NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University is a finalist in 11
categories of the 2019 Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ Digest
Awards.
The winners will be announced at the ninth annual
HBCU Awards ceremony to be held on August 2 at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of
Maryland African American History and Culture in downtown Baltimore.
TSU is a finalist for University of the Year, and TSU President
Glenda Glover is in the running for Female President of the Year.
Other TSU nominations are:
Best Marching Band: Aristocrat of Bands
Best HBCU Choir: New Direction Choir
Best Fine Arts Program: Department of Music
Best Science, Technology, Engineer and Mathematics (STEM) Program: College of Engineering
Best Business Program: Executive MBA Program
Alumna of the Year: Traci Otey Blunt
Female Coach of the Year: Chandra
Cheeseborough-Guice
Male Athlete of the Year: Christion Abercrombie
Male Student of the Year: Jailen Leavell
The HBCU Awards is the first and only national awards ceremony
honoring individual and institutional achievement at historically black
colleges and universities throughout the country. Winners are selected by a
panel of previous winners, journalist, HBCU executives, students and alumni for
the merit of accomplishment and for generating positive coverage for HBCU
campus communities.
Last year, Tennessee State University received
awards for “Best Student Organization” and “Alumnus of the Year.”
The year before that, TSU’s Aristocrat of Bands and the
university’s College of Engineering received top honors in the HBCU Digest Awards.
In 2015, TSU’s women’s basketball team got Female Team of the
Year, and student activities received Best Student Organization.
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) – The Men’s Initiative, a character and integrity building program at Tennessee State University, is implementing a series of programs aimed to inspire young male students to become better men.
Students who participated in the inaugural Rite of Passage mentoring program covered topics such as personal responsibility, values, communications, relationship building, and health and wellness. (Submitted Photo)
Recently, 23 second-year male students completed a semester-long Rite of Passage mentoring and leadership-training program conducted by the initiative. The students were pinned and honored in a ceremony before TSU administrators, faculty, staff, students, and community members in the Performing Arts Center on the main campus.
“The goal of this
program is to help these students to matriculate and graduate here at the
university,” said Frank Stevenson, associate vice president for Student Affairs
and dean of students. “We want to make sure that they are successful by
engaging them in things that help them in their matriculation, as
it relates to character and integrity, and understanding the principles of
being responsible young men.”
The inaugural Rite of Passage process started in January, with interest meetings for the students and a training for the 13 TSU faculty and staff mentors who helped facilitate student development. It continued with a six-week curriculum that concluded with a final challenge in the seventh week.
According to Robert
Taylor, director of the TSU Men’s Initiative, participants were trained on
personal responsibility, values, communication, relationship building, health
and wellness, and African diaspora history. He said the program culminated with
a mentor/mentee matching ritual that will continue for 15 weeks over the summer. All 23
students are expected to return to TSU in the fall, as certified mentors.
“The Rite of Passage
portion of the Men’s Initiative engages second-year male students in a series
of workshops and mentorship programs to
help them to transition from boyhood to manhood,” Taylor said. “Our ultimate
purpose is to increase student persistence and to help these young men
understand who they are as individuals, and
what their role is in the community, and how they can further that through
their education.”
Travion Crutcher, a sophomore mechanical engineering major from Hunstville, Alabama, was a member of the first class that participated in the Rite of Passage training. As a graduate, he returns next semester as a mentor.
“I have always wanted
to be able to help people find their way, because when I first came here, I didn’t know where to start and
someone helped me,” said Crutcher, who plays cymbals in the TSU Aristocrat of
Bands. “I just like to be that person you can ask questions.”
Taylor said in addition to the Rite of Passage, the Men’s Initiative, which is funded by Title III, also includes success coaching, where teams of coaches work with the students to make sure that they are taking advantage of all of the resources that are available to them. There is also the Men’s Empowerment Zone, Taylor said.
“Empowerment Zone,
which we are creating on the second
floor of Boyd Hall, focuses on improving the actual physical environment for
the students,” Taylor said.
When it is completed, Taylor said the empowerment zone will include a gym with
equipment to help the men stay in shape, as well as upgrade the barbershop. He
said a computer lab is also being developed in partnership with the Career
Development Center, and there will be a conference center where students can do
online interviews with potential employers.
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) – When Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover traveled to her hometown of Memphis last week, she had one goal in mind: Bring back Tupac Moseley.
Moseley had recently graduated valedictorian of his class at Raleigh-Egypt High School, and received $3 million in scholarships, all while homeless his senior year. This hands-on treatment didn’t go unnoticed by the shy teen.
President Glenda Glover presents Tupac Moseley with his full-ride scholarship letter. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
“For the president herself to drive down to one of the schools to actually assist a student personally, one-on-one, to take him or her up there for a visit, it’s just mind blowing to me,” said Moseley, who will major in engineering.
Dr. Glover personally led a team of senior university officials to Memphis and presented Moseley with a full-ride scholarship, including housing and a meal plan.
“Tupac is not homeless anymore,” Glover
said to the throng of media representatives and a cheering crowd assembled in
the school cafeteria during a celebration for the teen. “He now has his
own room with a meal plan with all the necessary amenities to help him continue
his success as an academically talented student. That’s what we do. We are an
HBCU, we care about our students. It is in our DNA that we can see a student
with this much potential and talent and see what we can do to assist him even
before he starts his academic journey.”
President Glover and Tupac Moseley answer reporters’ question at a press conference in Memphis. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
Moseley’s remarkable story of perseverance
and success amidst homelessness and poverty has made national headlines. The
18-year-old became homeless in his senior year after his father died and the
family could not afford the mounting bills. They moved to a campsite for the
disadvantaged. In the midst of the hardship, the Memphis native found a way to
stay focused in school, and “staying on top of everything that came his way in
class work,” his high school principal said. He graduated with a 4.3 grade
point average.
“Tupac is an amazing individual with excellent math knowledge,” said principal Shari Meeks. “He has taken the highest-level math here that we offer. He has attained college credits. He took a statewide dual credit challenge test in pre-calculus and passed it. He could have gone to any school in the nation. I think TSU will have an asset in Tupac. He is awesome and revered by his classmates – he helps them, he tutors them.”
Tupac Moseley blows the candles on his pre-birthday cake at a send-off reception Raleigh-Egypt High School hosted for the incoming TSU freshman. His birthday was May 23. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
At a sendoff reception for Moseley in the principal’s conference room, the standing room only audience included state and county Who’s Who, such as State Rep. Antonio Parkinson (District 98), who was instrumental in the TSU/Moseley talks; and Dr. Joris M. Ray, superintendent of Shelby County Schools.
Parkinson described Moseley as the “best and brightest talent that has ever been produced in Shelby County.”
“This is just the culmination of a lot of things that’s been going on,” Parkinson said about the reception. “Losing his father, homelessness, that was just too much for anyone. What we have done is just pull resources together to make sure that we provide the stability for him and Tennessee State University was part of the strategy to create that stability for one of our best and brightest talents.”
Superintendent Ray was thankful for the support system at the school – principal, teachers, counselors.
“This young man is a testament of being very resilient and strong,” Ray said. “I am so proud of his hard work, dedication, and he defied the odds with a great support system here at school that helped him to overcome and achieve in the midst of turmoil. I am so proud of Tupac, what he has done here, what he has done for our city and school district.”
As a way of telling his story and helping others facing hardship, Moseley created his own T-shirt based on his quote, “Your location is not your limitation.” He earned 50 scholarships worth a total of $3 million. He said he is majoring in engineering “because I love the smiles I get after helping people with tech issues.”
Moseley is not coming to TSU alone. Two other fellow graduates, including his best friend, Brandon Fontaine, also received scholarships and will attend TSU with him. President Glover included them in the trip back to campus on Wednesday as well. Fontaine is considering majoring in business management or mechanical engineering. The other student, Natoriya Owens, who wants to pursue a career in entrepreneurship, will major in theater arts with a minor in business.
President Glover added that this is what makes HBCUs so special for African Americans, and particularly first-generation college students and communities of color.
“This is the type of hands-on, special attention TSU provides our students, and especially those with unusual circumstances. It also speaks to the holistic approach and nurturing that HBCUs provide to students. Tupac is a prime example of the role TSU and other HBCUs play in addressing the total needs of our students.”
Tennessee State University is currently accepting students for the fall and have scholarships available for qualified students who want to major in STEM.
Department of Media Relations
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)
– More than 200 students in grades K-8 from Davidson County and surrounding
areas recently took part in a NASA-funded, one-day STEM education workshop at
Tennessee State University.
A parent participates with her children in an activity at Dare to Dream STEM Saturday. (Submitted Photo)
Called “Dare to Dream STEM Saturday,” the workshop in April engaged students in scientific experiments, and engineering design processes, such as robotics, coding, drones, virtual reality, flight simulation and math games.
The TSU College of
Education, in partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools, hosted the
workshop under the Minority University Research Education Project, or MUREP, a
NASA program at the university.
Led by TSU undergraduate STEM students and MNPS teachers, the
workshop included a Family Engagement component that allowed parents to engage
their children in the various projects.
A student controls a robot using a tablet. (Submitted Photo)
“Dare to Dream STEM Saturday was designed to celebrate
minority innovators in science, technology, engineering and math,” said Dr.
Trinetia Respress, director of the TSU MUREP project and interim assistant dean
of Assessment and Accreditation in the COE. “It was very rewarding to see students
and parents engaged in brainstorming in various activities.”
Among some of the activities, students used an engineering
process to build a structure that could handle a load, by testing factors
affecting the strength and stability of the structure. Using a template, the
students also created a rocket that
they launched from a soda straw.
Shaliyah Brooks, a junior English major, from Atlanta, was one of the TSU students who led the workshop. As a technology specialist for the workshop, she exposed the students to robots through demonstrations on how they work, using devices such as parents’ personal phones or tablets.
A mother and daughter celebrate as they complete an activity at the workshop. (Submitted Photo)
“I definitely think
that the students were excited to be there,” Brooks said. “They got a chance to
play all day and in a way that was educational. They were very hands-on working
with their parents.”
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) – A TSU summer bridge program that helps first-time freshmen
brush up on math, reading and writing, has received an $80,000 boost from the
Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
The Summer Completion
Academy, a rigorous one-week program designed to ensure student success, will
use the grant to give 300 students in the academy the opportunity to satisfy
learning support requirements prior to their first semester of enrollment.
The program will run over two
sessions between June 23-29, and July 14-20, 2019. Students participating in
the program have already been accepted to TSU for the fall semester.
“Our focus for the grant is to
work with students who are at risk,” said Tiffany Bellafant Steward, assistant
vice president of Enrollment Management and Student Success. “These are
students who are not prepared for college-level work who would go into our
learning support areas of math, reading and writing.”
She said participants will receive
learning support such as additional lab sessions, extra days in class, as well
as “engagement activities,” including pre- and post-tests to measure their
achievement level.
According to Steward, the academy,
now in its third year, has a “huge” success rate.
“We are thrilled to
be in a position to offer a program like this to students, which could take up
to three classes off their fall schedule,” Steward said.
Tyren Griffin, a business administration major, now in her second semester at TSU, participated in the SCA as an in-coming freshman. She said the program helped her be better prepared for her college work.
“I really enjoyed my SCA
experience,” said Griffin, a Chicago native. “In addition to helping me be
better prepared for my academic work, the program definitely benefited me
because I was able to get to know people that had similar goals for success.”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – They have performed for the Pope, and have been called the best college choir in the nation, but if you think you have seen the best of the TSU New Direction Choir, think again.
New Direction Choir Director Justin Butler, right, leads the group during taping of of their upcoming appearance on BET’s Sunday Best. (Submitted Photo)
The world-renowned
choir has been selected to appear as featured performer on BET’s hit show “Sunday
Best,” a reality television
gospel music singing competition series.
The choir will appear in an episode of the show which airs this fall. They will perform gospel hits selected by the show’s producers. On May 9, the group spent the day taping their upcoming performance in the Tyler Perry Studio in Atlanta.
“We are just excited
and grateful,” said Justin Butler, director of New Direction, who called the
invitation a “total surprise and a wild moment.”
He said one of the
producers of Sunday Best (Torrance Glenn) “called us out of the blue” and said
he had been following New Direction for a long time, and when he needed a choir
to perform behind the contestants, the TSU group “instantly” came to mind.
The choir performs at one of its many concerts during the European tour. (submitted Photo)
“It was a wild
moment. We didn’t know we had impacted someone all the way in New York,” Butler
said. “He just said, ‘I need you all as guest performers for this episode and I
need you here’ by this time. He said he felt we would be the best to perform on
the show behind the contestants.”
Kedrick Noel, a junior music education major from Memphis, is president of New Direction Choir. He said he got the call from Butler about the opportunity to appear on BET.
“It is just
amazing. We are beyond grateful and blessed to have this opportunity to perform
on BET Sunday Best,” Noel said. “It was just a blessing how everything worked
out. The school was one hundred percent behind us, the choir was one hundred
percent behind us.”
Last winter, New
Direction spent 31 days touring and performing in different cities across
Europe. The group held 24 concerts, including an appearance in the Vatican,
where they met and performed for the Pope.
Concert goers cheer on the TSU New Direction Choir during a performance on the group’s recent European tour. (Submitted Photo)
“That was another
wild moment,” said Butler. “The people were so excited to see us. They treated
us like we were rock stars. The red carpet was laid out for us everywhere we
went.”
“It was overwhelming
to see our students come out and work so hard,” primary group advisor Deborah
Chisom, said at the time. “Even though I was not on stage with them, seeing
them so excited was just very fulfilling.”
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 Spring Commencement speakers, civil rights leader the Rev. Al
Sharpton and bestselling author Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, were presented honorary
degrees.
Sharpton gave the address at
the Graduate Commencement Ceremony on May 3, and Sharpton spoke at the
Undergraduate Commencement the following day.
They received an Honorary
Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of their body of work, and their impact
on society.
Both men encouraged graduates
to continue to better themselves.
“Tonight, you have shown you can achieve something,” said Sharpton, who serves as the host of PoliticsNation on MSNBC. “Only you know … what you went through to get here. But through it all, you got here tonight, which proves that you can achieve something, and it proves that you can keep achieving if you use the same discipline and determination you did to graduate here tonight. You can keep going higher and higher if you push yourself to do that.”
Dyson, professor of sociology at Georgetown University, said to
impact the world graduates must be literate, interconnected and transformative.
“You
must be ‘LIT,’” he said, attributing the acronym to the young generation’s
reference to something fun, good or exciting. “You might think classes are over
so you don’t have to read. But you have to be literate in the world we live in
because it is important. When you go into the world as proud Tennessee State
University graduates they know you come from a great place. You got to be
morally and psychologically literate.”
Georgetta
Harris-Wyatt received a doctorate in psychology. She said Sharpton’s speech was
motivational, that it “encouraged all the graduate students to see beyond where
they are now.”
She said Sharpton’s words inspired her even more to use her
degree to help youth.
“Ultimately, I hope to work with children and adolescents in the
juvenile justice system, and help them to rewrite their stories,” said
Harris-Wyatt.
Charles Alexander Hill, who received his bachelor’s degree in
business, said Dyson gave him and his fellow graduates “just what we needed to
hear.”
“I am very prepared to face the world,” Hill said. “TSU has given me all the tools I need to succeed in my life, and the speaker was very dynamic with his words of encouragement and wisdom.”
Department of Media Relations
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) – “Receiving your degrees does not mean classes are over,”
the keynote speaker at Tennessee State University’s spring commencement told
more than 700 undergraduate students who received degrees in various
disciplines Saturday.
President Glenda Glover and Dr. Michael Eric Dyson enter the Howard C. Gentry Complex for the 2019 Spring Undergraduate Commencement. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, bestselling author and professor of sociology at Georgetown University, said to impact the world graduates must be literate, interconnected and transformative.
“You must be ‘LIT,’”
he said, attributing the acronym to the young generation’s reference to something
fun, good or exciting. “You might think classes are over so you don’t have to
read. But you have to be literate in the world we live in because it is
important. When you go into the world as proud Tennessee State University
graduates they know you come from a great place. You got to be morally and
psychologically literate.”
Before Dyson gave his speech in
the Howard C. Gentry Complex, TSU President Glenda Glover congratulated the
graduates, parents, relatives and friends for their support.
“I applaud you for having reached
this milestone,” said Glover. “Today is only a stepping stone. We thank you. We
salute you.”
Dyson, also known as a preacher and radio host, has authored or edited more than 20 books dealing with subjects such as Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Marvin Gaye and Hurricane Katrina. He has received several awards for his literary work, including three NAACP Image Awards and the Southern Book Prize.
Graduates prepare to receive their degrees at the Spring Undergraduate Commencement. (Photo by Charles Cook, TSU Media Relations)
“You must be
interconnected,” he said. “You are going into a world that ain’t reading your
same book, not listening to your same culture, and not reared in your home, but
you got to make a way to get along with people who don’t look like you or act
like you.”
The undergraduate ceremony followed the graduate commencement also in the Gentry Complex Friday evening. Civil rights leader and activist the Rev. Al Sharpton, was the speaker.
Dyson also urged
the graduates to be about change and improvement in their communities.
“That means you
can’t just leave it the way you found it. You got to make something better where
you show up,” he said.
More than 700 students participated in the Spring Undergraduate Commencement in the Howard C. Gentry Complex. (Photo by Charles Cook, TSU Media Relations)
Charles Alexander
Hill, who received his bachelor’s degree in business, had not heard much about
Dyson, but he thinks the speaker gave him and his fellow graduates “just what
we needed to hear.”
“I am very
prepared to face the world,” Hill said. “TSU has given me all the tools I need
to succeed in my life, and the speaker was very dynamic with his words of
encouragement and wisdom.”
Following his
speech, Dyson was presented an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition
of his body of work.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.(TSU News Service) – Civil
rights leader and activist the Rev. Al Sharpton urged Tennessee State
University graduates to continue to build on their achievement.
Sharpton gave the address at
TSU’s graduate commencement ceremony Friday evening in the Howard C. Gentry
Complex. On Saturday, bestselling author Dr. Michael Eric Dyson will address
undergraduate students in the Complex. The ceremony will begin at 8 a.m.
The Rev. Al Sharpton and TSU President Glenda Glover. (TSU Media Relations)
Before Sharpton’s speech, TSU
President Glenda Glover welcomed attendees and lauded the graduates.
“I applaud you for having reached
this milestone,” said Dr. Glover. “Today is only a stepping stone. We thank
you. We salute you.”
Sharpton, a community leader,
politician and minister who serves as the host of PoliticsNation on MSNBC,
challenged graduates “to be the head of your own fan club.”
“Tonight, you have shown you
can achieve something,” he said. “Only you know … what you went through to get
here. But through it all, you got here tonight, which proves that you can
achieve something, and it proves that you can keep achieving if you use the
same discipline and determination you did to graduate here tonight. You can
keep going higher and higher if you push yourself to do that.”
Following his speech, Sharpton, who is a longtime friend of Dr. Glover, was presented an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, an honor he said he will always cherish.
Sharpton’s address, which was
interrupted with applause several times, seemed to move the audience.
Georgetta Harris-Wyatt received
a doctorate in psychology. She said Sharpton’s speech was motivational, that it
“encouraged all the graduate students to see beyond where they are now.”
2019 TSU Graduate students .(TSU Media Relations)
She said Sharpton’s words
inspired her even more to use her degree to help youth.
“Ultimately, I hope to work
with children and adolescents in the juvenile justice system, and help them to
rewrite their stories,” said Harris-Wyatt.
Sharpton is no stranger to TSU. In 2014, he came to the university to take up the cause to have TSU’s 1957- 1959 Men’s Championship Basketball Team, the first-ever to win three national titles back-to back, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
He joined university officials and staff, including President Glover,
state officials, community leaders and stakeholders, as he presented his cause
during a ceremony in Kean Hall.
As a result of Sharpton’s efforts and that of many others, including TSU alumnus Dr. Richard “Dick” Barnett, a member of all three teams, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced last month that the Tennessee State men’s basketball championship teams of 1957-59 will be one of 12 honorees in this year’s Class of 2019. The class will be celebrated at this year’s enshrinement festivities in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Department of Media Relations
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) – Alexius Dingle graduated from Tennessee State University at the top of her class, but the agricultural sciences major has even loftier goals.
“I’m going to grad school to pursue a Ph.D. in genetics,” said Dingle, who graduated on May 4 with a 4.0 GPA.
Alexius Dingle
She was one of more than 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students who received degrees in various disciplines in this year’s dual graduation ceremonies at T’SU.
Dingle was the first in her immediate family to attend college. She said she looked forward to seeing the expression on the face of her mother, who pretty much raised her by herself in the small town of Manning, South Carolina, about an hour from Columbia.
“She sacrificed so much,” said Dingle.
When she arrives at Texas A&M for her Ph.D. program, Dingle said she will be ready, mainly because of the preparation she has received at Tennessee State University, particularly the College of Agriculture.
“One thing that the College of Ag has been very good with doing is making sure that their students are exposed to research, and it’s paid research,” said Dingle, whose concentration is in biotechnology. “It’s a way for you to get exposure, put something on your resume, so you don’t leave without experience. And it also helps you financially.”
Ag professor De’Etra Young, a mentor to Dingle, said she was impressed with her maturity and assertiveness.
“She set her goals, was extremely focused, and sought out any opportunity that was given to her,” said Young. “Her success has paid off. She will be attending Texas A&M, and she will be going from a bachelor’s to a Ph.D. program.”
Dingle said she encourages her peers, as well as incoming freshmen, to take advantage of opportunities that are available.
“Network, talk to your advisors,” she said. “They have opportunities to help you that you may not know about.”
TSU has received a million dollars from
the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Natural Resources Conservation Service to bolster undergraduate students’
interest in agriculture, as well as science, technology, engineering and math,
or STEM.
In addition to scholarships,
TSU officials said the funds will aid students’ professional development by allowing
them to “travel to different professional conferences and meetings to gain
exposure” to the latest research.
Earlier this year, TSU
President Glenda Glover surprised 20 students who visited the university with
scholarship offers if they planned to major in a STEM course and have a good
GPA.
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.
