is excited to see another part of history being honored in a positive light in Nashville.
“I view the unveiling of this marker as a testament to the achievements of African Americans and their role in the development of Nashville,” Sears of Atlanta, GA, said.
Jasmine Sears
“Many people don’t fully understand the impact African American soldiers had on a war that was fought so close to home, but I hope this marker will change that.”
Sears said she looks forward to pursuing a career in public history to educate people on unknown history that is closer to them than they think.
USCT regiments are also noted to have fought valiantly at Peach Orchard Hill, which is five miles south of were the new marker stands. Dr. Williams says he has hopes that a marker will be placed there in the near future.
The state of Tennessee joined the Civil War Trails program in 2008 with over 350 sites in Tennessee for guest to visit the footsteps of trailblazers like the men who were honored this week for their bravery on Dec. 15, 1864.
In 2018, Dr. Williams also spearheaded and unveiled a historical marker recognizing victims of Nashville’s slave market. This marker is located at the corner of 4th Avenue North and Charlotte Avenue. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations).
Visit this link here to hear Dr. Williams’ remarks and see the unveiling of the historic marker.
Four students from thecollege of business department of economic and finance will be headed to New York next year to compete as finalist in a Morgan Stanley HBCU Wall Street Exchange Case Competition.
Dr. Izadi and finalist during the Exchange Case Competition.
The students who were selected to advance in the next round of the competition are Leandra Sanchez and Jalen Hatton, who are both seniors studying finance, from Taos, NM, and Columbus, OH. Mylan Townsel, a senior from Memphis, majoring in economics and finance, and Julian Mitchell, a junior from Jackson, MS, also studying economics and finance.
Tennessee State University is one of four finalist out of 13 HBCUs who participated in the competition.
Hatton said he is more than proud to be a finalist representing the university. “It was a real team effort and we did our best,” Hatton says. “It’s a blessed feeling. The case scenario was a real world example … and it took a lot of collaboration and research.”
Students were given a case study to present and had three weeks to prep for the first round of judging. Morgan Stanley’s central regional judging committee selected four university’s as finalists to attend the Professional Development Bootcamp and Regional Case Competition.
TSU’s competition team sent a PowerPoint and video of their presentation for the finance scenario case study and were selected to advance to the next round in New York.
Townsel said with many other HBCUs being apart of the competition, he was in shock when he was notified about being a finalist. “It was much of a surprise,” Townsel said. “We worked hard and put in a lot of effort and time. I look forward to meeting with Morgan Stanley representatives and getting able to go to New York.”
Dr. Selma Izadi
Dr. Selma Izadi, assistant professor of finance, in the college of business formed and advised the finance team of undergraduate students. “The team worked very diligently on the Wall Street Exchange Case … this is a great opportunity,” Izadi says. “The students invested a lot of time, including late night meetings, doing research, preparing this report, and recording the video.”
The case study was presented to Morgan Stanley representatives via zoom earlier this semester.
TSU alum Chuck West, who is a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley, is apart of the companies HBCU initiative committee and his goal was to ‘advocate for TSU students.’ “This opportunity is getting more kids to work for Morgan Stanley,” West says. “This is just a small step on the grand scheme of getting our graduates hired.”
Chuck West
The students will have an all-expense paid trip to New York to present their case study findings and networking opportunities to land employment after graduation.
TSU students will be competing against Texas Southern University, Jackson State University, and Florida Memorial University. The official date of when the competition will take place in New York has not been announced as of Dec. 2022.
About Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is a financial services company. Corporations, organizations, and governments rely on Morgan Stanley as a global leader in investment banking. The company advises clients on transactions including mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, initial public offerings (IPOs), convertibles, share repurchases, debt offerings, derivatives and more.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – It’s a singers dream to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City in front of thousands. For the TSU Meistersingers, it was on their Christmas wish list – a once in a lifetime experience that has come to fruition sooner than expected.
Next May, for the first time ever, 11 members of the TSU Meistersingers are set to participate in a festival performance with MidAmerican Productions at Carnegie Hall.
The premier chamber choral ensemble is raising $20,000 to make the trip of a lifetime to perform with professional orchestras.
Dr. Dunsavage left, and a few of TSU Meistersingers students after a performance at the McKendree United Methodist Church in downtown Nashville.
TSU senior Dominic Davidson, who is a voice major, says he looks forward to the choir raising the funds to be able to participate in a life changing experience. “I have actually always dreamed of performing at Carnegie Hall ever since I was a child,” Davidson of Hendersonville, says. “As a choir, we have always wanted this kind of opportunity. We love singing, we love music, and we love the power that singing gives us and brings to others.” The tenor singer says performing at Carnegie Hall will give him a new level of confidence and a greater appreciation for his gift of singing.
Marla Lowery of Knoxville says she was in disbelief when they received the news about the performing. Lowery, a sophomore studying political sciences, says she has never performed in front of a crowd of thousands. “It will be great to network with other schools and to see how orchestras practice up until the actual performance day. This will be exciting,” Lowery, says. The alto singer has been hitting notes since elementary school and looks forward to showing off her vocal skills in New York.
Rhameek Nelson, a senior music education major, says this experience will be an opportunity to better his education and bring exposure to HBCUs. “TSU has never done anything like this before,” Nelson says. “This will take our choir to the next level. The experience will show that … people who look just like me will have the same opportunity here at TSU. I chose TSU, and now they chose me to travel and perform to Carnegie Hall … this is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” says Nelson of Georgia.
TSU Meistersingers during their last performance of the Fall semester.
Director of Choral Activities, Dr. Angelica Dunsavage, says she is just as excited as this will also be her first time performing at Carnegie Hall.
“To be able to do a work, especially with a professional orchestra on the stage of Carnegie Hall is going to be a really amazing experience for the students,” Dunsavage says.
“We would like the community’s help to be able to get us there.”
So far, the choir has raised $3,500 by performing at cooperate and church events, along with small fundraisers on campus. Dunsavage says this experience will open doors to endless possibilities for the students and their careers.
The $20,000 will cover airfare, housing and participation for the Carnegie Hall performance. The students are slated to stay in New York for the event May 10-14, 2023.
Where are our state and federal leaders when it comes to the challenges facing Tennessee State University, Nashville’s only public state-funded HBCU?
Gov. Bill Lee campaigned hard on his work with prison-outreach group Men of Valor, highlighting the stark contrast between the haves and the have-nots. He should be aware of the challenges facing Black students and how hard it is — regardless of the color of your skin — to get a college education when coming from a disadvantaged background. TSU and its student population are overcoming hurdles, but our leaders have yet to lift a finger to help.
Tennessee’s senior U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn has also been quiet on the subject — though she has in recent months made her opinion on a well-educated Black woman quite clear. The nation was taken aback by her mistreatment of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson during Jackson’s confirmation hearing, asking if the judge had a “hidden agenda” and inspiring headlines such as Newsweek’s “Marsha Blackburn accused of racism over Ketanji Brown Jackson questions.” What a proud moment to be a Tennessean. While Blackburn has not made her opinion of TSU President Dr. Glenda Glover public, she may have similar unfounded suspicion of another Black woman in a position of leadership and responsibility.
It’s no secret that one of TSU’s greatest challenges has been the expense of providing a solid education. Nashville’s meteoric growth has been a challenge for many residents, and city growth has a large impact on an urban university with housing and educational responsibilities. When families find it difficult to find and keep homes in Nashville, the challenges facing an urban university are just as great. Combine that with the recent surge in TSU’s enrollment, and the school now has one of the best problems you can have: surging attendance, with more students than they’ve ever seen before. High praise for TSU, but it is indeed a logistical challenge.
TSU was recently in front of the state Senate’s Finance, Ways and Means Committee to discuss the framework for financial support for additional student housing. But as Tennessee Lookout’s Sam Stockard recently pointed out, the “outrage over TSU was outrageous.” Instead of discussing the logistics of a clearly needed student housing increase, this 10-member committee — notably composed of nine Republicans and a single Democrat — grilled TSU over years-old financial audit findings.
TSU has worked diligently to increase enrollment, and has achieved a dramatic increase of 2,000 more incoming freshmen this year. The treatment TSU received was out of line. The school deserves more respect and simply excels at recruiting new students. “TSU’s biggest sin,” writes Stockard, “appears to be a strong marketing program and an inability to say no.”
Some have pointed out that other schools — namely UT-Knoxville — would never have been treated this way. I have to agree. I love both schools and have supported them for many years, but the treatment Dr. Glover received from our state legislators was uncalled for. Dr. Glover is a rare find in the educational field. How rare? She has no peer in Tennessee’s other public universities. Out of every public university in the state of Tennessee, only two are led by a woman, and only two are led by a person of color. How many are led by a woman of color? One. Dr. Glover is the only Black woman to lead a public university in Tennessee. This is how we treat someone with a hard-earned and well-deserved position of authority? I agree with Stockard’s comment that UT-Knoxville President Randy Boyd would never have been treated this way — and I suspect that the other eight white men in charge of our public universities wouldn’t have been treated this way, either.
Increasing enrollment is the primary goal of our public educational institutions. Nearly a decade ago, former Gov. Bill Haslam’s “Drive to 55” program was implemented with the goal of having 55 percent of all Tennesseans earn a post-secondary degree or certificate by 2025. TSU has arguably done more than its fair share of the work to reach that high bar, which was set back in 2013. They were charged with increasing enrollment, and that’s exactly what they’ve done.
The bottom line is this: TSU’s housing needs are real. They deserve help from the state, they deserve better treatment from our state legislators, and they deserve better from our state government as a whole.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – National political strategist and commentator Symone D. Sanders-Townsend Saturday inspired Tennessee State University graduates to be prepared for the unexpected as they pursue their career goals. Giving the fall commencement address as more than 600 received degrees in the Gentry Center Complex, the former senior advisor and chief spokesperson to Vice President Kamala Harris said life will not always go as planned.
President Glenda Glover, left, and commencement speaker Symone D. Sanders-Townsend, lead the graduation procession in the Gentry Center Complex. (Photo by Aaron Grayson)
She left the graduates with three things she said helped her along the way.
“Do not be focused on your plans that you are unwilling to consider the unexpected, find yourself, and fight for what you believe,” said Sanders, former CNN commentator and host of the new MSNBC program Symone.
Before Sanders’ speech, TSU President Glenda Glover, in her opening remarks, congratulated the graduates and their parents and loved ones for their support.
“I applaud you for having reached such an extraordinary milestone,” Glover told the graduates. “This is your day. And we will make the most of it, for tomorrow you step into the world as the servant leaders you have been trained to be. The servant leaders you’ve been called to be.”
President Glover presents the late Teisha Lashelle King’s degree to her mother Gail King Randolph, as she holds her daughter’s photo. (Photo by Aaron Grayson)
Midway through the graduation, President Glover paused the ceremony to honor the memory of two Tigers who lost their lives shortly before graduation. Teisha Lashelle King, a business major and Amaya Victoria Taylor Sanders, a health science major, had completed the requirements for graduation. Dr. Glover awarded their degrees posthumously to their mothers.
“This year unfortunately, we had two fallen Tigers, and we pause to honor their memories,” the President said, to rousing cheers from the crowd of parents and loved ones in the packed Gentry Center.
“We will continue to hold them in our memory and prayers.”
Sanders paid homage to Tennessee State University, a school she said has lived up to its founding mission to transform lives.
Priscilla Sandifer, second from left, displays her late daughter, Amaya Victoria Taylor Sanders’ photo and degree, as she’s embraced by President Glover, left, Dr. Ron Barredo, Dean of the College of Health Sciences; and Dr. Robbie Melton, interim Vice President for Academic Affairs. (Photo by Aaron Grayson)
“From your cutting-edge STEM programs to your deep commitment to social justice, Tennessee State University is a school that the rest of the country can look to as a model for excellence,” pointing to the success of the school’s marching band, the Aristocrat of Bands, for getting two Grammy nominations. “For the first time in history, the heartbeat of HBCU culture has been recognized by the recording academy. The AOB was recognized this year for not one, but two Grammy nominations.”
It was also an extra special day for Janeiar Noel. She got a surprise visit from her brother Navy Airman Julio J. Noel, dressed in his military outfit, who travelled from his San Diego, California naval base to congratulate his sister.
Janeiar Noel is congratulated by her mother, Gemma Williams, and her brother Navy Airman Julio Noel, after receiving her degree. (Photo by Aaron Grayson)
The mother of three said obtaining her business administration degree, her brother’s surprised visit, and the commencement speaker’s inspiring message left her with the motivation to succeed.
“I have kids who are looking up to me, and I need to set an example for them,” Janeiar said. “Life threw a lot of things at me, but I was able to persevere, and I am glad I could make my brother, my kids and my family proud.”
Tyrell Jones, who earned a master’s in computer science, said he was able to pursue all of his passions. Jones also received his undergraduate degree in mathematics from TSU and was involved in student leadership and other activities. He said the speaker left him inspired.
Tyrell Jones received his master’s degree in computer science. (Submitted photo)
“I was super inspired because throughout my master’s journey, I was trying to find myself, and that was one of the points Ms. Sanders talked about,” said Jones, who works with Lockheed Martin as a cyber security software engineer.
The fall ceremony was live streamed on TSU YouTube channel and can be viewed by visiting www.tnstate.edu/livestream.
