Category Archives: EVENTS

EVENTS, NEWS

Gov. Bill Haslam to be TSU Commencement Speaker May 10

Governor Bill Haslam

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Bill Haslam, the 49th Governor of the State of Tennessee, will deliver the keynote address during Tennessee State University’s spring commencement exercise on Saturday, May 10.

The ceremony begins at 9 a.m. in Hale Stadium, with the Gentry Center serving as an alternate location in case of inclement weather. This is the second year the ceremony has taken place at the newly renovated stadium with more than 1,000 candidates expected to receive diplomas.

According to TSU President Glenda Glover, Gov. Haslam has been a steadfast supporter and welcome friend of the University, as well as higher education.

“Our graduating students will be very fortunate to have the opportunity to hear him speak about his experience and can benefit from his advice,” said Dr. Glover. “His successes in both the private sector and the political arena will be invaluable to the Class of 2014 as they prepare for the next chapter in their lives. We are honored to welcome the governor to our campus.”

Born and raised in Knoxville, Tenn., Haslam began serving his current term as governor on Jan. 15, 2011. A graduate of Emory University, he began his career in business, joining his father managing a small chain of gas stations. He later rose to the rank of President of Pilot Corporation, one of the fastest growing independent energy logistics companies in North America, now employing more than 24,000 people at over 650 retail locations.

In 2003, he entered into a career of politics at the urging of friends, and successfully ran for Mayor of Knoxville. Haslam served two terms from 2003 until 2011. In January 2009 he declared his candidacy for Governor. He was elected November 2, 2010, with 65 percent of the vote – winning 90 of 95 counties and securing the largest victory of any non-incumbent gubernatorial candidate in the state’s history.

Having celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary in 2013, Haslam and his wife, Crissy, have three children, a daughter-in-law, two sons-in-law and a new grandson.

For more information about commencement, visit tnstate.edu/records/commencement.

 

 

 

Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

 

About Tennessee State University

With nearly 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, 22 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.

EVENTS, NEWS

TSU Students Prepare for Grueling SGA Election Week With Final Candidates Selected

FB_TSU-500NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – With the announcement that final candidates have now been selected, students at Tennessee State University will be preparing all week to elect a new core of officers who will lead them next year in the Student Government Association.

Labeled “The TSU 500,” this year’s grueling Student Election Commission Week, which begins Monday, April 7 and runs through Friday, April 11, will be marked by several activities including the Nomination Convention, debate, student rally, the Mr. & Miss T.S.U. Pageant, the beginning of online voting, and the announcement of the 2014 core of officers.

The week is expected to be an “exciting one” if the increased number of applicants is any indication, said Dr. Jame’l Hodges, assistant dean of Student Life and Engagement.

“We have more students vying for positions this year, and the general student population seems more elated over the core of candidates,” Hodges said.

The candidates, who have been variously described as smart, intelligent and about business, represent diverse majors, interests and career goals.

The hotly contested Miss T.S.U. crown pits Nashville’s Samantha Thomas, a Dental Hygiene major, against Amethyst Stephens, of Kankakee, Ill., a Health Science major. They are both rising seniors.The Mr. T.S.U. election, no less contentious, has John Hill, a History major from Chicago, going against Darren Bragg, a Chattanooga, Tenn., native who is majoring in Business Administration with a Supply Chain concentration. They are also rising seniors.

For the position of SGA president, Stone Mountain, Ga.’s Markeil Lewis looks like a shoe-in to be the official student spokesperson in 2014. He is the lone candidate for president.

On the other hand, the SGA vice presidential post appears the most contentious, with three rising seniors as candidates. They are: Alonzo Furtick, from Charlotte, N.C., an Art Major; Andre Reaves, an Agricultural Sciences major from Atlanta; and Memphis’ Lauren Thomas, a communications major.

The line-up of activities, dates and times for the 2014 Election Commission Week are:

  • Nomination Convention – Sunday, April 6, 4-6 p.m., Forum
  • Debate – Monday, April 7, 6-8 p.m., Poag Auditorium
  • Rally – Tuesday, April 8, 4-6 p.m., Gentry
  • Mr. & Miss T.S.U. Pageant – Wednesday, April 9, 6-10 p.m. – Poag Auditorium
  • Online Voting – Thursday, April 10, Opens at 6 a.m.
  • Voting Ends 3 p.m., Friday, April 11
  • Announcement of 2014 Administration – Friday, April 11, 4:30 p.m., Amphitheater

Hodges said all preparations are in place for a smooth election week.

“Students have worked diligently on preparing for their campaigns for election week. They have been an absolute pleasure to work with,” he added.

 

Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

 

About Tennessee State University

With nearly 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, 22 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.

EVENTS, NEWS

College Hosts Annual CAHNS Week April 7 – 11

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences (CAHNS) at Tennessee State University will host the sixth annual CAHNS Week celebration from April 7-11 with activities that highlight the importance of agriculture in Middle Tennessee and the importance of the programs offered at the college.

CAHNS Week provides each department in the College with a forum to highlight student and faculty success stories, and draw attention to important issues in their respective fields. Additionally, one day is dedicated specifically to students with a career fair and a cookout. The week culminates with an awards luncheon recognizing the outstanding contributions of students, faculty and staff.

The week will kick off Monday, April 7 when the College formally announces a new Professional Science Master’s program in Applied Geospatial Information Sciences at 1 p.m. in the Farrell-Westbrook auditorium.

Other events during the week include:

  • Family and Consumer Sciences Day takes place on Tuesday, April 8, and features an “Encouraging Outdoor Play” fashion show, and a “Fruit and Friends” puppet show at 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., respectively in the Farrell-Westbrook auditorium, and a “Healthy Environment/Healthy Citizens” panel discussion at 11:20 a.m. in the Agricultural Information and Technology Center.
  • Biological Sciences Day, also takes place on April 8, and features a continental breakfast at 8 a.m. in McCord Hall. Departmental research posters will be on display from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Dr. Hugh Fentress, assistant professor of biological sciences, will provide the keynote lecture at 1:15 p.m. in Holland Hall, room 110.
  • Student Day takes place Wednesday, April 9 with a career fair taking place in the Farrell-Westbrook auditorium from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Employers participating include All About Care, Farm Service Agency, State of Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Farmers Co-op, National Agricultural Statistics Service, and Natural Resources Conservation Service. A student cookout will be held on the Farrell-Westbrook plaza from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) will host a professional development workshop in the Agricultural Information and Technology Center beginning at 4 p.m. The workshop will host a panel discussion titled “The Unspoken Truths about Professionalism.”
  • Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Day takes place Thursday, April 10, and features keynote speaker Hubert Hamer, Director of the USDA NASS Statistics Division and TSU alumnus, at 1:30 p.m. with a reception to follow.
  • The College Recognition Day and the CAHNS Awards Luncheon takes place Friday, April 11 in the Farrell-Westbrook auditorium. RSVP is required to attend.
  • Chemistry Day, due to a scheduling conflict, will be held in the Boswell Science Complex on Thursday, April 17, and features a career fair from 9 a.m. until noon, tours of the Chemistry Dept. from 9:15 a.m. until10 a.m., demonstrations from 10 – 11 a.m. in room 122, a “Chemistry Challenge” game from 11 a.m. until noon in room 112, and a guest lecture from Dr. Ned A. Porter of Vanderbilt University at 2:30 p.m. in the Boswell auditorium. Student research posters will also be displayed throughout the Boswell Complex.

For more information visit www.tnstate.edu/agriculture or contact Brett Seybert at 615.963.5708.

 

 

Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

 

About Tennessee State University

With nearly 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, 22 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.

EVENTS, NEWS

University to Hold Passport Fair Thursday, April 10

passport1NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – In an effort to make international travel easier for its students, Tennessee State University will hold a Passport Fair, Thursday, April 10. The event is open to the community and will take place from 9 a.m. until noon, and from 1 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. in the Research and Sponsored Programs building, room 163.

“Acquiring a passport has been one of the largest barriers to the study abroad program,” said Mark Brinkley, director of International Education. “We want to make sure that all our TSU students and community partners have the opportunity to travel outside of the country, and the Office of Diversity and International Affairs is here to help make that process more accessible.”

According to the Institute of International Education, more students are traveling abroad for international experiences, and reports that more than 283,000 U.S. students studied abroad for credit during the 2011/2012, an increase of more than 3 percent over the previous year. Most students choose to spend six-to-eight weeks outside the country, with most electing to study in the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain.

“Whether you’re studying in Switzerland, having spring break in Cancun, or backpacking in Europe, someone is going to ask to see your passport,” added Brinkley. “During the passport fair last year, more than 100 people applied for a passport and we were able to help with the process.”

Along with students, the Passport Fair will be open to the public. University officials have stated they already expect to help not only students from TSU, but also Vanderbilt, Belmont, Lipscomb, Middle Tennessee and Austin Peay State Universities, as well as the general public.

PASSPORT-FAIR“We know students are not the only ones who travel outside of the U.S.,” Brinkley commented. “We want to help all global travelers, whether they be students or our neighbors.”

To apply for a passport, travelers will need:

  • Completed Form DS-11 if you are applying for the first time, or under the age 16. Fill out Form DS-82 if you can submit a previous U.S. passport issued to you in the past 15 years, when you were age 16 or older.
  • Certified copy of your U.S. citizenship evidence. NOTE: photocopies, notarized copies and hospital birth certificates are NOT acceptable.
  • Valid photo ID. Examples include driver’s license, state-issued ID (student IDs alone are not acceptable)
  • A photocopy, front and back, of your valid photo ID
  • One color passport photo, size 2”x2” with a white or off-white background

Passport Fees: NOTE only checks and money orders will be accepted. NO CASH will be accepted.

  • Adult passport (first-time applicant) fee $135 per passport book; $55 per passport card; or $165 for both
  • Adult (renewal) fee $110 per passport book; $30 per passport card; or $140 for both
  • Checks and money orders need to be payable to the “U.S. Department of State”
  • Passport forms can be downloaded at http://www.travel.state.gov

For more information, contact Mark Brinkley at 615.963.7660 or email [email protected].

 

 

 

Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

 

About Tennessee State University

With nearly 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, 22 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.

EVENTS, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

TSU Competes in HBCU Battle of the Brains April 12-16

Students to test knowledge of academic recall during Honda Campus All-Star Challenge

 

A team of students from Tennessee State University will compete against 47 other teams from across the country in the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Championship April 12-16 in Torrance, Calif. Members of the team include: (left to right) Brandon Bartee, Maurice Henderson II, Adriann Wilson, Joseph Patrick, Dr. John Miglietta, and Aurora Garvin. (photo by John Cross, TSU Media Relations)
A team of students from Tennessee State University will compete against 47 other teams from across the country in the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Championship April 12-16 in Torrance, Calif. Members of the team include: (left to right) Brandon Bartee, Maurice Henderson II, Adriann Wilson, Joseph Patrick, Dr. John Miglietta, and Aurora Garvin. (photo by John Cross, TSU Media Relations)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – A team from Tennessee State University will join 47 other teams from Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country when they vie for the top spot in the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Championship Tournament. The final round of this unique academic tournament will take place April 12-16 in Torrance, Calif., on the campus of American Honda Motor Co. Inc.

The Honda Campus All‐Star Challenge is a “knowledge game of quick recall” that engages the best and brightest students at HBCUs in an annual academic quiz championship. Students compete in answering questions related to pop culture, sports, history, science, current events, and literature, as well as African-American history, and general knowledge categories.

Representing TSU this year are: Adriann N. Wilson, a junior Mechanical Engineering major from Albany, Ga.; Brandon Cantrel Bartee, junior Mechanical Engineering major from Manchester, Tenn.; Aurora Garvin, a sophomore Art major from Nashville, Tenn.; and Joseph Edward Patrick II, a junior Electrical Engineering major also from Nashville. Maurice Henderson II, a freshman Computer Science major from Jacksonville, Fla., will travel with the team as an Institutional Representative.

The four-member team from the University began their journey for academic gold in the fall of 2013 through countless hours of study, drills and practice to prepare them for the regional qualifying tournaments. This year, TSU travelled to Alabama State University in Montgomery, Ala., for the qualifying tournament Feb. 15, and was selected to participate in the “HBCU Battle of the Brains.”

The team’s goal now, is to beat Morgan State University, the reigning national champions with two consecutive titles, while Morgan State will be seeking a three-peat. Tennessee State is a past National Champion, having earned the title in 2007.

According to the team’s coach, Dr. John Miglietta, professor of Political Science, the team is taking this competition very serious and practicing three to four times a week.

“We are focusing on topics such as African-American History, current events, and geography, as well as general knowledge,” said Miglietta. “We are also trying to arrange a scrimmage or two with Fisk University to keep us in that tournament mode.”

Miglietta also added that a win would give the team bragging rights as the nation’s top academic HBCU.

“The students and I are very excited to be participating again in the national tournament next month against some of the top minds on college campuses while we battle it out for this season’s championship,” he said. “Our team has been busy preparing for the competition and are looking forward to meeting and competing with the other teams from HBCUs around the country.”

During the four-day tournament, competitors will be split into eight divisions and will compete in a modified round-robin format. The top two teams from each division will advance to the “Sweet 16” and will compete in a single elimination playoff.  The final two teams that emerge from the playoffs will compete for the title of National Champions and the grand prize of $50,000. The grand prize, along with the other institutional grants, will support academic activities at the participating HBCUs.

Celebrating 25 years of HBCU excellence, Honda Campus All-Star Challenge is one of Honda’s largest and longest running philanthropic initiatives in the United States. Since 1989, the program has awarded more than $7 million in grants to participating HBCUs, impacting the lives of over 100,000 students across 22 states. The participating HBCUs share in grants from Honda of up to $328,000 each year.

“Honda Campus All-Star Challenge rewards the best and brightest for their academic achievements and prepares our student competitors for life beyond school by reinforcing their strong work ethic and introducing them to a thriving community of alumni,” said Steve Morikawa, assistant vice president, Corporate and Community Relations, American Honda Motor Co. Inc. “We look forward to hosting the 25th anniversary class in California and treating them to a fun, four days of healthy competition.”

For more information on the 2014 HCASC, including a full list of the 48 qualifying teams, visit http://www.hcasc.com. The finals of the 2014 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge will be Live Streamed on Monday, April 14 starting at noon Eastern Time on HCASC.com.

 

 

Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

 

About Tennessee State University

With nearly 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, 22 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.

EVENTS, FACULTY, NEWS

Sylvester James Gates Jr. Featured Symposium Keynote Speaker March 31

Address officially Kicks off 36th Annual University-Wide Research Symposium

 

Dr. Sylvester James Gates Jr.
Dr. Sylvester James Gates Jr.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The John S. Toll Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland – College Park, Dr. Sylvester James Gates Jr., will be the featured keynote speaker officially opening the University-Wide Research Symposium Monday, March 31 beginning at 2 p.m. The keynote address is free and open to the public, and will take place in the E.T. Goins Recital Hall, located in the Performing Arts Center on the main campus.

Every year, the Research Symposium serves as a foundation to provide students with authentic experiences in presenting their research before advancing to regional, national and international research symposia; and prior to professional careers. Now in its 36th year, the symposium will take place at the University March 31-April 4.

Sylvester James Gates Jr. Ph.D. is an American theoretical physicist. He is currently a University System Regents Professor, the John S. Toll Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland – College Park, and the Center for String and Particle Theory Director. He serves on President Barack Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and the Maryland State Board of Education.

Gates received the B.S. degree in Physics (1973), the B.S. degree in Mathematics (1973), and Ph.D. in Physics (1977), all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His doctoral thesis was the first thesis at MIT to investigate supersymmetry.

He is nationally and internationally known for his research on supersymmetry, supergravity, and superstring theory.  In 1984, working with M.T. Grisaru, M. Rocek, W. Siegel, Gates co-authored Superspace, the first comprehensive book on the topic of supersymmetry. He is a former member of the board of trustees of the Society for Science and the Public.

NOVA PBS has featured Gates extensively on programs on physics, notably “The Elegant Universe” in 2003, and ‘‘The Fabric of the Cosmos’’ in 2011. In 2006, Gates completed a DVD series, titled Superstring Theory: The DNA of Reality for The Teaching Company composed of 24 half-hour lectures to make the complexities of unification theory comprehensible to non-physicists.

In 2012, Gates was named a University System of Maryland Regents Professor, only the sixth person to be so recognized since 1992.  He is past president of the National Society of Black Physicists, and is a NSBP Fellow, as well as a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Institute of Physics in the U.K.  He also is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society.

He was recently elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences, the first African American so recognized in their 150-year history.  Professor Gates was awarded the Medal of Science presented by President Obama, the highest award given to scientists in the U.S., at a White House ceremony in 2013. In November of 2013, he was awarded the Mendel Medal by Villanova University for “having demonstrated, by his life and his standing before the world as a scientist, that there is no intrinsic conflict between science and religion.”

Dr. Gates currently continues his research in supersymmetry in systems of particles, fields, and strings.  This month, Gates will be honored as the Harvard University 2014 Scientist of the Year.

For more information on the Research Symposium, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/research/or contact Nannette Carter Martin, co-chair at 615.963.5827, or Tamara Rogers, co-chair at 615.963.1520.

 

Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

 

About Tennessee State University

With nearly 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, 22 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.

EVENTS, NEWS

National Award-Winning Newswoman Challenges TSU’s Best and Brightest to Seek Excellence In Spite of Hurdles

Former CNN anchor and now Al Jazeera America special correspondent Soledad O'Brien, addresses the student body and faculty March 26 during the University Honors Convocation in Kean Hall. Earlier in the day, O'Brien was the featured speaker at the Honors Program 50th Anniversary Luncheon honoring Dr. McDonald Williams, the first Director of the Honors Program. (photo by Rick DelaHaya, TSU Media Relations)
Former CNN anchor and now Al Jazeera America special correspondent Soledad O’Brien, addresses the student body and faculty March 26 during the University Honors Convocation in Kean Hall. Earlier in the day, O’Brien was the featured speaker at the Honors Program 50th Anniversary Luncheon honoring Dr. McDonald Williams, the first Director of the Honors Program. (photo by Rick DelaHaya, TSU Media Relations)

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Saying that the pursuit of excellence requires the desire to forge ahead in the face of obstacles, a prominent American journalist has told students at Tennessee State University that success comes with “finding out what you are best suited for” and going after it.

“Decide what success would look like for you and pursue it, but always with the thought to say, ‘what can this do for me,’” multiple award winning documentarian, news anchor and producer Soledad O’Brien, said Wednesday at a convocation in Kean Hall marking the 50th anniversary celebration of the TSU Honors Program.

Drawing from her own experience as a reporter earlier in her career, O’Brian, known for such documentaries as Black in America and Latino in America, said becoming a journalist after a Harvard education was not the route her parents expected her to go after paying so much to educate her.

“My first job was at a TV station, where not only was the pay small, but I was assigned to proofing copies and removing staples,” she said. “Eventually I got assignments doing sound, and in the process, I would include myself in the story, something that helped get me extra pay once the story was aired.”

This is where the woman who would become an anchor for NBC and CNN, two of the nation’s leading news organization, found her niche, she said.

“I love being part of the story that would help enhance someone’s life, and knowing that I have influenced something spectacular,” she said.

Telling the students that nothing good comes easy, O’Brien talked about the struggles of her own parents as mixed couple in America when interracial marriage was illegal in many parts of the nation including Baltimore where they lived.

“My father, a white Australian, and my mother, a black woman from Cuba, faced discrimination on all fronts, with my mother at times trying to hide her Hispanic identity because she wanted to blend in. To get married they had to go to the District of Columbia but came back to Baltimore and kept their marriage a secret,” she said. “When my mother had her sixth child in 1967 that’s when the Supreme Court legalized interracial marriage. That means that we were all illegal children until 1967.”

Driving home her story of perseverance in the face of opposition, O’Brien told the students that had her parents given up, lots of dreams, including hers, would probably have been lost.

“They did not give up; they understood the importance of moving ahead because they believed in what they wanted, and that’s leadership,” she added.

O’Brien, now a special correspondent for Al Jazeera’s America Tonight, has won multiple Emmy and Tony awards for her reporting on issues in America. She was part of the CNN team that won an Emmy for the 2012 Election Coverage, and another Emmy for her special report Kids on Race.

She urged the students to emulate examples from people who did not give up but showed true leadership to accomplish what they set out for.

“Martin Luther King Jr. was a regular person who stayed when others ran. He decided that he would use his voice to lead …that’s leadership. What are you going to do to leverage what your parents have invested in you,” she added.

O’Brien, who earlier joined TSU President Glenda Glover, alumni, special guests, faculty and students at an Honors Luncheon in the Gentry Center, congratulated the University for celebrating 50 years of recognizing the achievement of the best and brightest of the institution.

“We thank you for coming to join us for this very special celebration in the institution and for inspiring our students and all of us today,” Dr. Glover told O’Brien. “We wish you all the best as you continue your journey of excellence.”

Dr. Coreen Jackson, director of the University Honors Program, who also thanked O’Brien for accepting their invitation to speak at the 50th anniversary celebration, followed the President.

In addition to recognizing the year’s top honor students, the University paid tribute to the former Director of the University Honors Program, Dr. McDonald Williams and his wife, Dr. Jayme Coleman Williams, former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

The tribute included the presentation of the Dr. McDonald Williams Scholarship to Laurena Thomas, a junior Mass Communication major from Memphis with a 3.65 GPA.

 

 

 

 

Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

 

About Tennessee State University

With nearly 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, 22 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.

EVENTS, NEWS

Distinguished Lecture Series Welcomes Soledad O’Brien March 26

Al Jazeera America special correspondent featured speaker during Honors Program Convocation

 

 

Award-winning journalist Soledad O'Brien will be the featured speaker March 26 during the Honors program Convocation.
Award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien will be the featured speaker March 26 during the Honors program Convocation.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Award winning journalist, documentarian, news anchor and producer Soledad O’Brien will the featured keynote speaker Wednesday, March 26 during the Honors Convocation celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Honors Program at Tennessee State University.

The convocation is part of the Distinguished Lecture Series sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs and will take place in Kean Hall located in the Floyd Payne Campus Center beginning at 1 p.m. The convocation is free and open to the public.

O’Brien will also be the featured speaker at the Honors Program anniversary luncheon honoring Dr. McDonald Williams, the first Director of the Honors Program. The luncheon is $50 per person and begins at 11 a.m. in the Gentry Complex.

Soledad O’Brien joined Al Jazeera America in 2013 as part of a deal with her new production company, Starfish Media Group. She will contribute short-form segments as Special Correspondent to Al Jazeera America’s primetime current affairs magazine program “America Tonight,” and Starfish will produce hour-long documentary specials.

O’Brien most recently served as an anchor and special correspondent for CNN. She joined CNN in 2003 and was the co-anchor of CNN’s flagship morning program, “American Morning,” and then the anchor of “Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien.”

O’Brien distinguished herself at CNN by reporting from the scene of such stories as the London terrorism attacks in 2005, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Japan earthquake and tsunami in 2011. In December 2004, O’Brien was among a handful of CNN anchors sent to Thailand to cover the disaster and aftermath of the tsunami. O’Brien also produced and hosted the widely acclaimed “In America” documentary series, including “Black in America” and “Latino in America.”

Soledad went to CNN from NBC News where she had anchored the network’s Weekend Today starting in July 1999. Prior to that, she had anchored MSNBC’s award-winning technology program The Site and the MSNBC weekend morning show. O’Brien had originally joined NBC News in 1991 and was based in New York as a field producer for Nightly News and Today.

In 2011, O’Brien won her first Emmy Award for “Crisis in Haiti” (on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360) in the category of Outstanding Live Coverage of a Current News Story – Long Form. She was also a member of the teams that earned CNN a George Foster Peabody award for coverage of the British Petroleum oil spill and of Katrina, and an Alfred I. du Pont Award for its reporting on the Southeast Asia tsunami.

In 2010, the National Association of Black Journalists named O’Brien its Journalist of the Year, and the Edward R. Murrow Awards recognized her with the RTDNA/UNITY award for Latino in America. She received the 2009 Medallion of Excellence for Leadership and Community Service Award from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.

In 2008, O’Brien was the first recipient of The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Goodermote Humanitarian Award for her efforts while reporting on the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina and the Southeast Asia tsunami.

O’Brien was awarded the NAACP President’s Award in 2007 in recognition of her humanitarian efforts and journalistic excellence.

For more information on the anniversary luncheon or Honors Convocation, contact the Honors Program at 615.963.5731.

 

 

 

Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

 

About Tennessee State University

With nearly 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, 22 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.

EVENTS, FACULTY, NEWS

Conference Looks to Reposition HBCUs During Diversity and Inclusion Summit March 23-25

DiversitySummitNASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Presidents from three major Historically Black College and Universities will join Tennessee State University president, Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover, for the Presidents’ Panel during the Diversity and Inclusion Summit on HBCUs March 23-25.

Speaking on Repositioning HBCUs for the Future, university presidents Dr. Carlton E. Brown from Clark Atlanta; Dr. William Bynum Jr., from Mississippi Valley State; Dr. Kevin D. Rome, from Lincoln University of Missouri; and Dr. Glover will lead a panel discussion on the relevancy of HBCUs in today’s rapid pace of change in higher education. The discussion takes place on Monday, March 24 beginning at 8:45 a.m. at the Avon Williams campus downtown.

The Summit, sponsored by the Office of Diversity and International Affairs, will provide diversity professionals, key institutional partners and students the opportunity to hear from national leaders who have made significant inroads in the area of diversity and inclusion in the HBCU college and university environment, according to Dr. Jewell Winn, Chief Diversity Officer at the University.

“Attendees will have the opportunity to share ideas and advance what diversity looks like across HBCUs around the nation,” said Winn. “We will share information on not only diversity, but also inclusion and campus retention. As HBCUs move forward we need to address the relevancy of the institutions and figure out how to hold on to the history, but also on how to diversify institutions to better meet the needs of all students.”

The three-day conference takes place at the Avon Williams campus auditorium and officially kicks off Monday, March 24 beginning at 8:30 a.m. with welcoming remarks followed by the President’s Panel.

Breakout sessions and presentations will include the following topics:

  • Recruitment and retention
  • Classroom Strategies for promoting diversity and inclusion
  • Campus programming for various populations
  • Effective leadership models and approaches for diversity at HBCUs
  • Social justice service-learning approaches
  • Building internal and external partnerships to support diversity and inclusion
  • Diversity and inclusion in policy development
  • Utilizing and leveraging research and data for diversity and inclusion
  • A student’s perspective of Diversity at HBCUs

According to Winn, the student perspective on diversity and inclusion at HBCUs will be a “major component” of this years’ summit. Students from Vanderbilt, Fisk and Tennessee State Universities will prepare responses to the presentation and deliver them on the final day of the event.

“We need to be mindful of the student’s perspective as HBCUs move into the future,” added Winn. “The students need to be a part of the inclusion conversation to see what they think HBCUs need to be in the future and how they transition to an all-inclusive environment.”

For more information on the summit, contact the Office of Diversity and International Affairs at TSU at 615.963.5640 or email [email protected].

 

 

 

Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

 

 

About Tennessee State University

With nearly 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, 22 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.

EVENTS, NEWS, RESEARCH, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

State Legislature’s “Ag Day on the Hill” to Feature TSU Agricultural Research, Extension March 24-25

biodiesel-lab_blog-1024x682
Dr. Jason de Koff’s Mobile Biodiesel Education Demonstration lab will be on display at the “Ag Day on the Hill” celebration on March 24-25. (courtesy photo)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences at Tennessee State University will be a prominent player in this year’s “Ag Day on the Hill” celebration Monday, March 24 and Tuesday, March 25.

The celebration at Legislative Plaza, which coincides with what Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has proclaimed “Agriculture Day” in Tennessee, is part of the annual national observance to recognize the important contributions of farmers and forestland owners to the state and nation.

According to a Tennessee Department of Agriculture release, on Monday at 5 p.m., the official start of the celebration, two General Assembly joint resolutions will be presented to honor Dr. George Washington Carver, and the 100th anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act, which established the Cooperative Extension Service. Dr. Chandra Reddy, dean of the CAHNS, and other prominent TSU representatives are expected to speak.

Festivities on Tuesday will begin at 8 a.m. with a silent auction, to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee and Tennessee’s Ag in the Classroom educational program. This will be followed by the traditional cow-milking contest between the House and the Senate.

Festivities will also include displays and expositions by various agricultural institutions, farmers and other stakeholders from across the state and the nation, the release said.

Several TSU entities, projects and representatives will be on hand to provide educational materials and demonstrations. They include the Otis L. Floyd Research Center in McMinnville, Cooperative Extension, Dr.  Suping Zhou’s Pathogen-free Organic Strawberry project, Dr. Dharma Pitchay’s Hydroponic Production method, and Dr. Jason de Koff’s Mobile Biodiesel Education Demonstration.

The event will also feature for the first time the Drive to Feed the World Tour, a unique, interactive road show traveling the nation to heighten awareness about world hunger and sustainable food production.

Tennessee has 76,000 farms representing 10.8 million acres in production. More than half of the state, 14 million acres, is in mostly privately owned hardwood forests. Tennessee’s top agricultural commodities include cattle, soybeans, corn, poultry, cotton, timber, greenhouse and nursery products, dairy products, wheat, tobacco and hay. The industry has a $66 billion a year impact on the state’s economy and supports nearly 337,900 jobs.

 

 

Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

 

 

About Tennessee State University

With nearly 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, 22 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.