DUE TO EXPECTED INCLEMENT WEATHER, THE 2ND ANNUAL PRESIDENTIAL PRAYER SERVICE HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED TO WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8
NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – Members of Tennessee State University and the local community will bow heads and clasp hands when they join together for the 2nd annual Presidential Prayer Service WEDNESDAY, Jan. 8 at the Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church.
Located at 2708 Jefferson Street in the historic Jefferson Street district, the service begins at 8 a.m. and is open to all University students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members.
Leaders from faith-based communities across metro Nashville and Davidson County will participate in the service. Local and state leaders, including Mayor Karl Dean, are also scheduled to speak. The service is a show of support for TSU President Glenda Baskin Glover and the University as the spring semester begins.
Reverend James Thomas and the Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist church are hosting the event for a second year. The pastor and church have special meaning for Dr. Glover who attended the church as a student at TSU.
Dr. Glover, who is completing her first year at Tennessee State University, was inaugurated as the eighth president of TSU Oct. 25. She is the first female to lead the institution.
Following the service, the public is invited to attend a reception in the Fellowship Hall.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU Sports Information) – The Tigerbelles lost one of their greatest athletes as 2013 came to a close.
Tigerbelle Eleanor Montgomery passed away on Dec. 23, 2013. Montgomery was a member of the legendary Tigerbelles that took the Olympic Games by storm as a member of Ed Temple’s team.
The Cleveland, Ohio native wasted little time making the national stage, as she took home her first national title at 14-years-old in long jump. Montgomery qualified for the 1964 Toyko Olympics in the high jump, where she finished eighth, with a jump of 1.71 meters.
The Tigerbelle returned to the games in 1968, competing in the high jump at the Mexico City games, finishing tied for 19th.
Overall Montgomery won 13 AAU indoor and outdoor titles during her career, as well as taking home the high jump crowns at the 1963 and 1967 Pan American Games. In the 1963 event she set the meet record in the event.
This past November Montgomery was elected to the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame becoming the 10thmember of the Tigerbelles to receive the honor. The high jumper was also inducted into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 1976.
The viewing is this Friday from 5-8 p.m. at Calhoun Funeral Home in Bedford Heights, Ohio. Montgomery’s funeral service is set for following day at Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, beginning at 10 a.m.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
The following editorial was published in The Tennessean Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014
Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover President, TSU
A year ago today, the faculty, staff and alumni of Tennessee State University along with the Nashville community welcomed me with open arms as I took the helm as the institution’s eighth president. I express my gratitude to each of you for your support, and involvement, as well as the confidence you demonstrated in me as the leader of our university.
My first day began last year with a prayer service at Jefferson Street Baptist Church. I emphasized the importance of the community embracing TSU as its university and humbly asked the community to travel this road with me as I accepted the enormous responsibility.
As I prepare for my second year, students will continue to be the focus of all university activity through the five-point vision implemented last year: 1) student success and customer service; 2) fundraising and partnerships; 3) diversity and inclusion; 4) shared governance; and 5) community outreach.
There were notable successes in each of these areas that will serve as a blueprint for continued strategies, and for planning for the overall growth and development of TSU.
We began by improving customer service for our students and community, and ensuring the campus understood our strategic focus of improving retention and graduation rates.
We made a concerted effort to excite and energize our alumni base. Alumni contributions have more than tripled from $450,000 in 2012 to more than $1.7 million in 2013. I issued a challenge to TSU alumni chapters to match my initial contribution made last year. As of this date, several chapters have either matched that contribution or are very close. Corporate contributions also have increased substantially, as have the number of new partnerships.
This support from alumni and the community allowed TSU to overcome one of its most significant challenges of 2013. Last fall, the university faced the difficulty of 352 students being purged for financial reasons. We issued an SOS, Save our Students, initiative and the response was phenomenal. It was the support from you, the entire TSU family and community, that allowed each student to remain in school, and no one had to withdraw from the university during the 2013 fall semester. In fact, TSU was the only four-year university in the TBR system that did not experience a decline in enrollment. This was the ultimate display of support and partnerships; and the university is forever grateful.
Since then, we have increased our efforts to streamline the enrollment process, and to educate and engage students and parents much earlier about financial aid resources and the required criteria.
TSU remains the most affordable institution in the TBR system and has been featured in national rankings regarding the quality education offered to our students, preparing them for the nation’s top high demand careers such as nursing, physical/occupational therapists, engineers, computer scientists and accountants. Academic units continue to be flagships of the university, and garner millions in research funding to solidify their offerings as premiere global programs.
Finally, TSU’s football team returned to the playoffs, and was named the top HBCU football program in the nation. This feat proves the university can have successes in both academics and athletics.
My continued vision is to build upon the strong academic legacy and high intellectual standards for which TSU is internationally known. I will carry out this vision by ensuring that the university continues to provide an enriched, highly technical, academic environment which is diverse and inclusive; and successfully educates and prepares competitive students for the global marketplace.
I believe we are poised and well-positioned to do just that in 2014.
Glenda Glover is president of Tennessee State University.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
Kayla Arroyo (left), Academic Excellence Award recipient, shares a candid moment with TSU President, Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover during the commencement ceremony Dec. 14 in the Gentry Center. (photo by Rick DelaHaya, TSU Media Relations)
NASHVILLE, Tenn., (TSU News Service) – Saying that average breeds mediocrity, Tennessee State University’s fall commencement speaker told nearly 700 graduates on Saturday to be part of a world that demands excellence.
“Don’t be a victim of a world that settles for average,” said Bishop Joseph W. Walker III, pastor of Nashville’s Mt. Zion Baptist Church. “Many settle for average because average is easy. As you enter the next chapter of life, you are about to enter a world that will challenge you at every turn and you must be ready to make the hard choices to be at the top of what you aspire to be.”
Walker, recognized by EBONYon the magazine’s “Power 100” list as one of the nation’s most influential African-American leaders, applauded the graduates for their determination to complete their university journey, urging them to “use that same determination” to be the best.
Bishop Joseph W. Walker III (left) , pastor of Nashville’s Mt. Zion Baptist Church, receives a plaque of appreciation from TSU President, Dr. Glenda Glover. Walker provided the commencement address for the Fall 2013 graduation ceremony. (photo by John Cross, TSU Creative Services)
“Press your way until you can be at the top of the world. It didn’t matter how you got here or where you came from. It is your determination to defeat average that has you graduating today,” said Walker, leader of the 28,000-member Mount Zion Baptist Church, which he started pastoring in 1992 with 174 members.
Among those who graduated on Saturday were 440 who received undergraduate degrees, 219 received graduate degree, while 45 received doctoral degrees. Nine graduate students received education specialist degrees, and eight received graduate certificates.
Reflecting on his own climb through the education ladder and professional life, Walker, who holds a Doctorate of Ministry from Princeton University, told the graduates to watch out for skeptics along the way, pointing to many who doubted he would amount to anything.
“In high school because I was an overactive kid, they said I had attention deficit, but I went on and not only finished high school, but I completed my college work at Southern University in three years, earned my master’s degree at Vanderbilt, and went on to become the youngest in my class to get a doctorate at Princeton.
“Don’t allow anyone to hold you back. You can accomplish anything you set your mind to. If I can do it, you can do the same,” Walker, a Baton Rouge, La., native, who has authored and co-authored eight books, told the graduates, to repeated thunderous applauses. “Do not forget to say thank you to those who were there with you along the way,” he added.
TSU President, Dr. Glenda Glover, presiding at only her second commencement since taking the helm about a year ago, congratulated the graduates on their accomplishment, and also applauded them for their determination.
“You have endured and prepared yourself to reach this goal which may have seemed unattainable, but you stuck with it,” Dr. Glover said. “You must always remember that you did not accomplish this goal all by yourself. There were parents, relatives, friends and mentors who helped you along the way. Remember to thank them.”
Later, Dr. Glover thanked Bishop Walker for a “wonderful and inspiring” speech.
“You have certainly inspired not only these graduates but all of us here today are encouraged and moved by your words. We thank you,” Dr. Glover added.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
Dr. Sandria Godwin (left) receives the Outstanding Dietitian of the Year award from NAND president, Katherine Fowler. Godwin received the award Dec. 10 for promoting optimal health in the community. (courtesy photo)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The Nashville Academy of Nutrition and Dieteticshas announced Tennessee State University’s Dr. Sandria Godwin as the recipient of the 2013 Outstanding Dietitian of the Year award.
According to the award, the Outstanding Dietitian of the Year award is meant to recognize a “promoter of optimal health and nutrition in the community [who] demonstrate[s] leadership in the association or in a place of employment.”
Family and Consumer Sciences student Nataliia Johnson nominated Godwin, the director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics in the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences, for the award.
“Dr. Godwin is not only an excellent dietetics educator, but a great person,” Johnson said. “She genuinely cares about each student’s personal growth and success.”
For Godwin, whose many accolades include induction into TSU’s Agriculture and Home Economics Hall of Fame, and Million Dollar Club along with more than 70 publications, the award is a commemoration of many years of hard work. “I am very pleased to receive this award recognizing my many years of dedication to the dietetics profession,” she said. “It was especially meaningful since I was nominated by my student.”
The award was presented by to Dr. Godwin at the NAND Winter Meeting, held on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at the Vanderbilt 100 Oaks Conference Room, by current NAND president Katherine Fowler.
“[Dr. Godwin] teaches classes and conducts research averaging more than $1 million each year in internally and externally funded research … and has been a consultant dietitian for the Metropolitan Action Commission Head Start Program in Nashville for the past six years, and has conducted more than 30 research studies important to the field,” Fowler said. “If all that isn’t enough, she also finds time to volunteer with the American Red Cross and other organizations.”
The Nashville Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is an advocate for Nashville dietitians and the dietetic profession. They serve the public through the promotion of optimal nutrition, health and well-being.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Dr. Jewell Winn, special assistant to the Vice President for International Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer at Tennessee State University, has been elected president of Women in Higher Education in Tennessee.
Winn, also assistant professor of Educational Administration with more than 30 years experience in higher education, was elected recently to head the statewide, three-decade-old professional women’s organization.
WHET, founded in 1980, provides professional development, mentoring, networking and career enrichment for women, and serves as a resource of highly qualified and competent individuals who may be tapped for career opportunities at institutions. Its core membership is drawn from public and private institutions of higher learning from across the state.
Winn, who thanked her colleagues for the “distinct honor and privilege” to serve as their president for 2013-14, encouraged them to remain vigilant in their commitment to prosperity and empowerment.
“As the face of higher education continues to change, it is important that we as women executives remain diligent in preparing for the next opportunity, engage in stimulating and challenging conversations, seek out mentors, as well as serve as mentors,” she said. “But most importantly,” Winn added, “We must believe that we are capable of accomplishing anything we put our minds to.”
A graduate of Leadership Nashville, an independent executive leadership initiative, and a member of the American Council on Education’s Spectrum Executive Leadership Program, Winn’s goals include initiatives that highlight the successes of WHET members, establishing a past president’s council, as well as planning a WHET Day on the Hill.
“We are redesigning our website, surveying our members on topics of interest, planning an inaugural regional retreat, and developing webinars. Let us make this year one of prosperity and empowerment as we embrace the issue of higher education and the challenges we face as professional women,” she told her colleagues.
In a personal reflection on her many years as an administrator in higher education, the new WHET president said she is humbled by the challenges she faced because they made her stronger.
”Equally, I am thankful for the many accomplishments because I always had a mentor who was pushing me toward the next level and cheering me on. I can personally attest to the values I have found among this group of phenomenal women as we have praised, laughed, cried and soared together,” Winn said.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
Azubuike Ezeadum won the first place award in the graduate student competition for his oral presentation on “Tennessee meat goat marketing and management practices” at the 71st Professional Agricultural Workers Conference held at Tuskegee University in Alabama. (courtesy photo)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – A research presentation on goat meat marketing and research has garnered top-place honors for a Tennessee State University graduate student at the recently ended 71st Professional Agricultural Workers Conference held at Tuskegee University in Alabama.
Azubuike Ezeadum’s oral presentation, “Tennessee meat goat marketing and management practices,” won the second-year Agribusiness major the first-place award, a certificate of recognition, and a $500 cash prize.
Ezeadum was among four TSU graduate students from the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences who presented at the conference of more than 600 students, professionals and stakeholders.
“This award means a lot to me,” said Ezeadum. “I owe a lot to Dr. Enefiok Ekanem (Research Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) for getting me involved in the conference.”
Dr. Ekanem is the project director of the USDA-funded goat-marketing project at TSU. He, along with Mary Mafuyai, also of the CAHNS, supervised the graduate students’ paper presentations.
Also presenting a paper on goat meat marketing and research was Clarence Pongo. Danielle Towns-Belton and Darnell Towns presented a poster on risk management strategies for Tennessee’s small farmers.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
Janet Blakemore (left) made a promise to daughter, Holly (right) that she would finish her degree once Holly obtained her graduate degree from Tennessee State University. It is a promise Janet will fulfill when she graduates from the University Saturday, Dec. 14. (photo by Rick DelaHaya, TSU Media Relations)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) –Janet Blakemore always wanted to get her college degree. But sometimes life throws you a curve and your personal aspirations are put on hold while you take care of the things that are most important.
Such as family.
Janet was a single mom to daughter Holly, who grew up in a home where education was important, especially since some of her relatives attended Tennessee State University, and she witnessed first hand all that the University had to offer.
“She would hear all the stories that my mom and her sister would tell about their experience,” said Janet. “She basically grew up on campus attending parades and football games, and she just knew it was the school for her.”
Janet, who works for the State of Tennessee Secretary of State’s office, would do anything to make sure her daughter had the opportunity to attend TSU. Divorced when her daughter was just a year old, she worked more than one job, taking on modeling assignments at locations around Tennessee.
“I wanted Holly to have the opportunities I never had,” she added. “I tried to instill in her a strong work ethic, that anything was possible if you put your mind to it. I told her I would work so she could get work.”
Because of the nature of their relationship, Janet and Holly became extremely close said Janet, so close in fact, even though they were mother and daughter, they were also like best friends. “It was almost a oneness of spirit that was made of deep devotion, sacrifice and pain,” she beamed.
Holly eventually was accepted, and graduated from TSU in 2003 from the College of Health Sciences with a degree in Speech Language Pathology. She decided to pursue her graduate degree almost immediately.
Janet was extremely supportive of her daughter as Holly worked her way through graduate school. But she always had a nagging feeling that she wished she had completed her degree.
“I had gone to business school but it wasn’t the same,” she said. “Something was just missing.”
At one point Holly became frustrated and stressed while completing the last few classes on her master’s degree in Speech Pathology. Janet made a promise to her daughter that she never thought Holly would remember.
“I told her to finish what she started and if she did, I would go back to school and finish my degree,” Janet added, chuckling. “I never in a million years thought she would remember.”
But she did, and a promise is a promise.
“We have come from a long line of women who have been successful, and I was determined to make sure she had the same opportunity she provided for me,” said Holly. “On graduation day in 2006, I looked at her and told her, ‘your turn.’”
Janet enrolled in 2009 in the Urban Studies program in the College of Public Service and Urban Affairs, and found herself in an unfamiliar position…back in the classroom with “kids” half her age.
“I walked mom to class the first day,” said Holly. “It was a such a role reversal. She didn’t want to admit to it, but she was really nervous and I wanted to be there for her just as she had been for me. It was one of my proudest moments with my mom.”
The past four years have not always been easy, Janet said. She has dealt with personal set backs, finding the time to be a full-time student, and dealing with the demands of work. Everywhere she went she was loaded down with books so she could study, including her second job and the beauty shop.
“I’ll admit, at 55 years old it has been a tough journey,” Janet remarked. “I started out slow taking six hours and eventually built up to 12-18 hours, which was really tough. But I’ve loved every minute of it. Without the support of my daughter, the faculty at the University, and my supervisor at work, this would not have been possible.”
According to Janet, when she graduates on Saturday, Dec. 14, it will validate all her hard work, the negative criticism she received, and most importantly, that she keeps her word.
‘This has been such a blessing to me,” she said. “By obtaining this degree, it validates me in a family that believes in education. I will now be a part of the TSU family.”
But more importantly, Janet added, it validates her relationship with her daughter.
“It’s all about promises made and promise kept, she added. “There is nothing more important than that.”
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – A Tennessee State University expert on transportation equity has received a grant worth more than $123,000 from the Tennessee Department of Transportation to conduct public involvement outreach efforts for the state.
Dr. Kimberly L. Triplett, assistant professor of Urban Studies, and a team of experts from the University of Memphis, will work with TDOT planning staff in each of the agency’s four regions to coordinate with community and neighborhood leaders, and design and plan citizen workshops, as well as recruit actively engaged participants willing to share their knowledge with others in the community.
According to Triplett, who is also an expert on urban planning and policy, the goal is to identify innovative techniques that make it easier for citizens to participate in transportation decision-making.
Dr. Kimberly L. Triplett
“Our aim is to develop methods of information sharing that most effectively communicate transportation in such a way that citizens understand the importance of their role in the process,” Triplett said. “We also aim to develop venues and communication strategies that are most likely to engage these citizens in a productive manner.”
The new one-year grant, which runs through November 2014, is the second for a community-engagement project the College of Public Service and Urban Affairs has received in less than three months. In September, the college received a $100,000 federal grant to incorporate fair housing education and research into the Urban Studies curriculum, as well as partner with state, local government and nonprofit organizations to promote fair housing.
“This (transportation) grant will enhance the development of new strategies that facilitate minority and low-income citizens participation in the process of transportation public policy making,” said Dr. Michael Harris, dean of CPSUA, about the new grant. “Dr. Triplett and the team from the Tennessee Department of Transportation will engage citizens while enhancing the learning experience for our students and utilizing our research capacities. We are delighted to make our expertise available to serve and engage.”
In addition to two professors from the University of Memphis, who are co-project investigators on the project, Triplett said one TSU student, an Urban Studies major, will be part of the research team.
“This project is going to put TSU in a unique light about how we engage the community and citizens in planning and arriving at decisions that directly affect them,” Triplett said.
“This grant continues to build on our College relevant mission and strategic focus. We strive to use learning and research to make a difference in our communities, government and non-for-profits,” Dean Harris added.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University will confer more than 700 degrees Saturday, Dec. 14 during the University’s Fall 2013 commencement ceremony beginning at 9 a.m. in the Gentry Complex.
Candidates eligible for degree include 440 students earning undergraduate degrees, 219 receiving graduate degrees and 45 doctoral candidates. Nine graduate students will receive education specialist degrees, while eight students will receive graduate certificates. The number of graduates includes those students completing degree requirements in the Summer 2013 semester who are participating in the fall ceremony.
Also notable are 68 students eligible to graduate with honors, including 11 earning summa cum laude (GPA of at least 3.75), 18 magna cum laude (GPA of at least 3.50) and 39 earning cum laude (GPA of at least 3.25).
Bishop Joseph W. Walker III, the charismatic pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, will deliver the keynote address. Walker, described as a teacher, humanitarian, philanthropist, businessman and community volunteer, has been the pastor at Mt Zion since 1992. Under his leadership, the church membership has grown from 175 when he started to 28,000. During that time, the church, considered one of the largest in the city, has expanded beyond its original location in the historic Jefferson Street corridor to seven weekly services in three locations, as well as online and through social media outlets.
Currently the Bishop of Senior Pastors in the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International, Walker’s leadership at Mt. Zion has also expanded to Jackson, Tenn., where the church has adopted the Zion Church.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Southern University, a Master of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton University. Walker is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross, and holds a governor-appointed post on the Tennessee Human Rights Commission.
Questions about graduation may be directed to the Office of the Registrar at 615-963-5300.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
