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Nashville native Kevin Scott says attending his hometown university was the best choice for college, finds success at TSU

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – When it comes to education, Kevin Scott has no other choice but to succeed.

“My parents didn’t play. Growing up at home my grades always came first,” says Scott, a Nashville native who has a passion for building, tinkering and fixing things.

Scott’s passion is no accident. He was raised around people who were “always building or fixing things.” His father owns a mechanic and towing business that he inherited from Kevin’s grandfather.

Kevin Scott

“That’s where my interest in electronics started, being able to create and play with emerging technology,” says Scott, a senior electrical engineering major at Tennessee State University.

In May, Scott will graduate from TSU with a degree in electrical engineering and a concentration in computer engineering. He has potential job offers waiting for him with aerospace research and engineering giants like Lockheed Martin and AMRDEC or the Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center, upon graduation.

Scott says the “strong and highly accredited” engineering program at TSU made his decision to stay local very easy. At TSU, he maintained the same high academic zeal he had always had. He is completing his engineering program in four years, which ordinarily lasts five years.

“I have been blessed with great professors and mentors at TSU who have been very nurturing and show personal interest in my success,” says Scott, who will be graduating with a near 3.5 grade point average.

An Academic standout at Nashville’s John Overton High School, Scott credits strong TSU disciplines and early preparation for his success. At Overton, Scott was part of the STEM Academy, and a member of the Technology Student Association, which helped him to develop the fundamentals of engineering, robotics and programming.  He had earned 12 college credit hours by the time he graduated high school. He was awarded a Presidential Scholarship to attend TSU, from where both his parents – Kevin, Sr., and Joy Scott – had graduated.

“The scholarship was a sign that I should stay locally and take advantage of the opportunity I had been blessed with,” says Scott. “In fact I had always been involved with TSU and many of my family members had also attended TSU.”

A member of the Honors College, Scott is the Student Branch Chair of the Institute of Electrical/Electronic Engineers, member of the National Society of Black Engineers, and Eta Kappa Nu Zeta Kappa Chapter Electrical Engineering Honor Society. He is also a teaching assistant, and Lab Manager for STEM Scouts by Boy Scout of America.

“This journey through Tennessee State University has been a life-changing experience. From the connections I have made, the opportunities that I have been granted, and from the education I have received, coming into this final stretch of my undergraduate degree, I know that I am ready to THINK, WORK, SERVE, and LEAD,” says Scott.

Dr. Coreen Jackson, interim dean of the Honors College and one of those Scott credits for his success, says, “Kevin is one of those rare people whose achievement and ambition are way beyond his years.”

“Kevin has done an exceptional job in his academics at Tennessee State University,” says Jackson. “He has had excellent training in his engineering classes, received personal mentorship from his professors in the College of Engineering and the Honors College, and is well prepared to make his mark on the world.”

Over his college career, Scott also received recognitions and scholarship awards from the Music City Bowl Tradition of Service, the NFL Retired Players Inspiration, IBM Master The Mainframe Part 2 Completion, and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 25 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, RESEARCH, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Uncategorized

Students, researchers showcase projects at 40th annual University-Wide Research Symposium

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University’s students and researchers showcased their cutting-edge research projects and inventions at the 40th Annual University-Wide Research Symposium April 2-6.

Omari Paul, a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Information Systems Engineering; and Akinwunmi Joaquin, a graduate student in CISE, received 1st place award in oral presentation in the “Graduate Engineering” category. Pictured are, from left, Dr. Michael Ivy, associate professor of neuroscience; Dr. Lesia Crumpton-Young, vice president for research and institutional advancement; Akinwunmi Joaquim; Omari Paul; and John Barfield, director of engagement and visibility in the Division of Research and Institutional Research. (photo by Courtney Buggs, TSU Media Relations)

The symposium, which is largely composed of presentations from the science, engineering, business and humanities disciplines, allowed students to gain exposure and experience as either oral or poster presenters in an evaluative environment with external judges from the Mid-South region.

“This is an opportunity for the students and the faculty to highlight their research,” Dr. Lesia Crumpton-Young, TSU’s vice president of research and institutional advancement said Friday, the last day of the symposium. “And the areas of research that are presented show the excellence that’s being done at TSU. It’s an exciting day for us.“

Omari Paul, a Ph.D. candidate, and Akinwunmi Joaquim, a master of computer science major, won 1st place oral presentation in the “Graduate Engineering” category.

“It’s something I’m really grateful for,” said Joaquim. “I’m going to use this opportunity to help other graduate students, and just try to give back.

The theme for this year’s symposium was “Establishing a Culture of Research Excellence.”

Dr. Michael Ivy, TSU associate professor of Neuroscience, and John Barfield, TSU director of engagement and visibility in the Division of Research and Institutional Advancement, served as the co-chairs for the symposium, which featured abstracts from 174 students and 40 faculty members.

Barfield said the symposium is important because it prepares students for future research opportunities.

“When our students go to graduate school, they can go research-ready being able to prove that they already know how to do research and that they have worked in a research environment,” Barfield said. “If they are graduate level students about to work on their doctorate, then they will be able to show that they have mastered the rigor of being able to present research at an academic level.”

In other honors at the symposium, Eloise Alexis Abernathy, associated Vice President for Institutional Advancement, was admitted into the  “Million Dollar Club,” for receiving grant money of a million or more in a single year. And Leslie Speller Henderson, assistant professor and Extension specialist, was admitted into the “Blue Jacket Society.”

For more information about the 40th Annual University-Wide Research Symposium visit tnstate.edu/researchsymposium.

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 25 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

 

Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, RESEARCH, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Uncategorized

College of Ag celebrates its students and studies at inaugural AgFest

By Joan Kite

Nashville, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University’s College of Agriculture will showcase its students and cutting-edge research at its inaugural AgFest on Monday, April 9.

Graduate students Kyle Williams and Uzoamaka Abana work in one of the new Ag labs. (photo by Joan Kite, TSU Media Relations)

The free event will kick off at 11 a.m. in the circle in front of the Agricultural Complex. Visitors will learn about some of the vital research being conducted in the College, as well as lucrative career opportunities available to agriculture majors. Live animals such as goats, cattle, guinea fowl, and a Tennessee Walking Horse will be on display.

The Agricultural Education Mobile Laboratory, a mobile classroom that provides agricultural literacy to audiences that are not familiar with the industry, will be parked at the circle.

“Anybody can come out,” says Dr. Chandra Reddy, dean of the College, which recently opened six new laboratories and remodeled several others. “We want them to see the cutting-edge research being conducted at the College.”

Emily Hayes, a graduate student and assistant with the College’s nationally recognized goat research, says she’s looking forward to AgFest.

“The AgFest is a great opportunity for people to actually see all … these groups together, and see all of the work we’ve done as an entire ag department,” says Hayes.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded more than $2 million in teaching, research and extension capacity building grants to seven TSU Ag professors.

The funds will be dedicated to developing research and extension activities designed to increase and strengthen food and agricultural sciences through integration of teaching, research and extension.

To learn more about TSU’s College of Agriculture, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/agriculture/.

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 25 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Alumni, Athletics, College of Engineering, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, RESEARCH, Research and Sponsored Programs, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

Tennessee State University Spring Preview Day 2018 to Attract Record Participation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – A record number of participants are expected to attend Spring Preview Day 2018 at Tennessee State University on April 14, organizers say.

The Office of Enrollment Management and Student Success says more than 1,200 high school seniors and juniors from across the nation will attend the one-day event in the Floyd-Payne Campus Center. That’s up from the previous record 800 who attended last year’s Spring Preview Day.

Hundreds of high school seniors and juniors and their parents tour academic departments and other sites during Spring Preview Day 2017. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)

The visiting students and their parents and relatives – from about 15 states including, California, Texas, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin – will have the opportunity to see the campus during springtime, as well as acquaint them with the university’s offerings and admission processes.

Activities for the visitors, according to organizers, will also include meetings with academic departments, TSU student organizations, campus tours, entertainment by the world-renowned Aristocrat of Bands, and the Big Blue Tiger Spring Blue & White Football Game in Hale Stadium.

“Spring Preview Day is going to be an exciting day of information and inspiration here at TSU,” says Terrence Izzard, associate vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Success.

“As a university, it is important to us that millennial scholars get to see firsthand what we offer here at TSU. We are concerned about their preparation to be global scholars and so we feel like bringing them to campus, opening the doors to our classrooms, to our student life, our academic programs will give them firsthand information about the experience.”

Spring Preview, a major recruitment effort by the university, started several years ago as a “junior preview day,” to give juniors a jumpstart on recruitment, but it has “slowly turned into a day for seniors as well to complete their admission requirement,” says Everett Jolly, TSU’s director of recruitment.

Spring preview is one of several campaigns aimed to recruit the best and brightest, say TSU officials. Last year, those campaigns led to the recruitment of the largest incoming freshman class in school history (1,500 first-year students), a 17 percent increase over the previous year’s freshman enrollment. The “Class of 2021” came in as one of the most academically qualified classes in the school’s history, with an average 3.07 GPA.

Spring Preview Day 2018 comes on the heels of “Experience TSU,” yet another innovative recruitment campaign that just ended in four major markets – Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis and Nashville – that aims to meet students where they are.

TSU President Glenda Glover led the campaign to meet potential students face-to-face to ensure their commitment to attend TSU.

These recruitment efforts follow sweeping changes Glover announced in 2016 that raised admission standards, as the university moved to increase retention and graduation rates. Minimum requirements for incoming freshmen went up from a 2.25 GPA to 2.5, while the ACT score remained at 19.

Izzard says “Experience TSU” was a way of “personally congratulating these students for applying and being accepted” to TSU.

“We wanted to personally welcome them to the TSU family and let them know of all the wonderful opportunities to grow and learn while here at Tennessee State University,” says Izzard.

Spring Preview Day will kick off at 9 a.m. in Kean Hall. For more information, go to https://bit.ly/2GWLXJ0.

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 25 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Uncategorized

TSU TO HOST COMMUNITY HEALTH AND WELLNESS FAIR

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Massages, chiropractic care, dental screenings and HIV testing are just a few of the free services that will be offered at a Community Health and Wellness Fair set for Friday, April 20, at Tennessee State University.

More than 40 vendors with some connection to health care and wellness are expected to participate in this year’s event, which is free to the public.

The fair, which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. in the university’s Kean Hall on the main campus, is a partnership between TSU, the DP Thomas Foundation for Obesity, Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s HIV Vaccine Program, and the Turnip Truck, a natural foods grocer in Nashville.

One of the main participants is TSU’s Dental Hygiene Department, which will provide intra-oral screenings at the event.

Leon Roberts II, coordinator of clinics for the TSU Dental Hygiene Department, stressed the importance of people from the campus and surrounding communities stopping by their booth to get the screening.

“The mouth is the gateway to the body, so a lot of dental diseases don’t just affect the mouth,” he said. “Periodontal disease is connected to diabetes, heart disease, and for women who are pregnant, it is connected to low-birth weight babies. So it is very important to take care of your oral hygiene because your oral hygiene affects your whole health.”

Among its offerings, the fair will provide information on weight loss management and nutrition, as well as fitness demonstrations and health screenings.

Lalita Hodge, TSU coordinator of Public Relations and a member of the DP Thomas Board of Directors, said the purpose of the event is to keep the community informed about the resources that are available to them.

“You will see some of your traditional vendors there like the YMCA and Walgreens, but you will also see nontraditional healing methods there like coffee enema, the Turnip Truck with their organic produce, and we have healthy lunches which will include organic free-range turkey,” she said.

Dolly Patton-Thomas, executive director of the DP Thomas Foundation for Obesity, said she hopes the event will motivate people to live healthier lives.

“We need doctors. They support us with our health in many ways, and we need them to support us in the health decisions we make as well,” she said. “Still, I think we can help them by taking our health into our own hands on a day to day basis.

This year organizers hope to expand the fair, which is in its third year, by attracting more senior citizens, as well as college students.

Keith Richardson, community engagement coordinator for the Vanderbilt HIV Vaccine Program, stressed the important of students attending the health fair.

“Students are young and they need to know the importance of health and what it means to take care of themselves,” said Richardson, a 2008 alumnus of TSU. “Maybe they can catch health issues early before things get out of hand as they become adults and just have a good mindset about eating and exercising right, and just taking care of their bodies.”

Hodge said many of the vendors provide free samples, as well as contact information so participants can follow up with them for more products and services.

“I’m just excited about the health fair, and I hope that all will come out and that we will have people just to gain knowledge about what we have to offer and what is out there for them,” Patton-Thomas said. “When you are given the knowledge, you won’t be blindsided. You can run with it and you can choose what to do.”

For more information about the Community Health and Wellness Fair, call 615-474-1286, or email: dpthomasfoundation@gmail.com.

 

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 25 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Uncategorized

TSU commemorates 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, celebrates his legacy

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University commemorated the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Wednesday, and will continue his legacy by participating in a “Joint Day of Service” this weekend.

TSU student Derrick Greene, Jr. presents wreath honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (photo by Courtney Buggs, TSU Media Relations)

On Wednesday, the university remembered King by ringing a bell 39 times, the age of the civil rights icon when he was gunned down in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. An excerpt was played of King’s prophetic “I Have Been to the Mountaintop” speech, and a wreath was presented in his honor.

In that speech, which he gave in Memphis the day before he was killed, King said: “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop … I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.”

TSU President Glenda Glover spoke to local news stations before Wednesday’s event and said she hopes the activities commemorating King will inspire young people to continue his fight for social justice, as well as heed his call to get an education and vote.

“I want the students to walk away with the knowledge that they must participate in political and economic struggles that are still going on,” said Glover, whose father worked for the sanitation department in Memphis where King was helping energize workers who were on strike.

“We want students to understand that those not registered to vote, must indeed do so.”

JerMilton Woods, president of TSU’s Student Government Association, agreed.

“When it comes to our students, when it comes to Nashville, when it comes to our world, we still have to fight to make sure everything’s on an equal playing field,” said Woods, a graduating senior from Memphis.

On Saturday, April 7, TSU will participate in a Joint Day of Service in remembrance of King.

The event with other area higher education institutions was originally scheduled for Jan. 13, but was postponed because of inclement weather.

However, organizers say it’s only fitting that an event keeping King’s legacy of service alive should take place amid commemoration of his death.

“What better way to commemorate him than by serving others,” said Shirley Nix-Davis, director of outreach for TSU’s Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement. “One of his quotes is, ‘everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.’”

In addition to performing service projects across Metro Nashville, TSU students will provide more than 10,000 meals for families in need. That project will take place in TSU’s Gentry Complex at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Last year, more than 300 TSU students participated in various MLK Day of Service projects around Nashville that included working with kids, assisting elderly residents, packing food and painting.

Linda Tynan, a resident at an independent living apartment complex in La Vergne, Tennessee, said she was grateful for the assistance students provided last year.

“I think it’s terrific to see these students lend a hand to people they don’t even know,” Tynan said. “I appreciated every minute of it.”

For more information about TSU’s Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/servicelearning/

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 25 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Alumni, Athletics, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, GRANTS, NEWS

New Nashville Mayor Visits Tennessee State University Campus, Promotes City’s Transit Plan

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover Monday welcomed new Nashville Mayor David Briley to the TSU campus.

President Glenda Glover welcomes Mayor David Briley to TSU. (Photo by Courtney Buggs, TSU Media Relations)

The mayor stopped on campus to meet with “the TSU family” and to promote the city’s new transit initiative, a $5.4 billion proposal to build a light rail system and rapid bus transit for Nashville over the next 15 years. Symbolically, the mayor arrived aboard a Music City Circuit bus that serves key destinations in Nashville between the Riverfront Station and the TSU campus free of charge.

Briley took pictures and had lunch with TSU administrators, faculty, student leaders and staff in the main student dining area in the Campus Center.

“I just took the Circuit bus over here from downtown to Tennessee State University,” said Briley, adding that the service has seen a 50 percent increase in ridership since its inception about a year ago.

TSU President Glover, accompanied by SGA President JerMilton Woods, left; Dean of Students Frank Stevenson; and Associate Vice President and Chief of Staff, Dr. Curtis Johnson, receives Mayor David Briley upon arrival on the TSU campus. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)

“I am out today just to work a little bit on our transit initiative, which we vote for on May 1. This is the kind of service that will expand immediately upon the adoption of the transit initiative. And so I just wanted to come by and see President Glover here and to visit TSU just because the addition of this service has been very important to Tennessee State University.”

Glover said she was glad that TSU was invited to be a part of the plan to draw up the transit proposal.

“It is always a pleasure to have you on our campus to see some of the great things that are going on here,” Glover told Briley. “We recognize the importance of transit to Tennessee State University and the whole community because TSU is anchored right here in North Nashville.”

Mayor Briley orders lunch at the pasta counter in the student cafeteria. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)

Briley said  with the increased ridership, bus service on the TSU route will see an immediate increase to 20 hours a day from its current 16 hours.

“This is typical of the kind of increase you will see across the community – greater access, longer hours and more frequent service – immediately when the initiative is approved. We want to make sure it is accessible, it’s affordable, reliable, and a consistent service for everybody who needs it here in our community,” the mayor said.

JerMiiton Woods, president of the TSU Student Government Association, said many TSU students use public transportation.

“An expanded service will give many TSU students a chance to explore Nashville,” Woods said. “It is very important for students here to be connected to the city. I think that most of the students that come to TSU will get a chance to see Nashville and hopefully want to stay and see Nashville grow.”

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 25 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, RESEARCH, Research and Sponsored Programs, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Uncategorized

40th Annual Research Symposium Set For April 2—6

NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University students and researchers will showcase their cutting-edge research projects and inventions at the 40th Annual University-Wide Research Symposium April 2 – 6.

The symposium, which is largely composed of presentations from the science, engineering, business and humanities disciplines, will allow students to gain exposure and experience as either oral or poster presenters in an evaluative environment with external judges from the Mid-South region.

Dr. Michael Ivy, TSU associate professor of Neuroscience, and John Barfield, TSU director of engagement and visibility in the Division of Research and Institutional Advancement, serve as the co chairs of this year’s symposium which will feature abstracts from 174 students and 40 faculty members.

Barfield said the symposium is important because it prepares students for future research opportunities.

“When our students go to graduate school, they can go research-ready being able to prove that they already know how to do research and that they have worked in a research environment,” he said. “If they are graduate level students about to work on their doctorate then they will be able to show that they have mastered the rigor of being able to present research at an academic level.”

The theme for this year’s symposium is “Establishing a Culture of Research Excellence.”

Oral presentations will take place throughout the week in the Research and Sponsored Programs Building, Room 009, 163 and 209. Poster presentations will take place in the Jane Elliot Hall Auditorium on Thursday, April 5.

Dr. Patrice L. Jackson-Ayotunde, associate professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore School of Pharmacy, will provide the keynote address on Friday, April 6 at noon in the Ferrell-Westbrook Complex, Room 118.

Jackson-Ayotunde, who has mentored several graduate, professional and undergraduate students, does extensive research around the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. Her laboratory works closely with the Epilepsy Therapy Screening Program (ETSP) at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Jackson was named Mentoring Institute for Neuroscience Diversity Scholar (MIND) for 2016-17 and the Emerging Scholar of 2015 by Diverse Issues in Higher Education.

Barfield said the symposium is open to the public. For more information about the 40th Annual University-Wide Research Symposium visit tnstate.edu/researchsymposium.

 

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 25 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, Uncategorized

TSU Honda Campus All-Star Team Advances To National Competition In Los Angeles

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The Tennessee State University Honda Campus All-Star Challenge Team will compete against 47 other Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the National Championship Tournament in Los Angeles, April 7-11.

The team recently participated in the National Qualifying Tournament at Spelman College in Atlanta where they defeated Bethune-Cookman and Savannah State Universities.

Devon Jefferson, a member of the TSU Honors College who serves as the team’s captain, said he hopes the team will bring the championship trophy back to TSU. He said being part of the TSU Honda Campus All-Star Team adds to the members’ academic experiences because of the knowledge they gain while studying and preparing for competition.

“I definitely believe that HCASC has made me better at certain things like taking certain classes and understanding them,” said Jefferson, a junior marketing major from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. “I might have heard something in passing at practice and then I hear the actual application in class, so it makes more sense to me when I do the work.”

Dr. John Miglietta, professor of political science, who has served as the team’s coach since 2004, said participating in this event on the national level is important because it showcases the academic talent at the nation’s HBCUs.

“This event is a great showcase of the academic talent at HBCUs. TSU is proud to be able to participate,” he said. “Our team will be interacting with players and coaches from other HBCUs around the country as well as the volunteers, college bowl representatives, and associates from American Honda.”

Miglietta said HCASC is a great program because it measures students’ knowledge on a variety of subjects such as history, literature, sports, pop culture, science, as well as black history, culture, and literature.”

Members of the TSU Honda Campus All-Star Challenge Team are: Breanna Williams, senior; Devon Jefferson, junior (captain); Dr. John Miglietta (coach); Alekzander Garcia, senior; Terrence George Young, junior; and Alexandria Ross, freshman (not pictured).

Members of the HCASC team who will be participating in the competition along with Jefferson are Breanna Williams, senior, music major from Marietta, Georgia; Alekzander Garcia, senior, chemistry major from Nyssa, Oregon; and Terrence George Young, junior computer science major from Knoxville, Tennessee.

Alexandria Ross, a freshmen, economics and Finance major from Memphis, Tennessee, will also be attending as the university’s institutional representative.

Some other members of the TSU HCASC Club are Aliyah Muhammad, of Nashville, a sophomore biology major; Donovan Varnell, sophomore political science major, from Nashville; and Micah Williams, sophomore, combined mass communications and military science major from Seoul, South Korea.

TSU has participated in 21 national championship tournaments earning a total of $170,500 in grant money since the inception of the program in 1989. Miglietta would like members of the Tennessee State Univeristy Community to encourage the team by liking the Honda Campus All Star Challenge facebook page and leave comments to encourage the team at https://bit.ly/2J6XtQd.

 

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
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With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 25 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

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TSU President Glenda Glover remembers Linda Brown, key plaintiff in the monumental Brown v. Board of Education case

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover shares the sentiment of African American leaders and educators across the country as they mourn the death of Linda Brown, a key plaintiff in the monumental Brown v. Board of Education case.

TSU President Glenda Glover

“Linda Brown will always be a reminder to young people everywhere that there’s no age limit on creating change,” said Glover. “Thrusted into the national spotlight as a little girl, Brown was at the center of the Brown v. Board of Education case that ended segregation in American schools. More than 60 years later, Tennessee State University, and other educational institutions across the country, continue to benefit from the sacrifice made by Brown and her family. She is an iconic figure in the Civil Rights Movement and should be celebrated as such, and recognized for her bravery. We have lost an essential part of our nation’s history, but it will never be forgotten.”

Historians say Brown, who died March 25 at the age of 76, and other plaintiffs in the historic U.S. Supreme Court case helped lay some of the groundwork for cases like the one involving Rita Sanders Geier in 1968.

It was the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s announcement of its plans for a Nashville campus that prompted Geier, then just 23 years old, to challenge the action in U.S. District Court. She claimed a full-fledged UT campus would divert state resources from Tennessee State University in Nashville.

The court eventually ordered a settlement that imposed racial goals for all Tennessee colleges. Both sides agreed to replace it with a stipulation agreement–the Geier Consent Decree.

“Rita (Geier) Sanders and the students involved in the struggle were heirs of the courage manifested by Linda Brown … and other countless children who were actors in the effort to break down racial barriers in America’s educational system,” said Dr. Leoratha Williams, an assistant history professor at Tennessee State.

In a recent interview, Geier said the ruling in Brown v Board of Education “changed the landscape completely in terms of educational opportunity,” and she joined Glover and Williams in lauding the bravery of Brown and other young people who endured the psychological trauma of trying to learn in a hostile environment.

“It was a cornerstone ruling that racial segregation in public education was illegal,” said Geier. “It significantly opened the door for higher education because the theories on which we based our higher education suit were founded in the cases that followed Brown in elementary and secondary education.”

Note: featured photo of Linda Brown courtesy of The New York Times

 

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 25 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.