NASHVILLE,
Tenn. (TSU News Service)
– Severe thunderstorms caused damages on the Tennessee State University campus
over the weekend. No one was injured, but high winds Friday night tore down a
114-foot section of the fence around Hale Stadium. A mural depicting some TSU historical
events that hung on the fence was also badly damaged.
In front of Kean Hall on the main campus, several branches of a large tree were seen scattered about. There was no damage to the building.
Workers were Monday expected to repair a 114-foot section of the fence around Hale Stadium that sustained wing damage during a thunderstorm Friday. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
TSU Facilities
Management engineers gave no immediate cost estimate, but said repairs to the
fence would begin and be completed Monday.
“Contractors
should be here today to attempt to put this back in place,” George Herring,
engineer and senior project manager said. “They may have to get some pieces and
parts, but it should be back up today.”
Herring said he
received a phone call Saturday morning and came out immediately to survey the
damage. He said the torn portion of the fence was found several feet from the
wall.
“It was all out on
the road so we pushed it against the sidewalk so nobody would get hurt,” he
said.
Most of Middle Tennessee was affected by the storms. More than 10,000 Nashville
residents were without power for several hours.
The National Weather Service said the storm may have been a derecho, a rare weather event classified by strong, straight line winds sustained over a wide path.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only
public university, and is a premier, historically black university and
land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24
master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a
comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie
designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams
Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in
McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee
State University provides students with a quality education in a
nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be
global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online
at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU
News Service) — Tennessee State University professor Dr. Ankit Patras has
received two grants totaling $650,000 from the USDA National Institute of Food
and Agriculture, Trojan Technologies of Canada, and California-based Aquafine
Corporation. The grants will fund research to make food safer by eliminating
harmful viruses and bacterial endospores in juices and other beverages.
Dr. Ankit Patras
In the NIFA grant, Patras, as principal investigator, and his research team at TSU, including Dr. Agnes Kilonzo-Nthenge and Dr. John Rickettes, are collaborating with researchers at the University of Tennessee, and the Institute of Food Safety and Health at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Together, Patras and his fellow researchers will study the effect of highly energetic photons at 253.7 nm wavelength for the inactivation of viral particles, bacterial spores, and mycotoxins.
Dr. Chandra Reddy,
dean of the College of Agriculture, said TSU is glad to partner with USDA and
private industry in a research project that is aimed to make food safe for
consumers without worrying about bacterial or viral contamination and
illnesses.
“Dr. Patras is one of the
national leaders in this area of research and he and his team are exploring
some novel ways to contain or eliminate bacteria and viruses in foods through
these grants,” Reddy said. “As our new Food Science building comes online in a
year or so, we will intensify the food science research at TSU.”
Dr. Ankit Patras demonstrates the thin film pilot UV system, a novel pasteurization technology for inactivating viruses and bacterial endospores in liquid foods. Research Fellow Dr. Brahmiah Pendyala looks on. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
According to
Patras, who is research assistant professor of agricultural science, the
ultimate goal of this project is to develop new and improved non-thermal
technologies to inactivate viruses and bacterial endospores. He said one of the
unique aspects of the project is the use of novel approaches for ensuring
uniform UV exposure to bacterial and viral particles in fluids, without any
arbitrary fluence rate distribution and uncertainty in the delivered UV fluence
within the UV systems.
“Another important
aspect of the study is to create science-based knowledge and bridge existing
knowledge gaps by assessing the sensitivity of target foodborne viruses and
spores to this treatment,” Patras said. “We want to identify markers of
oxidative stress, which can be correlated to microbial inactivation.”
Madison Purifoy, a graduating senior participating in a science summer program for exceptional high school seniors, explains her findings in an experiment where she tested e coli in synthetic fluid using UV radiation to see if it will grow or create mutations. Purifoy is from Plano West Senior High School in Plano, Texas. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
The team will
develop chemical and biological sensors (biodosimeters) to quantify the UV dose
delivered to pathogenic targets ensuring accurate dose delivery. The overall
integrated approach will generate fundamental knowledge on the inactivation of
viruses and bacterial spores on bench and commercial UV systems. Members of
federal agencies including USDA-ARS, US-FDA, and Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada are on the advisory board. Patras’s grant is one of the few awarded by
the AFRI Foundation and Applied Science Program in the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
Among Patras’ team
at TSU is Taylor Ribeiro, a third-year Ph.D. student in biological sciences,
who is working on the inactivation of bacterial in blue berry-flavored
functional beverage. She said it feels good to be working with something that’s
in the forefront of technology because “current pasteurization methods are
starting to fail us.”
Some members of Dr. Patras’ research team in the Meats Processing Lab at TSU (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
“We are starting
to see outbreaks left and right. So, to be at the forefront of something that
is going to be global pretty soon is a big deal for me,” said Ribeiro, who is
from Chesapeake, Virginia. “I am enjoying it. I enjoy working with Dr. Petras
and the rest of the team.”
In the second
grant, Patras and Co-PI Dr. Hongwei Si will evaluate the cytotoxicity of
irradiated liquid foods. Cytotoxicity of irradiated liquid foods must be
evaluated to ensure the novel food processing techniques do not produce
cytotoxic chemical compounds.
UV photons can break chemical bonds and could result in modifying compounds in foods. UV disinfection itself is the result of forming dimers (bonds) between adjacent pyrimidines in the nucleic acids of bacteria and viruses. The team aims to evaluate the cytotoxicity against normal colon, blood cells and study the protein expression of these cells. Experiments will be conducted mimicking the human gastric system.
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) – Thirteen-year-old Carlile Burgess wants to one day be a technician at Verizon, and he thinks a summer program at Tennessee State University has opened the door for him.
Nashville Mayor David Briley; and Thomas Francis, Verizon Innovative Learning program coordinator, right, observe students as they work on a program during class. (Photo BY Erynne Davis, TSU Media Relations)
“I love technology in general especially with Verizon because I like working with their equipment,” said the 8th grader from Nashville’s East Middle School. “I want to work with them; if they have a crash or something, I can fix it.”
Burgess has big dreams and he is not alone. On Tuesday, he and about 80 other students in grades 6-8 from the Nashville Metro Public Schools got a chance to show Nashville Mayor David Briley new technology they are learning on the TSU campus as part of the Verizon Innovative Learning Program.
The VIL, a partnership between TSU and Verizon, gives the students a firsthand experience in “the vital role technology plays in today’s world, empowering them to become creators and makers,” a Verizon release said.
Eighth-grader Carlile Burgess, middle, and fellow students work on a circuit board. (Photo by Erynne Davis, TSU Media Relations)
Mayor Briley’s visit allowed him to see students participating in hands-on coursework in virtual reality, augmented reality, 3-D printing, robotics and electronics. He said it was very encouraging to get the students interested early in technology.
“This is clearly a
part of the economy that is growing and we need to make sure our young folks
are ready to compete,” Briley said. “So, having a partnership between Tennessee
State and Verizon and Metro Schools is a great thing to be doing this summer
for these young men.”
Dr. Curtis
Johnson, associate vice president and chief of staff, who welcomed the mayor on
behalf of TSU President Glenda Glover, said the university was excited to be a
part of the training program for the students, he described as future leaders
who could one day become TSU Tigers.
About 80 middle school students are participating in the Verizon Innovative Learning program on the Tennessee State University campus during the summer. (Pohto by Erynne Davis, TSU Media Relations)
“We are excited
that the mayor can come out to see some of the many great things that are
taking place here on our campus with youth from the community who are being
developed for future leaders here at Tennessee State,” Johnson said.
Also, on hand to
greet the mayor was Dulaney L. O’Roark III, from Verizon Government Affairs. He
said Verizon is very proud to sponsor the program.
“It means a lot to
bring these young men to really experience cutting-edge technology to be able
to envision themselves on a college campus learning about virtual reality,
computing and all of the newest innovations,” O’Roark said. “We are really
honored that the mayor would come and be a part of the program and express to
the young men how supportive he is of them being part of this learning
experience.”
According to
Verizon, the three-week program for minority male students is intended to
prepare them for future tech careers through intensive coursework in design and
product development while being mentored by relatable professional STEM role
models. The program helps participants acquire technical and soft skills to
reach a higher level of academic achievement. After summer courses are
completed, students will make monthly visits to TSU for STEM education
courses and individual mentoring with undergraduate and graduate students.
Thomas Francis, a
STEM instructor, is a coordinator of the VIL program at TSU. He said the
students are also developing friendships and learning to work together.
“The students are leaning with other students who are like-minded like them and that’s important in learning technology and in putting math and science together,” Thomas said.
For more information on Verizon Innovative Learning program, go to http://www.tnstate.edu/computer_science/documents/VerizonTSUCampFlyer.pdf
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only
public university, and is a premier, historically black university and
land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24
master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a
comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie
designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams
Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in
McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee
State University provides students with a quality education in a
nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be
global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online
at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University is a finalist in 11
categories of the 2019 Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ Digest
Awards.
The winners will be announced at the ninth annual
HBCU Awards ceremony to be held on August 2 at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of
Maryland African American History and Culture in downtown Baltimore.
TSU is a finalist for University of the Year, and TSU President
Glenda Glover is in the running for Female President of the Year.
Other TSU nominations are:
Best Marching Band: Aristocrat of Bands
Best HBCU Choir: New Direction Choir
Best Fine Arts Program: Department of Music
Best Science, Technology, Engineer and Mathematics (STEM) Program: College of Engineering
Best Business Program: Executive MBA Program
Alumna of the Year: Traci Otey Blunt
Female Coach of the Year: Chandra
Cheeseborough-Guice
Male Athlete of the Year: Christion Abercrombie
Male Student of the Year: Jailen Leavell
The HBCU Awards is the first and only national awards ceremony
honoring individual and institutional achievement at historically black
colleges and universities throughout the country. Winners are selected by a
panel of previous winners, journalist, HBCU executives, students and alumni for
the merit of accomplishment and for generating positive coverage for HBCU
campus communities.
Last year, Tennessee State University received
awards for “Best Student Organization” and “Alumnus of the Year.”
The year before that, TSU’s Aristocrat of Bands and the
university’s College of Engineering received top honors in the HBCU Digest Awards.
In 2015, TSU’s women’s basketball team got Female Team of the
Year, and student activities received Best Student Organization.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The Men’s Initiative, a character and integrity building program at Tennessee State University, is implementing a series of programs aimed to inspire young male students to become better men.
Students who participated in the inaugural Rite of Passage mentoring program covered topics such as personal responsibility, values, communications, relationship building, and health and wellness. (Submitted Photo)
Recently, 23 second-year male students completed a semester-long Rite of Passage mentoring and leadership-training program conducted by the initiative. The students were pinned and honored in a ceremony before TSU administrators, faculty, staff, students, and community members in the Performing Arts Center on the main campus.
“The goal of this
program is to help these students to matriculate and graduate here at the
university,” said Frank Stevenson, associate vice president for Student Affairs
and dean of students. “We want to make sure that they are successful by
engaging them in things that help them in their matriculation, as
it relates to character and integrity, and understanding the principles of
being responsible young men.”
The inaugural Rite of Passage process started in January, with interest meetings for the students and a training for the 13 TSU faculty and staff mentors who helped facilitate student development. It continued with a six-week curriculum that concluded with a final challenge in the seventh week.
According to Robert
Taylor, director of the TSU Men’s Initiative, participants were trained on
personal responsibility, values, communication, relationship building, health
and wellness, and African diaspora history. He said the program culminated with
a mentor/mentee matching ritual that will continue for 15 weeks over the summer. All 23
students are expected to return to TSU in the fall, as certified mentors.
“The Rite of Passage
portion of the Men’s Initiative engages second-year male students in a series
of workshops and mentorship programs to
help them to transition from boyhood to manhood,” Taylor said. “Our ultimate
purpose is to increase student persistence and to help these young men
understand who they are as individuals, and
what their role is in the community, and how they can further that through
their education.”
Travion Crutcher, a sophomore mechanical engineering major from Hunstville, Alabama, was a member of the first class that participated in the Rite of Passage training. As a graduate, he returns next semester as a mentor.
“I have always wanted
to be able to help people find their way, because when I first came here, I didn’t know where to start and
someone helped me,” said Crutcher, who plays cymbals in the TSU Aristocrat of
Bands. “I just like to be that person you can ask questions.”
Taylor said in addition to the Rite of Passage, the Men’s Initiative, which is funded by Title III, also includes success coaching, where teams of coaches work with the students to make sure that they are taking advantage of all of the resources that are available to them. There is also the Men’s Empowerment Zone, Taylor said.
“Empowerment Zone,
which we are creating on the second
floor of Boyd Hall, focuses on improving the actual physical environment for
the students,” Taylor said.
When it is completed, Taylor said the empowerment zone will include a gym with
equipment to help the men stay in shape, as well as upgrade the barbershop. He
said a computer lab is also being developed in partnership with the Career
Development Center, and there will be a conference center where students can do
online interviews with potential employers.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only
public university, and is a premier, historically black university and
land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24
master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a
comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie
designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams
Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in
McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee
State University provides students with a quality education in a
nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be
global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online
at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – When Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover traveled to her hometown of Memphis last week, she had one goal in mind: Bring back Tupac Moseley.
Moseley had recently graduated valedictorian of his class at Raleigh-Egypt High School, and received $3 million in scholarships, all while homeless his senior year. This hands-on treatment didn’t go unnoticed by the shy teen.
President Glenda Glover presents Tupac Moseley with his full-ride scholarship letter. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
“For the president herself to drive down to one of the schools to actually assist a student personally, one-on-one, to take him or her up there for a visit, it’s just mind blowing to me,” said Moseley, who will major in engineering.
Dr. Glover personally led a team of senior university officials to Memphis and presented Moseley with a full-ride scholarship, including housing and a meal plan.
“Tupac is not homeless anymore,” Glover
said to the throng of media representatives and a cheering crowd assembled in
the school cafeteria during a celebration for the teen. “He now has his
own room with a meal plan with all the necessary amenities to help him continue
his success as an academically talented student. That’s what we do. We are an
HBCU, we care about our students. It is in our DNA that we can see a student
with this much potential and talent and see what we can do to assist him even
before he starts his academic journey.”
President Glover and Tupac Moseley answer reporters’ question at a press conference in Memphis. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
Moseley’s remarkable story of perseverance
and success amidst homelessness and poverty has made national headlines. The
18-year-old became homeless in his senior year after his father died and the
family could not afford the mounting bills. They moved to a campsite for the
disadvantaged. In the midst of the hardship, the Memphis native found a way to
stay focused in school, and “staying on top of everything that came his way in
class work,” his high school principal said. He graduated with a 4.3 grade
point average.
“Tupac is an amazing individual with excellent math knowledge,” said principal Shari Meeks. “He has taken the highest-level math here that we offer. He has attained college credits. He took a statewide dual credit challenge test in pre-calculus and passed it. He could have gone to any school in the nation. I think TSU will have an asset in Tupac. He is awesome and revered by his classmates – he helps them, he tutors them.”
Tupac Moseley blows the candles on his pre-birthday cake at a send-off reception Raleigh-Egypt High School hosted for the incoming TSU freshman. His birthday was May 23. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
At a sendoff reception for Moseley in the principal’s conference room, the standing room only audience included state and county Who’s Who, such as State Rep. Antonio Parkinson (District 98), who was instrumental in the TSU/Moseley talks; and Dr. Joris M. Ray, superintendent of Shelby County Schools.
Parkinson described Moseley as the “best and brightest talent that has ever been produced in Shelby County.”
“This is just the culmination of a lot of things that’s been going on,” Parkinson said about the reception. “Losing his father, homelessness, that was just too much for anyone. What we have done is just pull resources together to make sure that we provide the stability for him and Tennessee State University was part of the strategy to create that stability for one of our best and brightest talents.”
Superintendent Ray was thankful for the support system at the school – principal, teachers, counselors.
“This young man is a testament of being very resilient and strong,” Ray said. “I am so proud of his hard work, dedication, and he defied the odds with a great support system here at school that helped him to overcome and achieve in the midst of turmoil. I am so proud of Tupac, what he has done here, what he has done for our city and school district.”
As a way of telling his story and helping others facing hardship, Moseley created his own T-shirt based on his quote, “Your location is not your limitation.” He earned 50 scholarships worth a total of $3 million. He said he is majoring in engineering “because I love the smiles I get after helping people with tech issues.”
Moseley is not coming to TSU alone. Two other fellow graduates, including his best friend, Brandon Fontaine, also received scholarships and will attend TSU with him. President Glover included them in the trip back to campus on Wednesday as well. Fontaine is considering majoring in business management or mechanical engineering. The other student, Natoriya Owens, who wants to pursue a career in entrepreneurship, will major in theater arts with a minor in business.
President Glover added that this is what makes HBCUs so special for African Americans, and particularly first-generation college students and communities of color.
“This is the type of hands-on, special attention TSU provides our students, and especially those with unusual circumstances. It also speaks to the holistic approach and nurturing that HBCUs provide to students. Tupac is a prime example of the role TSU and other HBCUs play in addressing the total needs of our students.”
Tennessee State University is currently accepting students for the fall and have scholarships available for qualified students who want to major in STEM.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only
public university, and is a premier, historically black university and
land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24
master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a
comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie
designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams
Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in
McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee
State University provides students with a quality education in a
nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be
global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online
at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE,
Tenn. (TSU News Service)
– More than 200 students in grades K-8 from Davidson County and surrounding
areas recently took part in a NASA-funded, one-day STEM education workshop at
Tennessee State University.
A parent participates with her children in an activity at Dare to Dream STEM Saturday. (Submitted Photo)
Called “Dare to Dream STEM Saturday,” the workshop in April engaged students in scientific experiments, and engineering design processes, such as robotics, coding, drones, virtual reality, flight simulation and math games.
The TSU College of
Education, in partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools, hosted the
workshop under the Minority University Research Education Project, or MUREP, a
NASA program at the university.
Led by TSU undergraduate STEM students and MNPS teachers, the
workshop included a Family Engagement component that allowed parents to engage
their children in the various projects.
A student controls a robot using a tablet. (Submitted Photo)
“Dare to Dream STEM Saturday was designed to celebrate
minority innovators in science, technology, engineering and math,” said Dr.
Trinetia Respress, director of the TSU MUREP project and interim assistant dean
of Assessment and Accreditation in the COE. “It was very rewarding to see students
and parents engaged in brainstorming in various activities.”
Among some of the activities, students used an engineering
process to build a structure that could handle a load, by testing factors
affecting the strength and stability of the structure. Using a template, the
students also created a rocket that
they launched from a soda straw.
Shaliyah Brooks, a junior English major, from Atlanta, was one of the TSU students who led the workshop. As a technology specialist for the workshop, she exposed the students to robots through demonstrations on how they work, using devices such as parents’ personal phones or tablets.
A mother and daughter celebrate as they complete an activity at the workshop. (Submitted Photo)
“I definitely think
that the students were excited to be there,” Brooks said. “They got a chance to
play all day and in a way that was educational. They were very hands-on working
with their parents.”
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only
public university, and is a premier, historically black university and
land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24
master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a
comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie
designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams
Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in
McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee
State University provides students with a quality education in a
nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be
global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online
at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU
News Service) – From the 5th grade, Christian Bond always had an
interest in biology and how the human body works
“I remember being
in a human anatomy class in the 10th grade and just being fascinated
with how the various mechanisms are put in naturally,” says Bond, a top rising
senior majoring in biology. “That has always been interesting to me. So, I wanted
to further my education in science to understand the biology of the body.”
Christian Bond
And Bond is well
on her way. Her goal is to become a
doctor of osteopathic medicine, which focuses on health promotion and disease prevention.
“First, I wanted
to be a neurosurgeon or a pediatric doctor, but I know for sure now I want to
do osteopathic medicine,” says Bond, a transfer student from Alabama State
University. “That is just a more holistic approach on medicine versus
prescribing pills and things like that. I want to be able to figure out what
other factors play into an illness and other ways to heal.”
At TSU, Bond is a
member of the Honors College, with a 4.0 grade point average. She is also a
member of the Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Pre-Med Society, the Golden Key
International Honor Society, and Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society.
The second of
three children from Chris and Traci Bond, of Nashville, Christian Bond has had a
few bumps in the road that would have derailed some students’ career. But not
this Nashville native, a high achieving student all her college years.
The mother of a
6-month-old boy, Bond got pregnant while in her sophomore year at ASU. She came
back home for family support and never allowed her pregnancy to hold her back.
She enrolled at TSU a few weeks later, and never missed a day of class work.
“It was during my
sophomore year while home on spring break when I found out that I was pregnant.
I stayed home for three weeks past spring break,” says Bond. “I went back to Alabama
State, but right away decided it would be best if I came home for support that
would help me further my education because I was halfway there as a sophomore.”
Professors and
fellow students are amazed at Christian’s work ethic, sense of ambition and
perseverance.
Dr. Tyrone Miller,
associate director of the Honors Colleges, teaches an honors leadership class
during Maymester, an accelerated summer program that Christian attends. He
describes her as a highly responsible and dependable person who stays on top of
her work and an example to her fellow students.
“Christian is
definitely a thinker, she is thoughtful, and definitely a person who wants and
strives to be better,” says Miller. “I think she is setting a great example to
the rest of our students and her baby.”
Christian says her
family has a long tradition with TSU.
“All of my family from
both sides graduated from TSU,” she says. “I have come in contact with
professors who really care about my success and really devoted to helping me
move to that next level. Most of my
professors let you know about opportunities or societies or organizations on
campus to help you stay active. I want to leave a mark here.”
Christian says she
looks forward to graduating next May, then on to medical school.
“I have taken full
advantage of opportunities here at Tennessee State University and I cannot wait
to see where they will take me and my baby,” says the future doctor of
osteopathic medicine.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only
public university, and is a premier, historically black university and
land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24
master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a
comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie
designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams
Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in
McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee
State University provides students with a quality education in a
nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be
global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online
at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU
News Service) – A TSU summer bridge program that helps first-time freshmen
brush up on math, reading and writing, has received an $80,000 boost from the
Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
The Summer Completion
Academy, a rigorous one-week program designed to ensure student success, will
use the grant to give 300 students in the academy the opportunity to satisfy
learning support requirements prior to their first semester of enrollment.
The program will run over two
sessions between June 23-29, and July 14-20, 2019. Students participating in
the program have already been accepted to TSU for the fall semester.
“Our focus for the grant is to
work with students who are at risk,” said Tiffany Bellafant Steward, assistant
vice president of Enrollment Management and Student Success. “These are
students who are not prepared for college-level work who would go into our
learning support areas of math, reading and writing.”
She said participants will receive
learning support such as additional lab sessions, extra days in class, as well
as “engagement activities,” including pre- and post-tests to measure their
achievement level.
According to Steward, the academy,
now in its third year, has a “huge” success rate.
“We are thrilled to
be in a position to offer a program like this to students, which could take up
to three classes off their fall schedule,” Steward said.
Tyren Griffin, a business administration major, now in her second semester at TSU, participated in the SCA as an in-coming freshman. She said the program helped her be better prepared for her college work.
“I really enjoyed my SCA
experience,” said Griffin, a Chicago native. “In addition to helping me be
better prepared for my academic work, the program definitely benefited me
because I was able to get to know people that had similar goals for success.”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – They have performed for the Pope, and have been called the best college choir in the nation, but if you think you have seen the best of the TSU New Direction Choir, think again.
New Direction Choir Director Justin Butler, right, leads the group during taping of of their upcoming appearance on BET’s Sunday Best. (Submitted Photo)
The world-renowned
choir has been selected to appear as featured performer on BET’s hit show “Sunday
Best,” a reality television
gospel music singing competition series.
The choir will appear in an episode of the show which airs this fall. They will perform gospel hits selected by the show’s producers. On May 9, the group spent the day taping their upcoming performance in the Tyler Perry Studio in Atlanta.
“We are just excited
and grateful,” said Justin Butler, director of New Direction, who called the
invitation a “total surprise and a wild moment.”
He said one of the
producers of Sunday Best (Torrance Glenn) “called us out of the blue” and said
he had been following New Direction for a long time, and when he needed a choir
to perform behind the contestants, the TSU group “instantly” came to mind.
The choir performs at one of its many concerts during the European tour. (submitted Photo)
“It was a wild
moment. We didn’t know we had impacted someone all the way in New York,” Butler
said. “He just said, ‘I need you all as guest performers for this episode and I
need you here’ by this time. He said he felt we would be the best to perform on
the show behind the contestants.”
Kedrick Noel, a junior music education major from Memphis, is president of New Direction Choir. He said he got the call from Butler about the opportunity to appear on BET.
“It is just
amazing. We are beyond grateful and blessed to have this opportunity to perform
on BET Sunday Best,” Noel said. “It was just a blessing how everything worked
out. The school was one hundred percent behind us, the choir was one hundred
percent behind us.”
Last winter, New
Direction spent 31 days touring and performing in different cities across
Europe. The group held 24 concerts, including an appearance in the Vatican,
where they met and performed for the Pope.
Concert goers cheer on the TSU New Direction Choir during a performance on the group’s recent European tour. (Submitted Photo)
“That was another
wild moment,” said Butler. “The people were so excited to see us. They treated
us like we were rock stars. The red carpet was laid out for us everywhere we
went.”
“It was overwhelming
to see our students come out and work so hard,” primary group advisor Deborah
Chisom, said at the time. “Even though I was not on stage with them, seeing
them so excited was just very fulfilling.”
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only
public university, and is a premier, historically black university and
land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24
master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a
comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie
designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams
Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in
McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee
State University provides students with a quality education in a
nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be
global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online
at tnstate.edu.
