NASAHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – With nearly all students away and classes online, Tennessee State University is continuing a complete wipe down to protect the campus from the COVID-19 and other diseases.
In the TSU campus wipe down, workers are using equipment and products that are extremely effective in killing the coronavirus. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
The university is using professional cleaning companies with disinfectants and sanitizing equipment to wipe down its main campus and downtown location. Cleaning crews are using protective equipment including gloves, body suits, and products that are “extremely effective” in killing the virus, company representatives say.
Interim
Associate Vice President for Facilities Management Albert Hill says the goal is
to keep the campuses clean and less susceptible to the spread of infectious
illnesses, such as the coronavirus.
“We
just want to make sure that when our students and employees return, they feel
comfortable going into the classrooms, residence halls, and work places,” says
Hill. “We also want to assure parents that their children are safe.”
On
March 16, TSU was the first public university in Tennessee to transition to all
online classes as a precaution to contracting and spreading coronavirus
(COVID-19). The university also canceled all campus events where large crowds
are expected, and suspended all international travel through the end of April
to minimize exposure to the disease. On Monday, March 23, the university ceased
normal operations, allowing most employees to work remotely.
Lecture halls are also receiving thorough cleaning in the campus-wide wipe down at TSU. (Phopto by TSU Media Relations)
“These
decisions were made in the best interest of the university, as both the federal
government and State of Tennessee have declared a state of emergency,” says TSU
President Glenda Glover.
“In
following directives from the Governor and Mayor, we have adjusted the
traditional manner in which we serve our students and operate the university
and will continue to take every precaution necessary to minimize the spread of
the virus. Most importantly, we
are ensuring that students continue to learn and excel academically by
providing all the resources needed to successfully engage and complete online
courses.”
TSU has one confirmed case of a student testing positive for COVID-19. The
individual, who did not live on campus, has been at home in self-isolation for
a number of days while receiving the necessary care to treat their condition.
Dr.
Joseph Perry, TSU’s director of sustainability, says the cleaning crews are doing
an “excellent job” of making sure chemicals they are using are safe for humans
and the environment.
“We
are going to do this until we get to the point where we feel it is safe for
people to come back into the buildings,” says Perry. “Essential staff and
faculty who occasionally come on campus are safe because they are allowed to go
in only certain areas.”
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only
public university, and is a premier, historically black university and
land-grant institution offering 39 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 Aristocrat of Bands is going to the Tournament of Roses. The band recently received an official invitation to participate in the 2021 Rose Bowl Parade on Jan. 1 in Pasadena, California.
The crowd applauds after the announcement that the TSU Aristocrat of Bands will participate in the 2021 Tournament of Roses in Pasedina, California. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
The AOB will be
one of only four university bands selected nationwide to participate in the
parade, with a domestic television audience of more than 38 million.
“Only the best of
the best are invited and the Aristocrat
of Bands is one of them,” said Dr. Robert B. Miller, president and chairman of
the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, who came to TSU to personally present the
band with the official tournament flag and invitation.
“It is a major accomplishment
for the band, and for your university. This is a big deal,” he said. “In 132
years of the tournament, 107th Rose Bowl this year, your band is going to be
there. You are going to do entertainment like no other band in our parade does.
Our parade has got 22 bands, 45 floats, the best floral and entertainment groups
in the nation and TSU’s Aristocrat of Bands is going to be there.”
The Aristocrat of Bands entertains the crowd at the Gentry Center as the band celebrates words of their official invitation to the Rose Bowl Parade next year. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
At the flag
presentation in the Gentry Center, amid thunderous cheers from university
officials, relatives, former band members, and Mr. and Miss TSU and their royal
court, Miller congratulated TSU, the AOB and band director, Dr. Reginald
McDonald, for their hard work in submitting a successful application.
Miller, who was
accompanied by his wife, Barbara, also
pinned TSU officials present with the official lapel pin of the Tournament of Roses,
including Dr. Alisa Mosley, interim vice president for Academic Affairs, who
represented TSU President Glenda Glover. Dr. McDonald was also honored in
recognition of his leadership.
In acknowledgment,
the AOB, known worldwide for
their melodious musical renditions and marching prowess, performed such
favorites as “I am so glad I go to TSU,” and “Best Band.”
Dr. Reginald McDonald, TSU’s Director of Bands, says participating in the Rose Bowl is a longtime dream. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
“This is huge and I am just excited beyond measure,” said band member Julien
Dooley, after hearing his first trip ever to California will be to perform in
the Rose Bowl Parade. “The Tournament of Roses is very huge, and I am excited
because I actually have never been to the west coast, and the thought of my
first trip being to perform before such a huge audience has got me very
emotional.”
Dooley, an Atlanta
native and a drum major with the AOB, is a senior commercial music major.
Fellow student Cailyn Sparks, a member of the
AOB Sophisticated Ladies Dance Line, is equally excited. Her parents will be
there to see their daughter perform.
“This is an opportunity
of a life time and I am glad my mom and dad and maybe some other family members
will be there,” said Sparks, a junior elementary education major from Phenix
City, Alabama, who will also be going to California for the first time. “I am
extremely excited about going to the Rose Bowl and excited to be there with my
family.”
McDonald, TSU’s
director of Bands, who could not hide his excitement about the announcement
from the Tournament of Roses president and the reaction of the crowd in the
Gentry Complex, called the invitation and the selection to the Rose Bowl Parade
a “longtime dream.”
“If you know
anything about parades in this country, the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Macy’s
Parade are numbers one and two,” he said. “To have either one of those parades
on your performance as a portfolio, says a lot about your band program.”
Four college bands
are selected each year to participate in the Tournament of Roses –two that
apply and two with football teams that play in the Rose Bowl.
“This year it will be Tennessee State University and Georgia State University. That is huge,” McDonald said. “It says a lot about our university, it says a lot about the things we are trying to teach on a year-to-year basis. We selected to apply to the Tournament of Roses because to be recognized as the best, you have to participate in those things that are challenging and hard and are also part of being the best. “
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only
public university, and is a premier, historically black university and
land-grant institution offering 39 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) – Two IBM
executives were on campus recently to talk to TSU students about job-readiness
skills and employment opportunities with the tech giant and its affiliates.
Meredith Stowell, vice president for IBM Z Ecosystem; and Shirley
Meierarend, IBM’s Z series skills leader for North America, spoke to a group of
students, faculty and deans about “very lucrative” job opportunities available
for those with skills and knowledge in Enterprise Computing, which supports
IBM’s mainframe technology.
“IBM is here today because we are very interested in building a
talent pipeline for enterprise computing for both our clients or IBM,” Stowell
said in a presentation on Enterprise Computing and Digital Transformation.
John Thompson, right, TSU’s Enterprise Systems Consultant, talks to a cross-section of students, deans and chair during the IBM executives’ visit. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
“We do have a number of very large clients here locally, but the
other great thing about TSU is that many of their students are interested in
relocating to other areas. So, that’s why I am here today, to share more with
the students, and to connect students to talent and to the talent pipeline.”
Enterprise-related classes are currently being offered at TSU
through an initiative that was launched in 2014 through the Department of
Computer Science. The initiative was designed to prepare TSU students to be
able to compete for high-paying enterprise internships and permanent job
opportunities with enterprise clients. According to TSU’s Enterprise Systems
Consultant, John Thompson, a former IBM senior manager, between 2015 and
2018, more than 20 students were placed with enterprise companies earning
annual average starting
salaries of more than $82,000, with some receiving
signing bonuses of up to $10,000.
Citing a Wall Street Journal 2020 projection, Thompson said there
will be more than 84,000 enterprise-related jobs available for students across
all disciplines. TSU, being the only school in Tennessee offering courses in
this area, can be a major source to fill the huge demand for enterprise
computing skills that is being created by the retiring baby boomer generation.
During the IBM presentation, TSU President Glenda Glover, who was
on travel, called in to thank Stowell and Meierarend for their visit, and Thompson,
for arranging and coordinating the visit. She stressed the
importance of the TSU partnership with the company.
“This partnership is making a great difference in the lives of our students,”
Glover said. “Student
placement is a very key part of what we are and a major performance indicator
for our state stakeholders and our accrediting body. Training our students to
be adequately ready is so important. That is why we are so appreciative of this
great collaboration.”
In her presentation, Stowell spoke about
specific areas of enterprise computing that students should focus on in
“sharpening your job-skill readiness.” She
and Thompson emphasized the importance of taking classes in
fundamental COBOL business language programming, as well as a basic introduction
to programming, such as C++ and Java.
“Once again, it is really about this openness between industry and
academics, and academic environment opening up to understand what specific
skills that the industry needs and then partnering with those industry partners
to incorporate and infuse those skills within their curriculum. So that, when
the student graduates, there is a job lined up for him already,” Stowell said.
Thompson added: “What makes TSU students so attractive is that they understand the distributing networking environment, but also, when you put them on an enterprise platform, they are right at home, and that’s where we come in. So, I work with the companies to find what they need from the enterprise platform, then I come back and work with Dr. (Ali) Sekmen and the deans, and say, ‘Look, how can we put this in the curriculum for the students to learn that skill?’ Once we do that, then we go and bring these companies in to recruit the students.”
Tamarcus Summers, a senior computer science major from Memphis, and Donovan Varnell, also a senior political science major from Nashville, were among the diverse group of majors at the presentation.
“As a computer science major, I am glad to see the focus on key
areas emphasized here today that my professors talk about in preparing us for
the job market,” Summers
said.
For Varnell, he said he is impressed with IBM’s
integration of technology into all disciplines.
“This really opens my eyes to how it is important to understand
that all these technologies and coding are a need-to-know no matter your
discipline,” said Varnell.
Dr. Sekmen, who is chair of the Department of Computer Science, and a facilitator of the Enterprise Systems Program, said TSU is seeking funding to establish a comprehensive enterprise computing program in the department with a mainframe computer lab.
“We will be the first institution in Tennessee to have such a
computer,” said Sekmen. “We are going to develop an undergraduate concentration
in enterprise computing, as well as training opportunities for TSU faculty,
students and all HBCU faculty.”
Other university officials who spoke at the gathering were Dr.
Jacqueline Mitchell, professor and Enterprise Systems Program manager, as well
as Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, dean of the College of Engineering. Frank Stevenson,
associate vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students; Dr. Coreen
Jackson, dean of the Honors College; and Dr. Ray Richardson, Enterprise Program
liaison, were present. Students from a cross section of disciplines and majors
were also present representing computer science, engineering, criminal justice,
business and social work.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only
public university, and is a premier, historically black university and
land-grant institution offering 39 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)
– With just a few days to go, TSU’s historic push to raise $1 million in February
for student scholarships is all but certain, thanks to a huge showing of Big
Blue spirit on Sunday.
Jamie Isabel, left, Chairman of the TSU $1 million campaign, talks to NBC local affiliate Channel 4 about the telethon and the overall goal of the campaign. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
A four-hour celebrity telethon, “Dialing for Dollars,” raised more than $63,000. It was well over the telethon’s $25,000 initial goal, bringing total campaign contributions to nearly $938,609. Within two hours of the telethon, volunteers had already surpassed the $25,000 mark, organizers said.
“Today is a good
day. This showing of support is very tremendous,” said Campaign Chairman Jamie
Isabel, a TSU alum. “We exceeded our goal, which I knew we were going to do.
The excitement and sheer commitment to the cause by all who participated are
responsible for the success we achieved.”
Volunteers, including prominent local TSU alums, make calls to personal friends and acquaintances to contribute to the telethon. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
In a historic,
long-term partnership with the Nashville Predators, TSU announced the
campaign on Feb. 2 to raise $1 million during Black History Month for student
scholarships. Since then, activities have included a “TSU Night” at the
Bridgestone Arena, with appearances by the Aristocrat of Bands and the New Direction
Gospel Choir, as well as a Big Blue Old School Concert at the Gentry Complex.
The telethon, live
streamed from Jackson Hall on the main campus, included guest hosts and alumni,
students, staff, faculty, community leaders and supporters manning telephones
and taking contributions from supporters. TSU President Glenda Glover, who was
on travel, called in to thank organizers and volunteers.
TSU alums State Rep. Harold L. Love, Jr., and his wife Leah Dupree Love volunteer at the telethon. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
Several prominent
local TSU alums and supporters stopped by to help man telephones. They included
TSU Board of Trustee member Richard Lewis and his wife, Delores, a former TSU
administrator; Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry, Jr., State Rep. Harold Love,
Jr., and his wife, Leah; Barbara Murrell, longtime TSU supporter and former
administrator; TSU National Alumni Association President Joni McReynolds; and
Vivian Wilhoite, Nashville and Davidson County property assessor, among others.
Dr. Frederick S.
Humphries, president of TSU from 1975-1985, who could not be present in
Nashville, was among many who joined in from home and made calls to friends and
acquaintances to contribute to the telethon.
Miss TSU Jada Crisp, left, and Head Football Coach Rod Reed, middle, were among many students and staff who volunteered at the telethon. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
According to Isabel, some major contributors were: Dr. William F. Pickard, chairman of Detroit-based Global Automotive Alliance, a supporter of HBCUs, who contributed $10,000; and Nashville businessman Joe Davis, who sent in a check for $5,000.
“We had some large
checks, but we also had some small checks and all those small checks added up
to get us to where we are,” said Isabel.
Mr. TSU Damyr
Moore, a senior mass communications major from Atlanta, and Eukirah Pennyman, a
junior film and television major, also from Atlanta, were among many students
who volunteered at the telethon. Moore helped with making calls, while Pennyman
served as technical director.
Telethon hosts Grant Winrow, left, Seanne Wilson and Michael McLendon make a pitch at the four-hour long fundraiser. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
“The experience today
has been a great one; to be among your peers and alumni toward one good cause
that benefits the entire student body is just great,” said Moore. “To give my
time and be able to help someone else come to school as I have been fortunate
to do is really a great feeling.”
Pennyman agreed.
“I am from Atlanta, and I have been fortunate to have a few scholarships from
TSU,” she said. “It was a good experience to have this telethon, which I think
should be done every year because it helps to bring in more majors and more
students.”
Cassandra Griggs is TSU’s director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, and co-chair of the $1 million campaign committee. She is very thankful to the many alumni who came out to make phone calls.
“They called
individuals who were in their personal cellphone contacts, asking them to
support TSU, and that was very admirable,” said Griggs. “I feel very good
that not only have we exceeded our goal for today, but we are going to meet our
goal for the $1 million.”
Grant Winrow, a
member of the campaign committee and one of the hosts of the telethon, called
the day a “Big Blue Victory.”
“We went in with the idea of raising $25,000 and we more than doubled it. And that’s a phenomenal success,” said Grant, who helped organize the telethon. “This is in the last few days of our campaign, and we thought having a celebrity telethon by bringing in some of our most notable TSU influencers here to make some calls, was a great idea. It turned out very well.”
The next push to
the finish line in the $1 million campaign is a celebrity courtside dining at
the TSU men’s basketball game on Saturday in the Gentry Complex.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only
public university, and is a premier, historically black university and
land-grant institution offering 39 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) – TSU students looking for internship opportunities recently got a major break when representatives from more than 40 companies came on campus for the 2020 Spring Internship Fair.
William Corneh, left, a second-year business marketing major, talks to representatives of Provider Trust about internship opportunity with the company during the summer. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
Nearly 400 students from different disciplines, with resumes in hand and dressed for business, attended the fair in Kean Hall on Feb. 18, where the companies set up tents, tables and displays. The fair was organized by the TSU Career Development Center in the Division of Student Affairs.
William Corneh and
KeAnna Dakwa were among the first students at the fair, stopping at tables to
hear what company representatives are looking for.
“I am here
hopefully trying to get my first internship,” said Corneh, a second-year
business major from Atlanta, who was shaking hands with representatives of The
General Insurance Company. “This is my first effort trying to land a job. I am
looking for an internship in an area of business marketing and the prospects
look very good.”
TSU President Glenda Glover, right, talks to Katrina Kerr, a TSU alum and recruiter for Insight. Kerr is a 1994 graduate of TSU with a master’s degree in business administration. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
For Dakwa, who had
a long discussion at the Lockheed Martin table, the chance for an internship
also looks promising, said the sophomore civil engineering major from
Huntsville, Alabama.
“I am here looking for internships in project
management, civil engineering and anything that has to do with urban planning
and logistics,” said Dakwa, who interned with American Electric Power last
year. “I have been talking to Lockheed Martin and other design and engineering
companies to see what they have to offer, and things look very promising.”
Unlike the career
and employment fairs the university’s Career Development Center hosts during
the year for various employment opportunities, this fair, which is held once a
year, is dedicated solely to internships.
Moses Harris IV, left, a consultant with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, greets TSU students at the internship fair. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
TSU President Glenda Glover, the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, Frank Stevenson, and a host of university officials, faculty and staff, stopped by the various booths to talk with company representatives in support of the students.
All of the representatives, including the fair’s
major sponsors – Nashville Predators, The General Insurance Company, Altria,
and LG&E – said they were impressed with the TSU students’ presentations,
outlook and approach, and that they had a very good grasp of what they were
looking for.
“TSU students are
very professional, very friendly. You can tell they come prepared,” said Cheryl
Mabry-Shirey, HR generalist with The General Insurance Company.
She said her
company is looking to recruit interns for paid positions at $20 an hour in
marketing, claims and IT.
Antoinette Hargrove Duke, Associate Director of the TSU Career Development Center, (middle in TSU blue), greets representatives of the major sponsors of the 2020 Spring Internship Fair. From left, are: Lindsey Nelson, Nashville Predators; Cheryl Mabry-Shirey, The General Insurance Company; Duke; Brooke Hartlage, LG&E; and Tyler Ridley, Altria. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
“We have talked to
several students who we already know are perfect fits for our company,” said
Mabry-Shirey.
Lindsey Rosen,
talent acquisition specialist at Provider Trust, a healthcare compliance-based
company, said her firm is also looking for people to fill internship and
employment positions in marketing and sales.
“We pride
ourselves on bringing in top talents,” Rosen said. “We are looking for creative
and motivated people who want the opportunity to learn from our company.”
Antoinette Duke is the associate director of TSU’s Career Development Center. She said she is excited about the “overwhelming” turnout and support of the internship fair. She credits the various departments and volunteers with the success of the fair.
“These companies have shared with us that they actually have open positions to get students in for the summer,” Duke said. “Hopefully, when they leave today they will get those interviews to secure those internship positions. This really gives our students the opportunity to interact with the employers. We also want employers to use this valuable opportunity to connect with some of the brightest students. We thank our volunteers for their dedication and commitment to helping our students succeed.”
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only
public university, and is a premier, historically black university and
land-grant institution offering 39 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) – State
lawmakers got a taste of Tennessee State University’s excellence at the annual
TSU Day at the Capitol on Tuesday.
Visitors to the TSU Day on the Capitol check out displays at the daylong event. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
More than 150 TSU
students, administrators, faculty, staff and others packed a conference
room on the 8th flor of the Cordell Hull Building to hear TSU
President Glenda Glover kick-off the event. Before the official kick-off,
lawmakers saw displays of the university’s diverse research and academic
offerings, including robotics and giveaways like White Dogwood trees grown on
the university farm, that has become a prized and highly requested staple
during the annual visits.
“I am so pleased to see our lawmakers, along with our students, our faculty our staff, our alumni and friends. Thank you for joining us,” Glover said. “This is our seventh annual TSU Day at the Capitol. This event has become one of the institution’s most successful outreach programs. We take this opportunity to share with the lawmakers the great things that are going on at TSU, and to share with them our needs, as we continue the proud legacy of training and nurturing our future – our students.”
Before the kick-off,
President Glover made courtesy visits to the offices of Lt. Gov. Randy McNally
(R-Crossville) and several key members of the Tennessee General Assembly.
Student ambassadors also used the time to deliver packages of TSU mementos to
the offices of lawmakers, as tokens of appreciation from the university.
Among many displays at the TSU Day at the Capitol, researchers in the College of Health Sciences demonstrate the use of the Vest Airway Clearance System, a therapy designed to assist patients who have thick secretions, such as in cystic fibrosis. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
In her speech, Glover told the lawmakers that past and future appropriations have allowed TSU to maintain its longstanding legacy of “providing education for our students.”
“Thank
you for being a part of this day and for money you have given us,” she said.
“However, we have some tremendous needs. So, we are here asking you to help us
meet those needs. We want to improve our campus’ age-old infrastructure, we
need scholarships for students, we need to make sure that electricity is in
order for next year.”
Several
of the lawmakers followed Glover with greetings and congratulations to TSU and
its leaders for the “great work going
on at TSU.”
“I appreciate you all being here today,” House Speaker Cameron Sexton said. “We are going to work well to make sure that we move Tennessee forward and keep doing the things we can agree on, such as education.”
TSU alums Sen.
Brenda Gilmore, and Rep. Harold M. Love, Jr., two strong supporters of the
university, promised to keep TSU at the top of the agenda.
“I am so happy to
see you all up here. It means the world to me,” Gilmore said. “As you
(students) walk these halls and meet the legislators, tell them about your
studies and what you plan to do when you graduate. That helps us as we work
hard to get your rightful funding.”
Love
added: “It does our heart well to see our students, faculty, staff and alumni
here with us on Capitol Hill. We need your voice to move TSU. So, I encourage
you to keep telling us what needs to be changed in policy.”
In an
oratorical presentation, Mr. TSU Damyr Moore moved lawmakers with a call for
proportionate funding for HBCUs, arguing that the matrix used to determine
funding, such as retention, enrollment and on-time degree completion, are not the
best indicators by which to measure HBCUs.
“I
propose proportionate funding for HBCUs and PWIs, or predominantly white
institutions, alike, as well as increase funding for scholarships and funding
for pre-college summer bridge programs,” said Moore, a senior mass communication
major from Atlanta.
Also making remarks was Katelyn Thompson, president of the TSU Student Government Association. Among other lawmakers who spoke at the ceremony were Reps. Antonio Parkinson (District 98) and Barbara Cooper (District 86), a TSU alum.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s
only public university, and is a premier, historically black university
and land-grant institution offering 39 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 Student Challenge to contribute to TSU’s historic “$1 Million in 1 Month”
is officially underway.
Members of the Pre-Alumni Council and officials of the Office of the Alumni Relations and Annual Giving grace the red carpet at the first annual Great Gatsby Ball. (Submitted Photo)
Organized by the
Pre-Alumni Council, the students used the very elegant and elaborate first
annual Great Gatsby Ball in Elliott Hall on the main campus Friday evening to
kick-off various programs planned to raise funds for the campaign.
“This is one of our many opportunities to give back to this institution,” said Jeffrey Thomas, Jr., a senior fashion and merchandising major from Nashville, who is also president of the Pre-Alumni Council.
TSU students are all smiles as the enjoy the evening entertainment at the Great Gatsby Ball. (Submitted Photo)
“This formal
event, with live band, dinner and a host, is an opportunity to get students to
meet in a formal setting, interact with alumni, and to energize them for this
great campaign launched by President (Glenda) Glover.”
In a historic,
long-term partnership with the Nashville Predators, TSU announced the
campaign on Feb. 2 to raise $1 million during Black History Month for student
scholarships. Since then, activities have included a “TSU Night” at the
Bridgestone Arena, with appearances by the Aristocrat of Bands and the New
Direction Gospel Choir, as well as a Big Blue Old School Concert at the Gentry
Complex.
Other campaign
activities include the TSU Alumni Chapter Challenge Feb.
1-7; Faculty/Staff Challenge Feb. 8-14; TSU Divine Nine Fraternity
and Sorority Challenge Feb. 15-21; TSU Sunday Day of Giving on Feb.
23; and TSU College and Student Challenge Feb. 22-29.
Dwight Beard, right, President of the Nashville Chapter of the TSU National Alumni Association, talks to two TSU students at the ball. (Photo by Michael McLendon, TSU Media Relations)
According to
officials, the Great Gatsby Ball, themed after the “Roaring
Twenties Costumes” and fashion era, gives the university the opportunity to
showcase students – how to dress up and socialize and network in a professional
manner.
“It is an opportunity to teach them about being in their circle but yet dignified and representing themselves well,” said Cassandra Griggs, director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. “It’s all about branding yourself. So, having alums and students having fun together is just an exciting evening for us.”
Clara Hyde, left, and Annie Kinzer were among several TSU alums who joined students at the Great Gatsby Ball. (Submitted Photo)
Amid the pomp,
glitz and glamour, fitted with a red carpet entrance, interviews and
photographing, the students said the ball was something they will not soon
forget, because for some, it made up for lost time.
Elijah Poston’s
date missed out on her high school prom, the sophomore biology major from
Cincinnati said.
“She did not have
a prom experience in high school and this gave her an opportunity to dress up and
be escorted like it would have been on a prom night,” said Poston, a
scholarship recipient from the Cincinnati Alumni Chapter of the TSU National
Alumni Association. “I am glad to be by her side at this very elegant program.
This is a great cause and I am going to do all I can to help. That scholarship
has helped me immensely.”
The sumptuous dinner at the ball was prepared by Nashville’s own Catering Concepts by Timothy. (Photo by Michael McLendon, TSU Media Relations)
During this month,
Poston is volunteering with the Honors College to call out to alumni to
contribute to the $1 Million in 1 Month campaign.
Deseree Hill, a
freshman social work major from Birmingham, Alabama, did not need a scholarship
to come to TSU, but she is excited about helping to raise funds to keep other
students in school.
“I am glad to be
here tonight, have fun and at the same time help in this very worthy cause,” Hill
said.
The Julius Genius Fisher Band provides entertainment at the first annual Great Gatsby Ball. (Photo by Michael McLendon, TSU Media Relations)
Among alumni at
the ball was Dwight Beard, a Nashville/Davidson County businessman, who is also
president of the Nashville Chapter of the TSUNAA. He described the ball as
“very beautiful and elegant.”
“This is how we want
to teach our students to be professional when they go to the corporate world or
in their various career fields,” said Beard.
“They will be going into a lot of places like this. By them
participating in this campaign teaches them to give back. This is a start,
because once they leave and become successful, they will come back and give to
the school that gave them their foundations.”
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s
only public university, and is a premier, historically black university
and land-grant institution offering 39 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) – Award-winning actor, poet and speaker Rashad Rayford recently visited Tennessee State University to promote his new book, “Elevate Your Vibe: Ten Ways to Grow You.”
The book signing was sponsored by TSU’s Avon Williams Library and the National Hook-Up of Black Women, Inc.
Rayford, who was recently crowned Moth Story Hour Nashville
Grand Slam Champion, has been featured at TEDx and on National Public Radio, as
well as in the Wall Street Journal, HuffPo, and USA Today.
“This book is a tool to help us activate or sharpen the
necessary attributes that we need to elevate to our highest selves,” said
Rayford, also known as Rashad Tha Poet. “How can we add value to other people
if we haven’t first acknowledged the value within ourselves?”
His company, Elevate Your Vibe, LLC, is a nontraditional speaking company that blends spoken word poetry, and inspirational speaking to help businesses tell more compelling and concise stories.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s
only public university, and is a premier, historically black university
and land-grant institution offering 39 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 Alum Tanya Coplen Gray approached her high school classmates about producing a short documentary to commemorate their 50th year high school anniversary, Gray had no idea how important the project would become.
“This short film was done as a labor of love. We did this out of love for one another, and that’s really critical to me, to make sure people understand that is how it got started,” says Gray, who graduated from TSU in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in social work and a minor in sociology.
Gray, along with her Cameron High School classmates
Deborah Majors Bell and Ida Venson Currie, serve as executive producers of “The Past Is Prologue: The Cameron Class of
1969,” an award-winning documentary that recounts a significant, but
largely-forgotten, chapter of Nashville’s civil rights struggle that happened
during the late-1960s.
Featured are (l to r)Tanya Coplen Gray, Ola Hudson, Deborah Majors Bell, Ida Venson Currie, Mark Schlicher (Photo Submitted)
The film, which was produced and directed by Nashville
filmmaker Mark Schlicher, and co-produced by Lisa Venegas, will air on
Nashville Public Television, WNPT Channel 8 Sunday, February 16, at 10:30 p.m.,
and Wednesday, February 26, at 9:00 p.m..
In spring 1968, during a volatile period for race
relations in Nashville and throughout the United States, all-black Cameron high
school lost a high-profile basketball tournament game to Stratford, a
mostly-white school. A spontaneous protest and scuffles broke out afterward, as
many upset Cameron fans believed that the game had been unfairly officiated in
favor of Stratford.
In response, school authorities barred Cameron High
School from all athletics for an entire year, while Stratford received no
sanctions. In response to the punishment, parents, students, and supporters in
the community protested, marched in the streets, and enlisted famed civil
rights attorney Avon Williams, Jr., to champion their cause in federal court,
making it part of his long-running school desegregation lawsuit.
Currie, who secured a bachelor’s degree in English
Education from TSU in 1974, says former Cameron Principal O.R. Jackson,
marshaled the school’s faculty and staff to find ways for Cameron High School
seniors to enjoy their final year in spite of the punishment.
L TO R: Mark Schlicher, student extras, and Shelena Walden at Cameron High School (Photo Submitted)
“He knew we were not going to be coming to the stadium on
Friday night for football games. We were not going to be going to the gym in
the afternoon for pep rallies prior to the games. So he brought the vision to
the teachers, ‘Let’s do something for this senior class because they are
hurting in certain areas,’” says Currie, a retired commercial insurance product
developer and healthcare manager. “Mr. Jackson made sure we had our pep rally’s
on Friday afternoons, even if we didn’t have a game to attend. He also
orchestrated our senior class trip to Washington, D.C. during spring break,
which served as yet another memorable diversion to the suspension.”
Bell, a graduate of the Metropolitan School of Practical
Nursing at Vanderbilt Hospital and a retired licensed practical nurse, says in
spite of the security and assurance they received from parents and community
members, the unfair punishment left a lasting impression on their class.
“At the time, we were all young. We had no idea what a big
deal this was. We lived in a neighborhood where we had a lot of black support,
like our parents and our teachers,” says Bell. “Once this happened, that’s when
I really found out that I was considered a second class citizen.”
Schlicher says the documentary, which was funded in part by
the Metro Nashville Arts Commission THRIVE program, needs to be viewed by a
broad audience because of its historical significance.
Featured are (front row, l to r) Aaron Finley, Fletcher Moon, Tamiko Robinson Steele, Shawn Whitsell (back row, l to r) Co-Producer Lisa Venegas, Mark Schlicher, Shanika Gillespie, camera operator Keevan Guy at Seay-Hubbard UMC upstairs meeting room. (Photo Submitted)
“It was an honor to be able to do the 25 or so interviews
that were done with class members and with teachers, to learn the story and
share it in a way that honored the struggle and the triumph that the Class of
’69 went through and the place they have in the civil rights struggle in
Nashville,” says Schlicher, whose work as director or cinematographer has been
shown nationally on PBS, the Smithsonian Channel, Lifetime, and TBN.
After receiving rave reviews from classmates following the
film’s initial viewing, and subsequently winning “Best of Tennessee” at the
2019 International Black Film Festival, the group realized the film could serve
a larger purpose.
“We want to put this documentary in every public library and
to be able to hand it to school systems,” says Gray, a retired licensed
clinical social worker.
They believe the documentary will spark important
conversations about education, policy, neighborhoods and equity, as well as
bring awareness.
Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Enoch Fuzz
agrees. He plans to air the film at Kingdom Café, located at 2610 Jefferson
Street, on February 1, at 8:00 a.m. during One Nashville, a breakfast gathering
he initiated two years ago to bring people with resources, information and
awareness together to help progressive projects like “The Past Is Prologue”
succeed.
Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Enoch Fuzz (Photo Submitted)
“I was very touched by the story that these people told, and
I know that it could benefit some of the people in Nashville. There are some
good people in Nashville who want to understand race relations,” says Fuzz.
He says One Nashville gatherings, which are held every month
on first and third Saturdays, have attracted leaders from throughout the city including
the mayor, vice mayor, secretary of state, public defender and city council
members. He says some attendees are
looking for meaningful projects to support, while others come seeking
assistance.
“I was having people call me everyday with different needs,
and I said these people need to meet one another. So rather than me meeting
with everybody differently everyday, I came up with the concept of getting
everyone in the same room,” says Fuzz. “One
Nashville gets people from all over the community in the same room.”
Mary Jackson Owens, the Cameron alum who told Fuzz
about the project, hopes the film can garner financial support, so young people
can learn about this almost forgotten moment in Nashville’s civil rights
struggle.
“It hasn’t been talked about in 50 years. It’s time to have
a conversation about it, and tell people about the history,” she says. “A lot
of our children don’t know anything about being in an all-black school and the
loyalty that we have for Cameron.”
“The Past Is Prologue: The Cameron Class of 1969,” also features TSU alum Ola Hudson and TSU Associate Professor and Head Reference Librarian Fletcher F. Moon. Hudson, who graduated from TSU with a bachelor’s degree in Vocational Home Economics in 1951 and a master’s degree in 1953, taught at Cameron High School from 1955 until 1971. Moon, who portrayed his father, Rev. J.L. Moon, in the documentary, has worked at TSU for 36 years.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State UniversityFounded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 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)
– High school students looking to get an early start on college now have a home
at Tennessee State University.
Dr. Robbie Melton, TSU Associate Vice President for Smart Technology and Innovation, conducts a coding class at Kenwood High School in Clarksville, Tennessee. (Submitted Photo)
Through its National Center for Smart Technology, the university has launched a dual enrollment program with three major school districts in the state that offers high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to earn college credits while enrolled in high school.
Participating
school districts are Clarksville Montgomery County School System, Metro
Nashville Public Schools, and Shelby County Schools.
Jalen Driskell and
Larry Perry, 12th graders from Shelby County’s Trezevant High School
in Memphis, are excited about the opportunity to earn early college credits.
The two were among 130 students also from Pearl Cohn High, and Clarksville’s
Kenwood High School, who participated in the Apple Coding class last fall as
part of the dual enrollment program.
Officials from the TSU Office of Smart Technology and Innovation join faculty and staff of Kenwood High School to kick off the TSU-Apple-Kenwood Coding initiative. (Submitted Photo)
“I learned a lot from the initiative, especially working as a team,” said Driskell, who hopes to major in engineering after high school. “Being enrolled allows me to move ahead in receiving my college credits and to do better with time management.”
For
Perry, he said the coding class was a lot of fun and increased his interest in
doing more college work.
“Coding
allowed me to gain the experience with talking to others versus typing,” he
said. “Receiving this college credit allows me to be prepared for my future.”
Dr.
Robbie Melton, TSU’s associate vice president for Smart Technology and
Innovation, said with the Apple partnership, TSU has created an amazing
opportunity for high school students to start coding
and creating.
“All
over the state, as well as all over the country, students are interested
in coding and creativity,” said Melton. “With
this dual enrollment program, it is unique in the fact that students across the
state of Tennessee can now embrace the skills of coding and creativity through
dual enrollment. We are positioned to provide coding and creativity on site and online, for high school
students to have a pathway to our computer science and “Everyone Can Code and
Create” curriculums at TSU.”
Dr.
Johnnie C. Smith is the executive director of the TSU Dual Enrollment
Partnerships. She said students who participate in the program must meet the TSU
admission’s requirement. They must be beginning juniors with a GPA of 2.75 or better, and must have recommendations from their principals or guidance counselors to participate. In addition to the Apple coding
curriculum, she said the program offers general education courses, as well as
engineering and English composition. The courses are offered onsite and online.
“Like all other schools in the state, we are going after courses we know will count in different schools, like general education courses,” Smith said. “We are targeting students within the state of Tennessee. They will gain college credits to get a jump start on college and also use those credits to meet their high school requirements for graduation. We are really excited about the possibility of what this program can do at the institution.”
Some
of the teachers whose students participated in the fall 2019 program said it
was very beneficial and definitely makes the whole dual enrollment initiative more interesting.
“This
program benefited our students by giving them the opportunity to learn the
fundamentals of coding and inspired them to create something unique for a
problem in their community,” said Abraham Wolfe, a high school AP Physics and Robotics teacher
in the Clarksville Montgomery County School System.
Quanita Adams, a high school math teacher with Metro Nashville Public Schools, said, “The students enrolled in DE Coding this semester have tapped into a world that they may have not experienced elsewhere and produced amazing products in a short time.”
Herbert
Vannostrand, a high school computer science teacher with the Shelby County
Schools, agreed.
“The Apple Coding curriculum provided my students with a
clear, concise, up-to-date and fun program to learn the Swift programming
language, as well as bringing relevant up-to-date information about how coding
can affect change in their lives,” Vannostrand said. “I recommend
this program to any computer science teacher and I am ready to teach the course
again next year.”
Dual enrollment is just one of many initiatives undertaken in the last year under the TSU-Apple partnership. In July, TSU launched HBCU C2 “Everyone Can Code and Create,” a national initiative supported by Apple, which seeks to bring coding experiences to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and underserved communities. To date, TSU has impacted 32 HBCUs with the HBCU C2 Initiative. Also, in July, TSU launched the first community “Everyone Can Code and Create” initiative for youth on its Avon Williams Campus. The initiative is also part of the National Center for Smart Technology Innovations.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State UniversityFounded 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.
