After 16 years, Lt. Colonel Stephen Cash said it was time to come back home.
Cash is Commander of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 790 at TSU, a Memphis native who commissioned through AFROTC in 2006 upon graduating from Middle Tennessee State University.
“I am really humble to have the opportunity to come back to where my Air Force career began,” Lt. Colonel Cash said. Cash was stationed at the Pentagon for three years in Washington D.C., before he officially became a tiger when his predecessor Lt. Nick Calloway retired over the summer.
Lt. Col. Cash commissioned at TSU in 2006 . This year he has returned to the university as Commander of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps.
He is responsible for recruiting and overseeing the preparation of officer candidates through a comprehensive college program at TSU and 11 cross-town universities.
He said this year ROTC has more than 90 cadets.
“My hope is that we see the program into fruition,” he said, noting that he looks forward to finding those with integrity to serve the country and strive for excellence. Cash said he anticipates the same hospitality he received when he launched his military career at TSU more than 15 years ago.
“When I came through the program it was a family environment,” he said. “A family feel with cadets looking out for one another. It’s an amazing opportunity to come back and pay it forward and have my career come full circle.”
With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University begins the new academic year with a major accolade for the University’s president.
Dr. Glenda Glover has been named one of the “Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders of 2021,” by HBCU Campaign Fund, a national non-profit organization that advocates for student and higher education.
“I am honored to be included with this distinguished group of university presidents selected by HBCU Campaign Fund, a well-respected organization that advocates for our students and institutions,” President Glover said.
“It is particularly gratifying because of the common mission we share of ensuring the highest academic achievement of our students.”
According to HBCU Campaign Fund, presidents and chancellors selected for the Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders award have “proven their responsibilities for shaping policies, changing perspectives, and making decisions that affect millions of individuals in the higher education space, and the daily needs of what an HBCU or Minority-Serving Institutions contributes.”
“These individuals play a prominent and influential role in leadership and display the characteristics of the following responsibilities in the progression of effectively moving an institution forward,” said Demetrius Johnson Jr., president, CEO and founder of HCF.
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) – Tennessee State University’s College of Health Sciences has thriving programs that prepare students for six of the top 25 best healthcare jobs listed in a recent article published by U.S. News & World Report.
The jobs included as part of the magazine’s 2020 Best Health
Care Jobs list, are: nurse practitioner, speech language pathologist,
registered nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist and respiratory
therapist.
Dr. Ronald Barredo, Dean of the College of Health
Sciences, says there will always be a great need for these healthcare
jobs.
“The good thing about healthcare is as long as there is
sickness in the world, we will always have a job,” says Barredo.
Tierney Curtis (Photo Submitted)
Tierney Curtis, a graduate student in the occupational therapy program, says attending TSU gives her a great advantage as a future healthcare professional.
“Nashville is already a booming healthcare city so most of
your clinical work and opportunities include going out into the Nashville
community, and meeting people and making connections,” says Curtis, who received
an undergraduate degree in health sciences from TSU in 2018. “I think the
health sciences program at TSU is one of the best here in Nashville because
they offer so many programs. We have professors that are here to help you that
have been across different spans of healthcare.”
A West Memphis, Arkansas native, Curtis says she hopes to
stay in Nashville after she graduates from TSU and work at a hospital in acute
care, or work in pediatrics with outpatients, or in the school system.
Future Physical Therapist Zachary Prudoff says although he
enjoys working with amputees, he is unsure what area of physical therapy he
wants to explore as a profressional.
Zachary Prudoff, a doctoral candidate in the TSU Department of Physical Therapy,checks a patient’s blood pressure before administering a mobility test. (Photo Submitted)
“I think as I go through more classes, I get to understand the profession as a whole a little bit more, and it starts to help clue me in on what type of patients I might like to work with in the field, says Prudoff, who is a doctoral candidate in the department of Physical Therapy.
He says developing relationships with faculty is extremely
important.
“In grad school, especially in physical therapy, our teachers are sometimes our greatest resources and it’s very important to foster a relationship of communication and mutual respect. They have been out in the field and practicing. They know things that you don’t know for sure, and they are there to help you.”
Barredo says all six of the programs that made U.S. News
& World Report’s 2020 Best Healthcare Jobs list are accredited at TSU. He
says the programs in the TSU College of Health Sciences are in high demand.
“We’ve always had a lot more applicants than there are slots
in the program, some more than others,” says Barredo, who is a recipient of the
Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association, the
association’s highest award. “For example, in physical therapy last year we had
about 200 applicants for only 36 slots, and that’s true for most every
program.”
Dr. Ronald Barredo (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
This fall each of the six health sciences programs noted in
the study, with the exception of the speech language pathology program which
already has a clinic at the TSU Avon Williams Campus, will relocate into a new
$38 million facility.
Barredo says the shared space will provide opportunities for
students to get a more comprehensive view of
the collaborative roles of health science professionals.
“Right now we are all separated in different buildings. So now
there will be a lot more interpersonal collaboration in terms of patient care,
research and service activities,” he says. “Instead of us doing things
separately, we will be more consolidated and able to demonstrate that there is
a lot more to healthcare than physical therapy, for example.”
Antoinette Duke,
associate director of the TSU Career Development Center, says students
such as those in the College of Health Sciences can visit the university’s career
center to utilize a wide array of resources to prepare for life beyond TSU.
Antoinette Duke, associate director of TSU’s Career Development Center, advises student during 2020 Spring Internship Fair. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
“We are doing
everything in our power to partner with student organizations, the faculty, the
staff and the professors to help them encourage our students to utilize this
service that is there for them,” says Duke. “We have several resources to help prepare them. For instance, if the student is not prepared
for interviewing, one of the resources we have is Interview Stream. It allows
our students to tap into that service to practice before they meet with a
potential company or employer.”
For more information about the TSU College of Health
Sciences, go to http://www.tnstate.edu/health_sciences/
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 is a finalist in 11
categories of the 2019 Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ Digest
Awards.
The winners will be announced at the ninth annual
HBCU Awards ceremony to be held on August 2 at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of
Maryland African American History and Culture in downtown Baltimore.
TSU is a finalist for University of the Year, and TSU President
Glenda Glover is in the running for Female President of the Year.
Other TSU nominations are:
Best Marching Band: Aristocrat of Bands
Best HBCU Choir: New Direction Choir
Best Fine Arts Program: Department of Music
Best Science, Technology, Engineer and Mathematics (STEM) Program: College of Engineering
Best Business Program: Executive MBA Program
Alumna of the Year: Traci Otey Blunt
Female Coach of the Year: Chandra
Cheeseborough-Guice
Male Athlete of the Year: Christion Abercrombie
Male Student of the Year: Jailen Leavell
The HBCU Awards is the first and only national awards ceremony
honoring individual and institutional achievement at historically black
colleges and universities throughout the country. Winners are selected by a
panel of previous winners, journalist, HBCU executives, students and alumni for
the merit of accomplishment and for generating positive coverage for HBCU
campus communities.
Last year, Tennessee State University received
awards for “Best Student Organization” and “Alumnus of the Year.”
The year before that, TSU’s Aristocrat of Bands and the
university’s College of Engineering received top honors in the HBCU Digest Awards.
In 2015, TSU’s women’s basketball team got Female Team of the
Year, and student activities received Best Student Organization.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University became the first historically black university to host the Fulbright Pakistan Re-entry Seminar that was held April 25-28.
Dr. Jewell Winn, executive director for International Affairs and diversity officer for TSU, said the seminar was to help students from Pakistan, who have studied in the United States for two to seven years, prepare for the culture shock they may experience when they return home. The seminar is funded through a grant from the Institute of International Education (IIE),
“When you’ve been away from home for an extended period of time in a totally different culture and out of your country, you’ve gone through a culture shock for the most part. When you return, it’s called reverse culture shock. Now you have to go back home and reenter your culture,“ said Winn, who serves as chair of the International Committee as part of her role on the board of the National Association of Diversity Officers In Higher Education.
Dr. Jewell Winn
Winn said the conference is designed to give participants an
opportunity to reflect on their experiences in the U.S. and set goals for their
lives upon returning to Pakistan based upon the information they have learned
while studying in the America.
Dr. Latif Lighari, associate administrator for Extension in the College of Agriculture and a native of Pakistan, took part in a re-entry seminar in the late 1970s after completing his studies at the University of Missouri Columbia.
Lighari, who will serve as the keynote speaker during the opening dinner on Thursday evening, said these type of re-entry seminars are vital for students returning to Pakistan.
“This re-entry seminar is extremely important. This is over 100 Fulbright graduates from Pakistan who have completed their masters and doctorial degrees in this country in many different fields, from arts to science to engineering. They are 50 percent male and 50 percent female,” said Lighari, who serves as co principal investigator for the project. “Being from Pakistan myself, I know how much education is valued and needed there. Now that these young people have finished their degrees here, we want to make some suggestions as to how they can work together in the future and work positively and constructively together to use their talents to transform Pakistan.”
The agenda for the four-day seminar included sessions on social entrepreneurship, goal-setting, skill-building and a virtual alumni panel for Ph.D. students that connected them with Fulbright alumni in Islamabad who discussed their backgrounds, professional careers and how they navigated their return to Pakistan.
Students took thematic site visits to the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, the Nashville Incubation Center and the Nashville International Airport as well as tour the Frist Art Museum, Historic Union Station and Hotel and SoBro, the area downtown south of Broadway which includes the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Bridgestone Arena, the Music City Center and a host of restaurants, hotels and live music venues.
Winn said the thematic visits gave the participants “a deep look into how social enterprise works in Nashville, how entrepreneurship is viewed in Nashville, and how an organization can develop a strong diversity program.
Lighari said the seminar, which was hosted last year at the University of California, Berkley, is one of many re-entry seminars Fulbright sponsors for graduates returning to their home countries. He said the mission of the seminar mirrors the work he does with the TSU Cooperative Extension Program.
“Cooperative Extension is an outreach arm of Tennessee State University. We engage people all the time in areas of agriculture, family and consumer sciences, youth development and community resource development. The main idea of Extension is to help people get research-based information so they can live better lives,” he said. “Our mission for extension in this country is to build people so the people that we build can become better individuals who can build better families, communities and countries.”
For more information about the TSU Office and International Affiars and the TSU Cooperative Extension Program, visit www.tnstate.edu
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 7,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, premier historically-black land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU’s graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus boasts a top-notch Executive MBA Program. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE,
Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University is partnering
with an emerging cannabis company for what officials say could be
groundbreaking hemp research.
Dr. Ying Wu, associate professor
of Food and Animal Science in TSU’s College of Agriculture, says she’s excited
to begin her research with Eufloria Medical of Tennessee, Inc., a subsidiary of
Acacia Diversified Holdings, that will
be manufacturing material for the university study.
Dr. Ying Wu
“We have started working on
investigation of phytochemical profiles in hemp seeds, oils and extracts, and
their related health benefits,” says Wu. “We are aiming to develop
some health promoting product using the cutting-edge technologies, and provide
reliable data of nutrients and phytochemicals in different hemp varieties.”
The research partnership aims to
create a safe and chemical-free vehicle to obtain the health benefits of the
whole-hemp plant into virtually anything from food and beverages to topical
creams. The TSU research could produce innovative ways to obtain whole plant
extract.
“We wanted to work on something
meaningful, we are doing this because we want people to feel better and
contribute significantly to making the cannabis industry more
sustainable,” says Kim Edwards. VP & COO of Acacia Diversified
Holdings.
Tennessee State University is among
the nation’s leaders in hemp research. TSU’s College of Agriculture has charged
a team of scientists to develop hemp production practices for Tennessee. The
research projects include developing hemp nutritional products for human
consumption and studying the economic viability of hemp production in
Tennessee. Currently, the university is growing and evaluating 10 varieties of
hemp.
“TSU wants to be at the forefront of this new interest that’s
cropping up across the country,” said Dr. Chandra Reddy, dean of the College of
Agriculture. “If it’s ever approved for large scale use, we have some knowledge
about it and can work with the farmers.”
TSU has hosted several hemp workshops/meetings, including one in
January with the Tennessee Hemp Industries Association, an advocate for the
production of industrial hemp. More than 200 people attended the meeting.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 7,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – From hemp research to using robotics to improve physical mobility of humans, Tennessee State University showcased some major scientific advances to state lawmakers on Tuesday.
Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, right, congratulates President Glover following her presentation in the Senate Chamber. Rep. Harold Love, Jr., and Sen. Brenda Gilmore join the President and the Lieutenant Governor. (Photo by Ramona Whitworth-Wiggings)
It was the sixth “TSU Day at the Capitol,” where the lawmakers experienced a wave of Tiger Blue at the state Capitol. TSU administrators, faculty, students, staff and alumni showcased the university’s research and other innovative initiatives at the annual event.
Visitors also had a chance to meet with lawmakers who stopped by to see displays from some of the school’s various colleges.
TSU President Glenda Glover kicked off the day with a standing-room only ceremony in Senate Hearing Room II in the Cordell Hull Building.
“This is our day, this is TSU day,” Glover said. “It gives us a great opportunity to share with our lawmakers, our leaders, the success of TSU, and the needs of TSU, as we continue to nurture some of the best and the brightest minds of this generation, our TSU students.”
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 Ramona Whitworth-Wiggings)
Before and after Glover’s presentation, several lawmakers took the podium to welcome TSU and to talk about the university’s impact and contribution to the state, the nation and the world.
Among them Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, Sens. Brenda Gilmore, Raumesh Akbari, Dolores Gresham, Reps. Harold Lover, Jr., and Bill Dunn.
“I welcome TSU, President Glover and all of you to the Senate,” McNally said. “We really honor our relationship with TSU, and look forward to what you do, and the great students that you produce for the State of Tennessee. It really makes a difference in our state.”
Also bringing greetings was Joni McReynolds, president of the TSU National Alumni Association.
Among new innovations on display at the TSU Day at the Capitol was a “humanoid robot” called ISAC, which is helping researchers in the College of Engineering to develop and test devices that help solve prosthetic problems.
“We are investigating anthropomorphic hand-like end-effectors, force-torque sensors for touching, vision, and infrared motion detection to address deficiencies in how human disabilities impact their quality of life,” said Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, dean of the College of Engineering.
Glover and university officials also touted TSU’s recent Carnegie designation as an R2 research institute, one of only 139 in the nation, and one of only 11 among all historically black colleges and universities.
“This new R2 designation for TSU helps to distinguish the fact that we are producing great scholarly research that benefits the citizens of Tennessee and addresses many of the great challenges that are facing our nation,” said Lesia Crumpton-Young, TSU vice president for research and institutional advancement. “I am so proud of the faculty, staff and students that have worked hard to achieve this new designation.”
Daiva Wilson is a junior agricultural science major from Indianapolis, who attended her first TSU Day at the Capitol. She said the experience was very enlightening and informative.
“It was really informative to hear about TSU as a land-grant institution, and how funding for the institution is handled by the legislators,” she said. “I also enjoyed the enthusiasm on everyone’s face about the reception at the state Capitol.”
Members of the TSU Student Government Association also spoke at the ceremony, and said they were excited to be at the Capitol.
“This is just an exciting time for TSU, seeing all of these lawmakers and visitors here to celebrate our institution,” said Kayla McCrary, president of the SGA.
Displays from the school’s various colleges and departments lined the walls in reception areas on the eighth and second floors of the Cordell Hull Building.
A number of TSU interns at the Capitol also joined their fellow students, staff and administrators in the celebration.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 7,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Five senior executives from Amazon recently visited Tennessee State University campus and had a “conversation” with students about coping in the corporate world.
About 50 students from different disciplines gathered in the President’s Dining Room Feb. 7 to interact with the executives on topics ranging from diversity, career preparedness and communications skills to opportunities at Amazon.
The meeting, termed ‘Why Diversity Matters, a Conversation with Amazon Execs,” was arranged by the TSU Career Development Center, and the Office of Corporate Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives. It followed the “Amazon Live” event the night before at the Ryman, where about 400 TSU students, along with students from other local colleges and universities, gathered to hear about Amazon and job opportunities.
Visiting Amazon executives, from left, Cole Brown, Dave Bozeman, Ken Knight, Ed Feitinger, and Thadd Jones, Sr., a TSU graduate, met with TSU students Feb. 7. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
Among the Amazon executives visiting TSU was Thadd Jones, Sr., Senior Talent Acquisition Manager for North America Specialty Fulfillment, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business with concentration in marketing from TSU in 2005.
“Amazon is here at TSU for diversity. We believe in creating access for diversity,” he said. “We believe that there is an opportunity to build corporate partnership for HBCUs as well. As a TSU alum, it makes perfect sense for me as we start to think about our footprint in Nashville, to make sure that TSU is at the forefront in building and growing our organization.”
Other executives on the visit to TSU were: Dave Bozeman, vice president of Transportation Services; Ed Feitzinger, vice president Amazon Global Logistics; Cole Brown, vice president HR North America Customer Fulfillment; and Ken Knight, vice president Global Fulfillment HR Amazon.
Russell Wafers, a TSU student, asks the Amazon executives a question during the meeting. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
Russell Wafers, a freshman computer science major, was one of the students at the meeting. He wants to work for Amazon after college. He said the gathering gave him an opportunity to ask and get answers to questions about success in the corporate world.
“I really wanted to know what I can do to prepare myself as far as getting a job with Amazon, or just working on my professional skills,” said Wafers, who is from Huntsville, Alabama. “They were really very forthcoming and real.”
The visitors pressed the students on honing their communication skills, to think globally, and prepare themselves for a “changing and evolving” world.
Cole Brown, Vice President HR North America Customer Fulfillment Amazon, talks to two TSU students after the meeting. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
“Spend a lot time polishing yourself. Employers are probably not going to tell you how horrible your presentation was,” one said. “You must diversify and think global.”
“The best thing you want to have in your career is option, and the only way you get option is to evolve and prepare yourself for what the world has in store,” another executive said.
Charles Jennings, director of the TSU Career Development Center, said the executives’ visit was an opportunity for “our wonderful students to meet with top executives at Amazon.”
“What you have here are five of the top executives, including four African Americans at Amazon, having an opportunity to meet with and talk about what it is like working and maneuvering in that environment,” said Jennings.
Iris Ramey, associate vice president for Corporate Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives, shared Jennings’ sentiment and thanked Jones for asking for the meeting with the students.
“Following the Amazon program at the Ryman, Thadd Jones asked if we would prepare a lunch for 50 students,” said Remey. “He wanted some of his corporate leaders to come and meet some of our students.”
Arnella Williams-Foster, a senior business administration major, said the meeting with the executives was enlightening.
“As a graduating senior, it was really important for me to hear how Amazon operates, specifically because I am looking to work for that company,” said the St. Louis, Missouri, native, with a concentration in marketing.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 7,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – “As TSU degree holders, you have been equipped with a high-quality education and the power to make a substantive change in the lives of people in your community and the world,” Dr. Shawn Joseph, a longtime educator, told the fall graduating class at Tennessee State University on Dec. 8.
Joseph, director of Metro Nashville Public Schools, reminded the graduates of the role TSU students played to bring about social justice and change in Nashville and across the nation during the civil rights movement.
President Glover accompanies commencement speaker, Dr. Shawn Joseph, during the procession in Gentry Complex. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
“It was only 58 years ago that brave students, who walked the same halls you have walked on this sacred land, strived to create a more just and equitable America.” Joseph said. “Those students, equipped with the same degree that you are earning today, understood that their lives had a purpose.”
At the commencement ceremony in the Gentry Complex, more than 700 received degrees in various disciplines. They included members of the inaugural class of the TSU Executive MBA program.
In her welcome remarks, TSU President Glenda Glover thanked Joseph for agreeing to be the fall commencement speaker, and congratulated the graduates for their accomplishments.
“You have endured and prepared yourselves to reach this goal which may have seemed unattainable, but you stuck with it,” Glover said. “You must always remember that you did not accomplish this goal all by yourselves. There were parents, relatives, friends and mentors who helped you along the way. Remember to thank them.”
More than 700 graduates received degrees in various disciplines. (Photo by Lalita Hodge, TSU Media Relations)
In his speech, Joseph told the graduates that to be leaders for social justice, they must never be afraid to advocate for what is right, learn to persevere and be resilient, and remember that leaders serve people and purpose.
“Certainly, earning a degree is about educating yourself, and it is also about recognizing that you have a responsibility to help things go right for others,” Joseph said. “ Remember excellence comes from within, not from what you have. TSU has prepared you to find strength through your faith, your family, your friends and you can push forward. It’s not what people call you it’s what you answer to.”
Kelley Williams, a Nashville native, who received a bachelor’s degree in social work with high honors, said she was inspired by Joseph’s speech.
Undergraduate honorees celebrate by moving their tassels from right to left indicating their graduation from college. (Photo by Ramona Whitworth-Wiggins)
“I listened to every word keenly and especially what he said about the quality of a TSU degree,” said Williams, who plans on returning to TSU to pursue her master’s degree. “I love TSU and I am glad I came.”
Anthony Moreland, from Knoxville, Tennessee, who received his bachelor’s degree in biology, also with high honors, agreed with Williams on earning a TSU degree.
“Graduating today is a great accomplishment,” said Moreland, whose twin sister graduated from TSU a semester ahead of him. “Graduating for me is a big deal, not only because I had to catch up with my sister, but because I had a lot of family members who came here and did very well.”
Moreland plans on going to medical school, with Meharry Medical College his top choice.
NOTE:Featured photo by Ramona Whitworth-Wiggins
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 7,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Emmanuel Wallace had several colleges on his radar. But the top high school graduate from Memphis says a summer program he participated in at Tennessee State University changed his world, and he had no choice but to become a Big Blue Tiger.
“What brought me to TSU was my experience in a five-week Summer Apprenticeship Program that really opened my eyes to a lot of opportunities in agriculture,” says Wallace, a graduate of East High School, where he was a “distinguished honor roll” student and a student ambassador. With an expressed interest in studying civil engineering, Wallace received full scholarship offers from Vanderbilt University and the University of Memphis, just a few of the schools courting him.
Emmanuel Wallace
“First, I was considering majoring in civil engineering, because in high school I did a lot of engineering programs,” says Wallace, now a freshman at TSU. “But after talking with the leaders of the program, I concluded that agriculture would be a good fit for me.”
Over the summer, Wallace was one of 21 graduating high school seniors from across the nation who participated in the very competitive five-week Summer Apprenticeship Program. From studies in understanding hypersensitive response of tobacco plants to comparing DNAs in chickens and Guinea fowls, participants in the program were exposed to real-world scientific work and cutting-edge research. He developed a special interest in goat research after spending time with renowned TSU goat researcher, Dr. Richard Browning.
Wallace’s professors and mentors in the program say he showed remarkable ability and enthusiasm to learn.
“Right away we noticed how bright and energetic he was and really wanted to learn,” says Dr. DeEtra Young, assistant professor of agricultural and environmental sciences. “So through our mentorship, I think he fell in love with the new opportunities that agriculture provides.”
Wallace, a first-generation college student and the youngest of three children, came to TSU with a near 4.0 grade point average. He was the salutatorian of his graduating class, president of the National Honor Society, the senior class, and manager for the varsity boys’ soccer team at East High. He is currently majoring in agricultural sciences with a concentration in agribusiness. He hopes to go to graduate school and either work for the U.S. Department Agriculture or develop a business career in agribusiness.
Wallace was recruited as a High Achiever Academic Scholarship recipient. He is a Dean Scholar in the College of Agriculture, and a member of the Honors College. He also has memberships in the Tennessee Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, and Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Science.
Recently, Wallace was one of 10 TSU students selected to participate in a three-day Agriculture Future of America four-track program in Kansas City, Missouri, designed to offer college men and women four different personal and professional development opportunities matched to their year in college.
According to Young, who accompanied the students, Wallace participated in Track I, which is the leadership track for freshmen.
“The program bridges the gap between academic, leadership and work experiences while helping students understand the impact of their decisions,” says Young.
At TSU, Wallace says his goal is to combine academic and leadership for student success.
“I plan on holding multiple leadership positions, inspire and motivate members of my class, and become a student ambassador for Tennessee State University,” he says.
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Nashville, Tennessee 37209
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About Tennessee State University
With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. 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.
