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TSU recognized for “Best Student Organization” and “Alumnus of the Year” at HBCU Digest Awards

June 25, 2018 Lucas Johnson

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University received awards for “Best Student Organization” and “Alumnus of the Year” at the recent 2018 Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ Digest Awards.

The winners were announced at a ceremony on June 22 in Washington, D.C.

TSU’s Collegiate Citizens Police Academy received the “Best Student Organization” honor, and James Shaw, Jr. got the top alumnus award.

The Academy, believed to be the first in the nation, is an opportunity for students to see “what real police work looks like,” says TSU Dean of Students Frank Stevenson, the brainchild of the academy.

The program exposes students to various aspects of police work, including domestic violence investigation, making split second decisions in a firearms training simulator, traffic stop training, and how the Metro Nashville Police Department uses special resources such as SWAT, horses and canine units.

In the case of the Alumnus Award, James Shaw, Jr. made national news in April when he disarmed a Waffle House shooter. Shaw conditions to be recognized for his actions. Last week, “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman gave his MTV “Best Superhero” Award to Shaw, who was attending the MTV Movie and TV Awards in Santa Monica, California.

“Receiving an award for playing a superhero is amazing, but it’s even greater to acknowledge the heroes that we have in real life,” Boseman said. “So I just want to acknowledge someone that is here today, James Shaw, Jr.”

James Shaw, Jr. and families of shooting victims at private ceremony at TSU. (TSU Media Relations)

Immediately after the shooting, Shaw started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the families of the Waffle House shooting victims. Last month, he presented a check for more than $240,000 to the families at a private ceremony at TSU, which has also set up a scholarship in Shaw’s name.

The HBCU Awards is the first and only national awards ceremony honoring individual and institutional achievement at historically black colleges and universities throughout the country. Winners are selected by a panel of previous winners, journalist, HBCU executives, students and alumni for the merit of accomplishment and for generating positive coverage for HBCU campus communities.

More than 700 nominations were received for this year’s nomination process, an event record.

Last year, TSU’s Aristocrat of Bands and the university’s College of Engineering received top honors in the HBCU Digest Awards.

The year before that, TSU got three honors: Alumna of the Year, Dr. Edith Mitchell; Female Coach of the Year, Track and Field Director Chandra Cheeseborough-Guice; and Female Student of the Year, RaCia Poston.

In 2015, TSU’s women’s basketball team got Female Team of the Year, and student activities received Best Student Organization.

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

More than 20 TSU students graduate from Collegiate Citizens Police Academy

November 30, 2016 Lucas Johnson

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Twenty-two Tennessee State University students recently graduated from what’s believed to be the nation’s first Collegiate Citizens Police Academy.

Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson speaks to students at academy graduation. (photo by Lucas Johnson, TSU Media Relations)

A ceremony was held Nov. 29 at TSU for students who participated in the second session of the program that exposed them to various aspects of police work, including domestic violence investigation, making split second decisions in a firearms training simulator, traffic stop training, and how the Metro Nashville Police Department uses special resources such as SWAT, horses and canine units.

“They get a chance to see what real police work looks like,” said TSU Dean of Students Frank Stevenson, the brainchild of the academy. “And they’re getting it from one of the top police departments in the country.”

Stevenson said the idea came to him amid the cases of police brutality that have permeated the nation. He joined forces with the Rev. Enoch Fuzz, pastor of Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, to bring the idea to Nashville Police Chief Steven Anderson, who immediately embraced it. In a few weeks, the academy was underway.

Anderson said citizens groups across the nation have formed partnerships with police departments to address issues in their communities. But he said the partnership with TSU is the first of its kind between a major U.S. city police department and a cohort of college students.

“The Collegiate Citizen Police Academy is a unique and valuable outreach program that Nashville appears to have pioneered,” Anderson said. “I am grateful that these students devoted six nights during their fall semester to meet with members of our police department and learn more about us.”

Sophomore Javonte Jefferson said he wanted to be a police officer before participating in the program, but wants to even more after completing it.

“It’s just a real good opportunity to get to know the people who patrol here; to see firsthand how it really is,” said Jefferson, a criminal justice major. “This is what I want to do.”

Mikeria Rebb, a sophomore who is also majoring in criminal justice, said she is now considering police work after completing the academy.

“This inspired me,” she said.

Nashville Police Sgt. Mitch Kornberg, one of the academy’s instructors, said he enjoyed working with the students.

“I want them to understand we are here for them,” he said. “They are a part of our community. They’re important to us, and they shouldn’t feel otherwise.”

Stevenson said the academy’s graduates are eligible to apply for the university’s new Tiger Patrol Program, which allows students to work with TSU police in various areas to help strengthen campus safety.

For more information about TSU’s Collegiate Citizens Police Academy, visit: https://www.nashville.gov/Police-Department/Get-Involved/Collegiate-Police-Academy.aspx

Department of Media Relations

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

About Tennessee State University

With more than 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, 25 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.

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

Collegiate Citizens Police Academy formed by TSU, Metro Police believed to be nation’s first

October 31, 2016 Emmanuel Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University and the Nashville Metro Police Department have formed what’s believed to be the nation’s first Collegiate Citizens Police Academy.

img_8852-1 — Nashville Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson welcomes the new recruits, as TSU Police Chief Greg Anderson, left, and MNPD North Precinct Commander Terrence Graves look on. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson, TSU Police Chief Greg Robinson, and TSU Dean of Students Frank Stevenson were among those who came to City Hall on Oct. 18 to recognize the 27 TSU students participating in the academy.

The students, who underwent intensive background checks and application process, will undergo five weeks of training in the intricacies of police work and the criminal justice system.

“You are going to spend the next few weeks learning what it’s like for our police department and learning first hand by being engaged and riding along with police officers to understand what they do in our community,” Barry said.

Across the nation, citizens groups have formed partnerships with police departments to address issues in their communities. But this is the first “partnership” of its kind between a major U.S. city police department and a cohort of college students, according to Chief Anderson.

“Everybody has a citizens police academy,” Anderson said. “But as far as I know, this is the first collegiate police academy anywhere in the United States.”

Stevenson, the brainchild of the academy, said the idea came to him amid the cases of police brutality that have permeated the nation. He joined forces with the Rev. Enoch Fuzz, pastor of Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, to bring the idea to the police chief, who immediately embraced it. In a few weeks, the academy was underway.

“I wanted to establish a forum that would bring young black men together with police in the wake of these protests and outrage,” Stevenson said.

The academy, which includes men and women, meets Monday and Tuesday evenings. It includes sessions with the Mounted Police, the K-9 Unit, the Special Weapons and Tactics Unit, domestic violence, as well as simulations, where participants play police officers with fake weapons. Recruits will also ride along with police on actual beats.

“These recruits will also hold sessions with our accountability unit to understand how we as police officers police ourselves,” said Sgt. Mitch Kornberg, one of the coordinators of the academy. “The main goal of this program is about perception and to use it as a recruiting tool. We want to get their perception, and maybe this way they can make a better judgment on things they see in the media everyday.”

TSU flight training major Christopher Cooper said he joined the academy for “personal reasons.”

“Being a black young man, I joined to get a better insight into what the police do and what I can do in my community to change some things,” said Cooper, a sophomore. “Their (police) jobs are very stressful, but they don’t get enough praise for the things they do. They are the same as we are. They go to their families at the end of the day, just as the rest of us do. Let’s stop looking at them as just the men behind the badge. Look at them as individuals.”

Ashtyn Wallace, a criminal justice major who is also a sophomore, agreed.

“I am excited to really get out there and essentially see how things really are on a real day not just in a classroom,” said Wallace, adding that she wants to curtail the “escalating drug traffic” in Nashville. “Being out in the field is a real great opportunity to see how things really work.”

TSU Police Chief Robinson, who joined the university about six months ago, praised the relationship between TSU and the Metro Police Department, which has resulted in the presence of more Metro officers on campus.

“I talk to them consistently and they also talk to me about how they enjoy the opportunity of mingling and also engaging with our students,” Robinson said.

He encouraged the students to take advantage of the relationships they develop during their training.

“Take your training seriously,” he said. “I look forward to seeing some of you as TSU police officers some day.”

The academy will conclude on Nov. 10 with a graduation ceremony. This is the second class of the academy, which graduated its first recruits last spring.

For more information about the academy, visit https://www.nashville.gov/Police-Department/Get-Involved/Collegiate-Police-Academy.aspx.

Department of Media Relations

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

About Tennessee State University

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

27 TSU Students Graduate from Newly Formed Nashville Collegiate Citizen Police Academy

April 24, 2015 Emmanuel Freeman

Training Discusses Trust, Brutality, Racism and Need for Continued Dialogue

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Graduation came a little early last night for 27 Tennessee State University students …but not from college. The students are part of Nashville’s first class of a newly formed Collegiate Citizen Police Academy organized by the Nashville Metro Police Department.

Mayor Carl Dean, Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson, TSU Police Chief Anthony Carter, and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Michael Freeman, were on hand to congratulate the graduates, who underwent five weeks of learning the intricacies of police work. The training also gave the students the opportunity to discuss trust, issues of brutality and racism with officers.

Before the training, like many in the wake of mounting allegations and suspicions of police abuse targeted at African Americans, 21-year-old Tyler Ellis, held some very strong opinions. But he always wanted to get a behind-the-scene feel of actual police intervention and reaction beyond what is usually portrayed on television.

“What we usually see is very disturbing,” said Ellis, a junior Criminal Justice major from Waterbury, Connecticut. “In many cases that’s the result, but I like to also understand what the police officer was faced with in the beginning. This training gave us new insights into what officers go through daily, and that what we usually see on television many times changes the perspectives on what actually happened.”

Calling the academy very timely, Mayor Dean thanked TSU President Glenda Glover, and Reverend Frank Stevenson, who came up with the idea of the Collegiate Citizen Police Academy, for allowing the program to take place with TSU students on the campus.

“We hope through this program and many others we have collaborated on, people will know that in Nashville, we have a strong relationship with our institutions,” Dean said. “Nashville is not perfect but it is through programs like this that we can have an honest dialogue about how we move on. This program has made the TSU neighborhood and Nashville a better place.”

Police Chief Anderson described the training as “the kind of dialogue” that has helped Nashville keep away from the kinds of disturbances with police and citizens across the nation.

“We are accountable for one another,” he said. “We are not perfect. This kind of program is so valuable for our community and country.”

As a follow-up to their training, the graduates have been assigned to the various police precincts across the city, where they must complete ride-along duties over the next two months, according to Metro Police Sgt. Mitch Kornberg, who coordinated the training along with Sgt. Raymond Jones.

“These graduates are not police officers and are not given any police duty,” Kornberg said. “The ride-along is an opportunity to work with officers on shifts to give them a better understanding of what officers do. This helps them to see things differently and understand that things are not always what they appear.”

The idea for the Collegiate Citizen Police Academy is the brainchild of Reverend Stevenson, pastor of St. Luke Primitive Baptist Church and director of Strategic Populations in the Office of Student Affairs.

“I wanted to establish a forum that would bring young black men together with police in the wake of the protests and outrage that stemmed from allegations of racially motivated police brutality in Ferguson, Missouri, New York City and beyond,” Stevenson said.

He joined forces with the Reverend Enoch Fuzz, pastor of Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church to bring the idea to Police Chief Anderson, who right away embraced it and in a few weeks, the academy was underway.

Along with Ellis other graduates included: Nawaf Aldosari, Tevin Cannon, Mark Clear, Jamarius Cooper, Anthony Daniels, Oluwatolin Emonowa, Zach Eskew, Byron Fisher, Haggaikiah Futch, Ryan Gammon and Kadarrious Greene. Also graduating were Jamaul Greenlee, Malik Hayes, Rico Hunt, James Jefferson, David Jenkins, Davis Washington, Jalen Moore, Christopher Penilton, Justin Roberson, James Scott, Vantorius Stewart, Dominique Thomas, Lebron Worthington, Derion Munn and Quiadell Cousin.

Also making remarks at the ceremony were Dr. Freeman, Chief Carter and the Reverend Fuzz.

Department of Media Relations

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

About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 45 undergraduate, 24 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.