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National Urban League President Marc Morial and journalist wife michelle miller to deliver TSU commencement addresses

April 8, 2021 Emmanuel Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University spring commencement ceremonies will return to the campus as live events with National Urban League President Marc Morial, and CBS national correspondent Michelle Miller delivering the keynote addresses.

The former New Orleans mayor is the guest speaker for the undergraduate ceremony on Saturday, May 1 at 8 a.m. He follows his award-winning journalist wife Miller who will speak on Friday, April 30 at the graduate event beginning at 4 p.m. Both graduations are scheduled for Hale Stadium.

Dominique Davis, SGA President and Future Educator and Public Service Practitioner

Graduates are looking forward to hearing the speakers. But they are also excited that they will get to see them in-person. The 2020 spring and fall commencement ceremonies were held virtually because of the pandemic.

“I am very excited and appreciative for the in-person commencement that will take place on the first of May 2021,” says Dominique Davis, president of the Student Government Association, who will receive her BS degree in business administration, with a concentration in supply chain management.

“Although, I too will be walking the stage, this isn’t just about me. This specific in-person commencement symbolizes all our graduating seniors who have worked relentlessly to stick to the course this past year in every aspect. This moment should be celebrated, and I am most grateful administrators have remained open minded in the entirety of graduation planning.”

Folusho E. Micah, who will receive his bachelor’s degree in biology with a concentration in cellular and molecular biology, says he feels blessed to be among those participating in an in-person graduation.

“To have spent the past four years working so hard toward this moment and it be virtual would have been a huge let down,” says Micah. “Being able to walk across the stage in my cap and gown makes all those sleepless nights feel worth it.”

University officials estimate nearly 1000 graduate and undergraduate students will receive degrees in various disciplines.

Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, the nation’s largest historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization, is a leading voice on the national stage in the battle for jobs, education, housing, and voting rights equity. He is expected to inspire graduates on his stance on issues surrounding the direction of the nation amid the current political and social climate.

Recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans by Ebony Magazine, Morial served as a highly successful and popular mayor of New Orleans, as well as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Miller, an Emmy award-winning journalist, joined “CBS This Morning: Saturday” in 2018. Her work regularly appears on the “CBS Evening News,” “CBS This Morning” and “CBS Sunday Morning.” She has also appeared as a correspondent on “48 Hours.”

At CBS News since 2004, Miller has reported on many stories of national and international importance. She provided extensive coverage of protests surrounding police misconduct and indictments including: the deaths of George Floyd (and his funeral), Travyon Martin, Michael Brown and the trial of George Zimmerman.

Miller’s many prestigious journalism awards include an Emmy for her series of reports on the National Guard’s Youth Challenge Academy, an Edward R Murrow Award for her coverage of a day care center stand-off in New Orleans, and the Alfred I. duPont – Columbia Award for her team coverage of the Newton, Connecticut, shooting.

Officials say COVID-19 safety protocols will be strictly enforced on Friday and Saturday. Each graduate will be provided a total of six tickets for guests – 4 to Hale Stadium, and 2 to the Gentry Center, which will serve as the overflow destination. Individuals entering each location must present the appropriate ticket and successfully pass a temperature check. On Saturday, each location will open at 6:30 a.m. Graduates and their guests are strongly encouraged to arrive early to go through the required protocols.

For updates on commencement, visit https://www.tnstate.edu/records/commencement/.

Department of Media Relations

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

About Tennessee State University

Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and eight 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.

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Nashville businessman honors mother’s memory with $50,000 scholarship for students at TSU

March 1, 2021 Emmanuel Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Nashville businessman and community activist Jerry L. Maynard II recently presented Tennessee State University with a check for $50,000 to establish a scholarship in his late mother’s honor for students in financial need.

The Shirley Ann Coates Student Government Association Scholarship will support student scholarship and leadership development at the university to promote his mother’s legacy of caring, according to Maynard. He made the presentation during a ceremony in the Floyd Payne Campus Center.

Jerry L. Maynard II says the gift to TSU students is to promote his late mother’s legacy of caring. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)

“We are giving a $50,000 scholarship award to TSU, specifically for students in need to matriculate, but also to prepare them for leadership skills and training,” Maynard said. “I think that’s the best way to honor my mother who passed away a year and half ago.”

Neither Maynard nor his mother attended TSU, but the longtime businessman said “President (Glenda) Glover and Tennessee State University have been a beacon of hope for students,” which made the decision easy on how to use the funds to honor his mother.

In the ‘90s, Shirley Ann Coates, a pastor, opened and operated a daycare center in her local church, charging a “very nominal rate” to help working women who could not afford the average $125 a week to care for their kids.

Dominique Davis, President of the Student Government Association, says many students will reap the benefit of Maynard’s generosity. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)

“So, my mother opened a daycare and charged $35 a week so the working woman, especially single mothers, could go to work and still be able to provide daycare for their children,” Maynard said. “She took a loss, but she did so because she wanted women to feel proudful by going to work and providing for their kids. That’s the type of woman she was. So, with this gift, Michelle Ann, Michael and David (Maynard’s siblings), we stand together and we honor my mother, and also honor TSU.”

In receiving the check, Student Government Association President Dominique Davis thanked and congratulated Maynard and his family for the donation.

“This endowment will provide much needed help to our students over the next several semesters,” Davis told Maynard. “Many students here will reap the benefit of your generosity. TSU is indebted to you, and we do not take your act of kindness lightly.”

Frank Stevenson, TSU’s associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, said Maynard has always been a supporter of TSU.

“To now have Mr. Maynard make this level of financial commitment to our students, and putting it in the hands of student affairs and the SGA to find fellow students who are in the most need, is an amazing opportunity,” said Stevenson. “So, we are excited, our students are excited. We are also excited that Jerry is challenging other alumni, businesses in the community to step up and support this wonderful institution.”

To find out how to establish a scholarship or to make a donation, please visit https://www.tnstate.edu/foundation/.

Department of Media Relations

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

About Tennessee State University

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U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris expected to have generational impact, say TSU president and others

January 20, 2021 Lucas Johnson

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover and other members of the TSU family say U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and what she has the potential to achieve will impact generations to come.

The world tuned in to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to see the inauguration of Harris and Joseph Biden Jr., who became the 46^th president of the United States.

“Words cannot express how proud I was seeing Kamala Harris, an African-American woman and HBCU graduate, sworn in as vice president of the United States. This is a great day for our country, historically black colleges and universities, and for all of us!” said TSU President Glenda Glover. “African-American women have been the backbone of this country, and now an African-American woman has ascended to the second highest office in the nation; with the opportunity to create policies that will impact us for generations to come. I particularly look forward to legislation that will enhance TSU as a premiere institution and our entire HBCU family.”

Harris is now the nation’s first female vice president, first black vice president and first black female vice president.

“From this day forward, it will be normal for a woman to be the vice president of the United States, for a black person to be vice president of the United States, and for a citizen of Asian descent to be vice president of the United States,” said Samantha Morgan-Curtis, a Women’s Studies faculty member and dean of the College of Liberal Arts at TSU.

“When we watched Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first woman of color to sit on the Supreme Court, swear in Kamala Harris as the vice president of the United States, we recognized that representation matters and works. This lesson is as important for young men, as it is for the young women.”

Dominique Davis, the president of TSU’s Student Government Association, agreed.

“Vice President Harris’ victory is exactly what the world needed to see transpire, especially African-American women,” said the senior business administration major from Danville, Illinois. “For far too long, African-American women have been underrepresented. However, Vice President Harris, along with many other power houses, have certainly began to shift that reality. I have faith that Vice President Harris will guide and elevate America as we continue to navigate through these unprecedented times.”

Dr. Learotha Williams, a history professor at TSU, said some now ask the question: Is Vice President Kamala Harris the most powerful woman in world history?

“If one can make the argument that the United States—for reasons good and bad—is the most powerful nation in human history, then her place as vice president, as the last voice in the room before the president makes an important decision, and her position, which is but a metaphorical and physical heartbeat from the presidency, then the answer is yes,” said Williams. “Her position and the power associated with it are not titular or ceremonial, they are real.”

Dr. Robert Elliott, head of TSU’s Department of Music, said he realized Harris’ impact on future generations while talking to his granddaughters – 9 and 10 – at breakfast before the inauguration was televised.

“One told me, ‘This is like the first time in the history of the world that we will have a woman vice president,’” recalled Elliott. “The other said, ‘Yeah, and in four or eight years, maybe we will have the first woman president because all of the ones before were men.’ It is great to see these young girls feeling empowered and believing that there are no limits to what women can do or be.”

Dr. Robert Eilliott and his granddaughters, Chloe (l), Leah (r).

Other women before Harris to seek the position of president or vice president include Shirley Chisholm, who in 1972 became the first Black American and the first woman to seek the Democratic presidential nomination. Geraldine Ferraro was the first female vice-presidential candidate on a major party ticket, in 1984. In 2008, Alaska’s then-governor Sarah Palin was Republican John McCain’s running mate.

Department of Media Relations

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

About Tennessee State University

Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 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.

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‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Kelly McCreary speaks to TSU student leaders about the importance of voting

October 1, 2020 Emmanuel Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Actress Kelly McCreary, best known for her role on the ABC award winning drama series “Grey’s Anatomy,” spoke to Tennessee State University student leaders on Oct. 1 as part of “VoteHBCU IG Live,” a national campaign to mobilize HBCU students to vote. The initiative encourages student organizations at historically black colleges and universities to plan events focused on voter education and engagement. Currently, TSU is leading all HBCUs with registering the most students to vote.

McCreary, the VoteHBCU team leader for TSU and several other participating institutions, spent time with members of the TSU Student Government Association via Instagram Live to discuss activities and other strategies. Newely-elected SGA President Dominique Davis, and Tiara Thomas, student trustee on the university’s Board of Trustees, were part of the social media event.

“As our team leader, Ms. McCreary speaking to us was very important,” said Davis, a senior business administration major from Danville, Illinois. “We gave her a brief overview of what TSU has already done, the initiatives that we started, and some of the events that we have done to get students more involved.”

Davis and Thomas spearheaded efforts to start Power to the Polls, as part of the TSU campus-wide mobilization campaign for the VoteHBCU initiative. Along with the SGA, they partnered with the Men’s Initiative to organize a daylong voter education and registration rally that featured Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, and Davidson County Election Commission Board member AJ Starling.

On Sept. 27, Thomas facilitated a 45-minute Zoom workshop on absentee voting to educate members of the university’s 97-man football roster on how to ensure their ballots are counted. All members of the team are registered to vote.

“It was very exciting to have her speak to us,” Thomas said. “I know a lot of our students watch ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ So, it is a familiar face that we can connect with on a national scale to encourage us to vote.”

McCreary, who began her career acting in theatre, and eventually making it to Broadway, has performed in a number of productions. She made her screen debut doing voice work for several animated children’s educational programs, and later made guest appearances on the television series “I want my pants back,” “Castle,” and “Scandal,” to name a few. On “Grey’s Anatomy,” the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native played Dr. Maggie Pierce, the half-sister of Ellen Pompeo, the series lead actress as Meredith Grey.

For more information of McCreary’s career and her body of work, visit https://instagram.com/seekellymccreary?igshid=128759uji8w9d

Department of Media Relations

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

About Tennessee State UniversityFounded 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.

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TSU students host voter registration campaign featuring Secretary of State, election commissioner

September 21, 2020 Emmanuel Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett recently spoke to Tennessee State University students about the importance of voting and how to make sure their ballots are counted in one of the most anticipated presidential elections in decades.

*Secretary of State Tre Hargett tells TSU students to be active participants in the formation of their government by making their voices heard through voting. (TSU Media Relations)*

Hargett, along with AJ Starling, of the Davidson County Election Commission, participated in a student-led voter education and registration rally on Sept. 18. The presidential election is Nov. 3.

“(The) Election is just 46 days away from Today,” Hargett reminded the group of students gathered at Hale Stadium.

“I am really excited that members of the TSU Student Government Association are trying to rally their fellow students to get them engaged in the process by making sure they register to vote,” said Hargett, whose office is responsible for conducting and certifying election results. “We want people to be active participants in the formation of their government, because I don’t care what you look like, where you come from or who your mom and daddy are, we are all better off when we engage as citizens in this process.”

Student leaders and representatives of the Men’s Initiative display signs encouraging their fellow students to register to vote. (TSU Media Relations)

Dominique Davis, president of the SGA, welcomed Secretary Hargett and commissioner Starling, and urged her fellow students to heed the admonitions of the officials to exercise their rights as citizens.

“I hope you all are listening and sharing this impactful information with the students here at TSU,” Davis said. “Like the secretary said, it is one thing to register but another thing to go and exercise your right to vote. Let’s be sure that we are being the change that we want to see in our country because this election is so vital for our generation.”

First-time voters Khai Cole and Jananitabeal Oates, right, register to vote at the rally. (TSU Media Relations)

In addition to the SGA, other organizations like GOVT, or Getting out the Vote, the Men’s Initiative, and Power to the Polls – a national HBCU initiative, helped to organize the daylong campaign.

Organizers said more than 200 students registered to vote for the first time at the rally. Among them were Khai Cole and Jananitabeal Oates, two freshmen.

“It feels really good (to register) because I feel like I can really make a change and a difference in the world,” said Cole, an arts and graphic design major from Memphis, Tennessee. “It feels good to see fellow students doing this because they understand us.”

AJ Starling, member of the Davidson County Election Commission, right, admonished the students to turn out in big numbers to vote. (TSU Media Relations)

Oates, an animal science major from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, agreed.

“It feels empowering to register to vote. It makes you feel included in the process and in the family at TSU,” she said.

Starling, a longtime community and political activist, encouraged the students to “act fast and vote in large numbers.”

“I want to see you all vote 2,000 per day,” Starling said. “We are anticipating that this presidential election will have the largest voter turnout in the history of our state. So, if you are voting absentee or mail-in ballot, act real soon.”

Before the rally, officials said TSU President Glenda Glover urged administrators, faculty and staff to ensure that students are actively engaged in the process.

“Dr. Glover challenged us to make sure that our students were aware and participating in this year’s elections,” said Frank Stevenson, associate vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students. “As such, Student Affairs launched the Power to the Poll initiative in collaboration with other HBCUs to motivate our students and our campus community to take advantage of the opportunity to have a say in this year’s elections.”

Nationally, voting hurdles like proof of residence, absentee ballot use, or voter identification often keep college students away from the ballot box. But the students said Friday’s event was aimed to prevent that. They custom designed and displayed stickers and signs that read, “I registered to vote today,” “Steps to requesting a ballot,” “Completing your ballot,” “Deadline for requesting and mailing in your ballot,” and “mailing in your ballot.”

“Many of our students here at TSU are not from Tennessee, and a large portion of our campus will be voting absentee or mail-in ballot,” said Tiara Thomas, student trustee on the TSU Board of Trustee, and brainchild of GOVT, who has also been working with the Power to the Polls initiative.

“We want to make sure that a lot of our first-time voters and those who are voting absentee for the first time know exactly how to navigate that process,” Thomas said. “I am really excited that they are very receptive to our efforts.”

Dr. Andre Bean, director of the Men’s Initiative and coordinator of Power to the Polls, said he was excited about the turnout, as well as the students’ enthusiasm about the campaign and their “understanding of the process to be counted.”

“So, what we want to do is make sure our students are registered to vote, they know what their registration status is, and that they are more educated about the opportunity to vote absentee and mail-in ballot,” Bean said.

A few more rallies are planned up to Election Day.

For information on deadlines to register, early voting, mail-in voting, and absentee ballot, visit https://www.nashville.gov/Election-Commission.aspx

Department of Media Relations

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

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TSU Business Student Receives Three-Year $75,000 Scholarship from Toyota and Jesse Jackson PUSH Program

July 31, 2018 Emmanuel Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Dominique Davis always thought that making good grades would be her pass to free college education. She was right! Davis will not have to worry about fees for the rest of her college career.

On July 18, Davis, a TSU sophomore business administration major, received a $75,000 scholarship offer from Toyota through the Jesse Jackson Rainbow PUSH Excel program.

“I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected as a new Jesse Jackson Fellows Scholar and are being awarded a $25,000 scholarship for the 2018-2019 academic year,” a letter from PUSH said. The scholarship is renewable each year for a maximum of three years.

“I am so excited; this is unbelievable,” said Davis, who is from Danville, Illinois. “I have been praying for this and it finally came through.”

Davis is one of only 10 students from a group of 20 semi-finalists to be selected for the scholarship made possible through a partnership between Toyota and Rainbow PUSH Excel. Applicants must be engineering or business majors, have a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average, with demonstrated participation in community service, and must show need for financial assistance.

As part of the scholarship, Toyota offers successful applicants the opportunity to work at one of their facilities across North America to gain valuable real-world experience, as well as be paired with mentors from Toyota management to help guide the students through the next three years of college. Davis is currently an intern with Nissan in Nashville.

Davis, who has a 3.8 GPA with a concentration in supply chain management, said a family member told her about the scholarship program.

“I immediately said this is a great opportunity,” Davis said. “So I filled out the application and sent it in. I got a call back to go the next step, which included an interview with Toyota. I passed the application phase with the Jesse Jackson committee. I got another call back. And I got the scholarship.”

The third of four children, Davis said from elementary school she always made all A’s.

“Coming out of high school my GPA was great. I told my parents we are not going to pay for college,” Davis said, but her plan did not quite materialize the first year. Although she could have received a full ride to any college in Illinois, Davis said she chose TSU, out of state. As a result, funds she received were not enough to cover her full out-of-state fees.

“We had to take out a loan in my freshman year, and that was hard because my sister had just graduated from the University of Illinois-Champaign, and my parents were stretched,” she said.

Davis said she chose TSU because of the HBCU experience. All through elementary to high school, she had attended predominantly white schools.

“I wanted to attend an HBCU,” said Davis, who credits her parents and her late grandfather for the motivation to do well. “I wanted to get a feel of the culture and Tennessee State felt like home. It felt like the right move to come here. It has been a great experience.”

Davis’ goal is to own a charter school.

“I want to start my own charter school to help kids and make sure they have opportunities that so many other kids may not have,” she said.

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, 24 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.