NASHVILLE, Tenn.(TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University employees began working remotely on Monday to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). University officials said the move is in-line with directives from the Mayor and Governor in an effort to curtail the spread of the virus. TSU employees were told last week and began making arrangements for teleworking on Thursday and Friday.
“TSU’s modified operations plan, which
includes employees teleworking, is in-line with the Mayor and Governor’s
directive for individuals to stay home when possible,” said TSU President
Glenda Glover.
Employees with Campus Police, Emergency Management and Facilities
Maintenance will continue working on campus. All individuals on campus or
coming to TSU should self-quarantine and contact their healthcare provider if
they feel sick.
The University has enhanced its
cleaning and sanitizing process and will continue a campus wide wipe down of
academic buildings and residence halls. TSU began online instruction for
all students on March 16, almost all students have left the campus.
The University recently learned
that a student has tested positive for COVID-19.
The individual, who did not live on campus, has been at home in self-isolation for a number of days while receiving the necessary care to treat their condition. No further information is being given about the individual for privacy reasons.
The University has compiled a list of individuals who were in contact with the student, and is in the process of notifying them.
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) – Like many Tennessee State University students, Trenton
Jones says he understands why TSU is asking them to go home, but many have
mixed feelings about leaving their campus environment. Students must vacate the campus by Saturday,
March 21.
“The coronavirus is a big deal right now and this move is to help us stay
healthy,” said Jones, a freshman agricultural science major, as he and his
parents emptied out his dorm room in Watson Hall on Wednesday to head back home
to Northport, Alabama.
Tyrani Randolph, left, a freshman dental hygiene major from Memphis, helps classmate Trenton Jones, second from right, move out of Watson Hall. Jones’ parents, Malcolm and Rhonda Skinner, travelled from Northport, Alabama, to pick up their son. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
“Students need to
stay functional and campus offers that,” added Jones. “Being on our own, and to
do class online, you are missing that interaction with teachers and fellow
students. Face-to-face is the best interaction for learning.”
Parents
Ronda Skinner and her husband Malcolm, who travelled from Northport, Alabama,
to pick up their son, Trenton, said the trip was inconvenient, “but worth it.”
“Due
to the circumstances of the coronavirus, an epidemic that has hit our nation
severely, it is understandable that the school would have to make this
decision,” Rhonda Skinner said. “The fact that schools around the country had
to make this decision, I do believe that it is in the best interest of the
students, and comforting for parents.”
TSU
President Glenda Glover said the decision was in the best interest of the
university, as both the federal government and State of Tennessee have declared
a state of emergency.
On March 16, TSU went online with all classes as a precaution to contracting and spreading coronavirus (COVID-19).
“While we have adjusted the traditional manner in which
we serve our students, we are ensuring that they continue to learn and excel
academically,” stated President Glover. “We are taking every precaution
necessary to minimize the spread of the virus.”
The university will soon serve as a mobile testing site. As further precaution, the university has canceled all campus events where large crowds are expected, as well as suspended all international travel through the end of April to minimize exposure to the disease. Also, beginning Monday, March 23, the university will cease normal operations, allowing most employees to work remotely.
Tyrani Randolph, a freshman dental hygiene major from Memphis, Tennessee, who moved out of Wilson Hall, agreed with her fellow classmate.
“I believe everything is for a reason, and I believe this is a safety precaution,” she said.
Frank Stevenson, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, said the university understands the “anxiety that this change causes for students.”
“It is
an interruption into their ‘normal’ way of doing things as students,” he said.
“We are trying to mitigate the situation and help them work through those
feelings.”
Stevenson
said the university is following
the Centers for Disease Control and Infections
guidelines, and best practices recommendations, in accordance with instructions
from the governor’s office.
On
Monday, the University will begin a campus wide wipe down of academic buildings
and residence halls.
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 allowing students to return home and finish the semester online as a precaution to the spreading coronavirus (COVID-19). Online classes started Monday.
University officials announced last Thursday that TSU was transitioning to online learning. In a correspondence to students, TSU President Glenda Glover stated the decision was in the best interest of the university, as both the federal government and State of Tennessee have declared a state of emergency.
“Concerns pertaining to the coronavirus COVID-19 are affecting all of us and continues to worsen,” said Dr. Glover. “Within the last 48-hours, the country has changed drastically, as the number of U.S cases continue to be confirmed.”
TSU will close all residence halls and apartments on Saturday, March 21. The university will evaluate requests from students with extenuating circumstances that need more time to make arrangements. Housing officials said those requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Students will continue their classes in an online format and there is no requirement to live on campus.
As further precaution, the University has
canceled all campus events where large crowds are expected, as well as
suspended all international travel through the end of April to minimize
exposure to the disease. TSU has made these decisions to ensure the
safety and health of the campus family.
The university will provide more information on campus operations as decisions are made.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.(TSU News Service) – Volunteers from across the City of Nashville came to Tennessee State University’s agricultural farm on Monday to join the TSU family in cleaning up damage from last week’s tornado.
The storm system that hit northwest and east Nashville shortly after midnight last Monday spawned the tornado that damaged portions of TSU’s campus. However, the university’s Ag farm was devastated, with five structures destroyed. Several livestock were also killed.
Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, dean of TSU’s College of Engineering and one of the cleanup leaders, helps remove debris. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, as well as other state officials and lawmakers, surveyed the damage last week.
“We
appreciate all the support the community is showing TSU,” said Dr. Curtis
Johnson, the university’s chief of staff.
Dwight Beard is president of
the Nashville Chapter of the TSU National Alumni Association. He said seeing
people come from all over the city to help TSU is “awesome!”
“It shows the love of the community,”
said Beard, who helped clean up tree limbs and debris in other parts of the
campus soon after the tornado hit. “It shows people coming together, and that’s
what we should do.”
Among the volunteers were representatives from the Nashville Predators hockey team, which recently partnered with TSU to help raise money for student scholarships.
People line up to register to volunteer. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
“The Predators actually closed our
office today and sent staff to volunteer at different locations throughout the
city to help with tornado relief,” said Robin Lee, the Predators’ director of
sponsorship service.
Many of TSU’s own helped in the cleanup
effort.
TSU football coach Rod Reed agreed.
“It’s important that as an employee we
take responsibility to also help rebuild our own workplace and facilities,”
said Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, dean of TSU’s College of Engineering, and one of
the cleanup team leaders.
Volunteers help with cleanup. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
“It’s extremely important for us to get
out and show our presence,” said Reed, who brought about 10 football players to
help clean up.
Ben Owen of Oak Hill School, a private
Christian institution in Nashville, came with five other co-workers.
“We’ve got a heart for service,” said
Owen, who is director of technology at the school. “We heard of the need over
here, so we organized and came over.”
Cleanup on the farm was expected to continue on Tuesday and Wednesday. For information about how to help, contact the Office of Emergency Management at 615-963-1489.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.(TSU News Service) – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee visited TSU on Tuesday to survey damage caused by a tornado that touched down near the university’s main campus.
Storm damage on TSU agricultural farm. (Photo by Travis Loller/AP)
The storm system that hit northwest and east Nashville shortly after midnight on Monday spawned the tornado that severely damaged structures on Tennessee State University’s agricultural farm. Three of four buildings were totally destroyed, and the welfare of the animals is a priority. TSU agriculture officials said two calves were killed and several goats injured.
Other parts of the campus received damage to signs and building rooftops, as well as downed power lines, uprooted trees and other debris. The university has suspended power to structures with the most damage as a safety precaution.
Gov. Lee surveyed the worst damage, which was at the farm.
“Our thanks to Gov. Bill Lee for touring TSU and assessing the damage,” said TSU President Glenda Glover.
Dr. Curtis Johnson, TSU’s chief of staff, said state
officials are working with the university to assess the damage, which he said
could have been worse.
“Nobody was injured,” said Johnson.
TSU’s agricultural farm is known for its nationally recognized goat research, as well as cattle research. Dr. Richard Browning, TSU’s lead goat researcher, echoed Johnson’s sentiment in regard to damage.
“It could have been worse,” said Browning.
TSU students are on spring break this week, but a few are on campus and are safe.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.(TSU News Service) – Hundreds of
Tennessee State University students will receive scholarships to continue their
education after the university exceeded its goal to raise $1 million during the
month of February. The total collected hours before the deadline on Saturday,
February 29, was $1,702,674.
TSU President Glenda Glover
TSU
President Glenda Glover expressed her gratitude and appreciation to everyone
that made a contribution.
“This wouldn’t be possible without the unprecedented support of alumni, faculty, staff and our corporate partner, the Nashville Predators, along with the faith-based community and many others,” said Glover. “Because of your unwavering support, hundreds of young men and women will be able to continue their educational journey here at TSU.”
Campaign Chairman Jamie Isabel also expressed gratitude to the
Predators, as well as the hard work of the campaign committee, and Dr. Glover’s
leadership.
“I
am grateful that Dr. Glover challenged the alumni to think outside of the box
and begin a new year and a new decade with the mindset of giving,” said Isabel,
a TSU alum. “The campaign has been a very big success, and we are excited
about the results.”
The
campaign to raise $1 Million in 1 Month during Black History Month laid the
foundation for the historic partnership between TSU and the National Hockey
League’s Nashville Predators. It is the first known partnership between an HBCU
and the NHL, and coincided with the league’s Hockey is for Everyone initiative
in February.
Joni McReynolds, president of the TSU National Alumni Association, said she’s proud of the way alumni responded.
“I
know this will definitely help our students,” said McReynolds. “They are in
such need because the state does not provide us with as much money as they used
to. “
TSU alum Charles Galbreath of New York City is among the many
alumni who contributed to the campaign.
“It’s important for the students to see that we don’t forget
about what their needs are after we leave,’ said Galbreath. “I think that the
energy that everyone is coming together with is everything we learned at TSU;
that Big Blue spirit, to continue to take care of our school even after we’re
gone.”
TSU President Glenda Glover with Nashville Predators President and CEO Sean Henry, along with $1 Million in 1 Month Campaign Chairman Jamie Isabel and TSU student leaders following the kickoff announcement in early February. (Submitted photo)
Money raised from the campaign will provide both merit-based and
need-based scholarships for TSU students. Approximately 500 scholarships will
be awarded to students in an average amount of $2,000. About 90 percent of TSU
students receive some form of financial aid.
TSU freshman Jacob Taylor is one of them. The Memphis,
Tennessee, native said he probably would not be at TSU if he did not currently
have a scholarship.
“My mother has a good salary, but she doesn’t make enough to put
me through school,” said Taylor, a health sciences major. “Having that extra
money to pay for college really does a lot, because it takes stress off
students.”
Junior Sydney Morehouse of St. Louis, Missouri, agreed.
“There are a lot of students that need financial aid,” said
Morehouse, who is also majoring in health sciences. “Some of my friends are
close to the finish line, but they don’t have funds to pay for their tuition
and graduate. I want them to graduate. They are the future doctors, lawyers and
physical therapists. So scholarships from the $1 Million in 1 Month campaign
will really be beneficial.”
The Predators organization made the first donation to the
campaign, as well as an additional $100,000 of in-kind assets to help spread
awareness to the initiative, which includes providing TSU students with
internships.
“With the help of the most passionate fan base in all of sports
and the Nashville Predators organization, we are proud to partner with
Tennessee State University on this life-changing education initiative,” said
Predators President and CEO Sean Henry.
Nashville Predators mascot, and TSU mascot. (Submitted photo)
In addition to the kickoff event with the Nashville Predators,
the university engaged the TSU family with various challenges. The Alpha Theta
Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. claimed victory in the Alumni
Chapter Challenge with a contribution of $16,305, and they also won the TSU
Divine Nine Fraternity and Sorority Challenge with a donation of $21,627. In
the Staff/Faculty Challenge, TSU staff won with a contribution of $10,393.
Campaign activities also included the TSU Sunday Day of
Giving, along with the Dialing for Dollars telethon that took place the last
Sunday of the month, and involved the faith-based community. The pledges for
the telethon exceeded $60,000. The goal was $25,000. The TSU College Challenge
was the final campaign challenge between the eight academic units. Gifts for
this activity are still being calculated.
TSU
students played a major role in bringing in donations as well. Over 100
students staffed a phone bank to make evening calls to alumni during the
campaign and participated in the telethon as callers or as a part of the
production to live stream the event.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Two IBM
executives were on campus recently to talk to TSU students about job-readiness
skills and employment opportunities with the tech giant and its affiliates.
Meredith Stowell, vice president for IBM Z Ecosystem; and Shirley
Meierarend, IBM’s Z series skills leader for North America, spoke to a group of
students, faculty and deans about “very lucrative” job opportunities available
for those with skills and knowledge in Enterprise Computing, which supports
IBM’s mainframe technology.
“IBM is here today because we are very interested in building a
talent pipeline for enterprise computing for both our clients or IBM,” Stowell
said in a presentation on Enterprise Computing and Digital Transformation.
John Thompson, right, TSU’s Enterprise Systems Consultant, talks to a cross-section of students, deans and chair during the IBM executives’ visit. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
“We do have a number of very large clients here locally, but the
other great thing about TSU is that many of their students are interested in
relocating to other areas. So, that’s why I am here today, to share more with
the students, and to connect students to talent and to the talent pipeline.”
Enterprise-related classes are currently being offered at TSU
through an initiative that was launched in 2014 through the Department of
Computer Science. The initiative was designed to prepare TSU students to be
able to compete for high-paying enterprise internships and permanent job
opportunities with enterprise clients. According to TSU’s Enterprise Systems
Consultant, John Thompson, a former IBM senior manager, between 2015 and
2018, more than 20 students were placed with enterprise companies earning
annual average starting
salaries of more than $82,000, with some receiving
signing bonuses of up to $10,000.
Citing a Wall Street Journal 2020 projection, Thompson said there
will be more than 84,000 enterprise-related jobs available for students across
all disciplines. TSU, being the only school in Tennessee offering courses in
this area, can be a major source to fill the huge demand for enterprise
computing skills that is being created by the retiring baby boomer generation.
During the IBM presentation, TSU President Glenda Glover, who was
on travel, called in to thank Stowell and Meierarend for their visit, and Thompson,
for arranging and coordinating the visit. She stressed the
importance of the TSU partnership with the company.
“This partnership is making a great difference in the lives of our students,”
Glover said. “Student
placement is a very key part of what we are and a major performance indicator
for our state stakeholders and our accrediting body. Training our students to
be adequately ready is so important. That is why we are so appreciative of this
great collaboration.”
In her presentation, Stowell spoke about
specific areas of enterprise computing that students should focus on in
“sharpening your job-skill readiness.” She
and Thompson emphasized the importance of taking classes in
fundamental COBOL business language programming, as well as a basic introduction
to programming, such as C++ and Java.
“Once again, it is really about this openness between industry and
academics, and academic environment opening up to understand what specific
skills that the industry needs and then partnering with those industry partners
to incorporate and infuse those skills within their curriculum. So that, when
the student graduates, there is a job lined up for him already,” Stowell said.
Thompson added: “What makes TSU students so attractive is that they understand the distributing networking environment, but also, when you put them on an enterprise platform, they are right at home, and that’s where we come in. So, I work with the companies to find what they need from the enterprise platform, then I come back and work with Dr. (Ali) Sekmen and the deans, and say, ‘Look, how can we put this in the curriculum for the students to learn that skill?’ Once we do that, then we go and bring these companies in to recruit the students.”
Tamarcus Summers, a senior computer science major from Memphis, and Donovan Varnell, also a senior political science major from Nashville, were among the diverse group of majors at the presentation.
“As a computer science major, I am glad to see the focus on key
areas emphasized here today that my professors talk about in preparing us for
the job market,” Summers
said.
For Varnell, he said he is impressed with IBM’s
integration of technology into all disciplines.
“This really opens my eyes to how it is important to understand
that all these technologies and coding are a need-to-know no matter your
discipline,” said Varnell.
Dr. Sekmen, who is chair of the Department of Computer Science, and a facilitator of the Enterprise Systems Program, said TSU is seeking funding to establish a comprehensive enterprise computing program in the department with a mainframe computer lab.
“We will be the first institution in Tennessee to have such a
computer,” said Sekmen. “We are going to develop an undergraduate concentration
in enterprise computing, as well as training opportunities for TSU faculty,
students and all HBCU faculty.”
Other university officials who spoke at the gathering were Dr.
Jacqueline Mitchell, professor and Enterprise Systems Program manager, as well
as Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, dean of the College of Engineering. Frank Stevenson,
associate vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students; Dr. Coreen
Jackson, dean of the Honors College; and Dr. Ray Richardson, Enterprise Program
liaison, were present. Students from a cross section of disciplines and majors
were also present representing computer science, engineering, criminal justice,
business and social work.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only
public university, and is a premier, historically black university and
land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24
master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a
comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie
designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams
Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in
McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee
State University provides students with a quality education in a
nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be
global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online
at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The Tennessee State University College of Public Service recently held a forum about mental health in the black community on the Avon Williams Campus.
The event, CAN WE TALK? Black Mental Health Matters, featured an exclusive screening of two short films directed by actor and filmmaker Koffi Siriboe, best known for his role as Ralph Angel in the TV series Queen Sugar. The two films, WTF is Mental Health? and JUMP, both take an intimate look at mental health in the black community.
A panel discussion took place following the film to discuss the topic.
Andrea Word
Andrea Word, a graduate student in the master of social work program in the TSU College of Public Service, opened the program by sharing a personal testimony. She said talking about mental health in the black community is often seen as taboo.
“We are still hesitant to go out and get help for mental illness or even to recognize what it is,” said Word, who works as a middle school teacher at Tennessee School For The Blind. “For many of those that go to church, it’s still taboo to mention it because they struggle with can God and a therapist function in the same space.”
The panel for the event will included: Dr. Keith Ekhator, social work coordinator for Metro Nashville Public Schools; Gwen Hamer, director of Education and Development for the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services; Crystal Owens, mental health counselor for the Nashville Center for Trauma and Psychotherapy; and Reverend James Turner II, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE,
Tenn. (TSU News Service)
– With just a few days to go, TSU’s historic push to raise $1 million in February
for student scholarships is all but certain, thanks to a huge showing of Big
Blue spirit on Sunday.
Jamie Isabel, left, Chairman of the TSU $1 million campaign, talks to NBC local affiliate Channel 4 about the telethon and the overall goal of the campaign. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
A four-hour celebrity telethon, “Dialing for Dollars,” raised more than $63,000. It was well over the telethon’s $25,000 initial goal, bringing total campaign contributions to nearly $938,609. Within two hours of the telethon, volunteers had already surpassed the $25,000 mark, organizers said.
“Today is a good
day. This showing of support is very tremendous,” said Campaign Chairman Jamie
Isabel, a TSU alum. “We exceeded our goal, which I knew we were going to do.
The excitement and sheer commitment to the cause by all who participated are
responsible for the success we achieved.”
Volunteers, including prominent local TSU alums, make calls to personal friends and acquaintances to contribute to the telethon. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
In a historic,
long-term partnership with the Nashville Predators, TSU announced the
campaign on Feb. 2 to raise $1 million during Black History Month for student
scholarships. Since then, activities have included a “TSU Night” at the
Bridgestone Arena, with appearances by the Aristocrat of Bands and the New Direction
Gospel Choir, as well as a Big Blue Old School Concert at the Gentry Complex.
The telethon, live
streamed from Jackson Hall on the main campus, included guest hosts and alumni,
students, staff, faculty, community leaders and supporters manning telephones
and taking contributions from supporters. TSU President Glenda Glover, who was
on travel, called in to thank organizers and volunteers.
TSU alums State Rep. Harold L. Love, Jr., and his wife Leah Dupree Love volunteer at the telethon. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
Several prominent
local TSU alums and supporters stopped by to help man telephones. They included
TSU Board of Trustee member Richard Lewis and his wife, Delores, a former TSU
administrator; Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry, Jr., State Rep. Harold Love,
Jr., and his wife, Leah; Barbara Murrell, longtime TSU supporter and former
administrator; TSU National Alumni Association President Joni McReynolds; and
Vivian Wilhoite, Nashville and Davidson County property assessor, among others.
Dr. Frederick S.
Humphries, president of TSU from 1975-1985, who could not be present in
Nashville, was among many who joined in from home and made calls to friends and
acquaintances to contribute to the telethon.
Miss TSU Jada Crisp, left, and Head Football Coach Rod Reed, middle, were among many students and staff who volunteered at the telethon. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
According to Isabel, some major contributors were: Dr. William F. Pickard, chairman of Detroit-based Global Automotive Alliance, a supporter of HBCUs, who contributed $10,000; and Nashville businessman Joe Davis, who sent in a check for $5,000.
“We had some large
checks, but we also had some small checks and all those small checks added up
to get us to where we are,” said Isabel.
Mr. TSU Damyr
Moore, a senior mass communications major from Atlanta, and Eukirah Pennyman, a
junior film and television major, also from Atlanta, were among many students
who volunteered at the telethon. Moore helped with making calls, while Pennyman
served as technical director.
Telethon hosts Grant Winrow, left, Seanne Wilson and Michael McLendon make a pitch at the four-hour long fundraiser. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
“The experience today
has been a great one; to be among your peers and alumni toward one good cause
that benefits the entire student body is just great,” said Moore. “To give my
time and be able to help someone else come to school as I have been fortunate
to do is really a great feeling.”
Pennyman agreed.
“I am from Atlanta, and I have been fortunate to have a few scholarships from
TSU,” she said. “It was a good experience to have this telethon, which I think
should be done every year because it helps to bring in more majors and more
students.”
Cassandra Griggs is TSU’s director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, and co-chair of the $1 million campaign committee. She is very thankful to the many alumni who came out to make phone calls.
“They called
individuals who were in their personal cellphone contacts, asking them to
support TSU, and that was very admirable,” said Griggs. “I feel very good
that not only have we exceeded our goal for today, but we are going to meet our
goal for the $1 million.”
Grant Winrow, a
member of the campaign committee and one of the hosts of the telethon, called
the day a “Big Blue Victory.”
“We went in with the idea of raising $25,000 and we more than doubled it. And that’s a phenomenal success,” said Grant, who helped organize the telethon. “This is in the last few days of our campaign, and we thought having a celebrity telethon by bringing in some of our most notable TSU influencers here to make some calls, was a great idea. It turned out very well.”
The next push to
the finish line in the $1 million campaign is a celebrity courtside dining at
the TSU men’s basketball game on Saturday in the Gentry Complex.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only
public university, and is a premier, historically black university and
land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24
master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a
comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie
designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams
Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in
McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee
State University provides students with a quality education in a
nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be
global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online
at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – 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.
