Tag Archives: Dr. Jacqueline Mitchell

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TSU Debate and Forensics Team No. 1 Nationwide among HBCUs, wins 3rd consecutive championship

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The Tennessee State University Debate and Forensics Team is number 1 among HBCUs in the nation. At the recent 5th Annual HBCU National Speech and Debate Competition at Prairie View A&M University, TSU walked away with 10 national titles, 50 total awards and the overall tournament championship, making them the top HBCU in the country for the third consecutive year. 

TSU’s Debate and Forensics Team members, from left (sitting): Aliyah Holmes, Marshaun Adams, Akyra McDougal, Sanae Chestnut, Ashlynn Freeman, Mark Twyman, Deja Thomas, Ayana Nichole, Chase Garrett and Maya McClary. Back row (standing): Mariah Brown, De’Traelyn Hubbard, Elizabeth Ward, Dwight DeBerry and DezNeshia Glasper. (Submitted photo)

“I started three years ago not winning at any tournament and now to being a three-time national champion is phenomenal,” said team captain Maya McClary, a senior mass communications major from Orlando, Florida. “My experience on the team has been life changing. Forensics has taught me to use my speech as an outlet to express myself.  I would not change anything or anyone on this team.”

Ashlynn Freeman, a sophomore and first-year member of the team, said this championship is special because it gave her a voice she didn’t have before.

Maya McClary, Team Captain

“As a young African American woman, I feel constantly that I have no voice in the world because I am shown not to be heard,” said Freeman, an agricultural science major from Kansas City, Kansas. “With the platform that speech and debate give me, I’m being heard.”

This year, the tournament returned to in-person, after going virtual the last two years due to the pandemic. Other institutions participating in the tournament April 1-3 included Howard University, Texas Southern University and North Carolina A&T.

Prof. Sean Allen, director of forensics in the TSU Department of Communications, is the coach of the TSU debate team. He attributes the success of the group to the “hard work” of the students and to the support of the communications department.

Ashlynn Freeman, First-Year Team Member

“This win was a group effort,” said Allen, who has been with the program at the university for the last six years. “This couldn’t have been achieved without the support from the communications department and university competitions like the Robert N Murrell Oratorical Competition, where I recruit top talent.”

Dr. Jacqueline W. Mitchell, professor and chair of the Oratorical competition, congratulated the team for their championship, and thanked Prof. Allen for his commitment.

Prof. Sean Allen, Team Coach

“The TSU Forensics Team, #1 nationally ranked, consistently outranks competing HBCUs year after year under the coaching of Professor Sean Allen,” said Mitchell, who also chairs the Robert N. Murrell Oratorical Contest. “Because of this national reputation which we’ve held for several years, we attract annually the top high school debaters across the nation to our freshman class. They all want to be a part of a top-seeded winning team, which TSU provides at the highest level.”

For more information on the TSU Forensics and Debate Team, visit https://www.tnstate.edu/Communications/forensics.aspx

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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TSU computer science major lands top-paying job with Fortune 500 company after graduation, urges others to follow in his footsteps

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Landing a job at a Fortune 500 company usually means earning a sizable salary and enjoying perks like a big signing bonus and paid moving expenses. Tennessee State University 2020 graduate Malik City recently had that experience. 

Malik City

The Nashville native and computer science major was hired by Bank of America as a software engineer. City will earn $94,000 his first year, which includes a $10,000 signing bonus. He credits his time at TSU and being a part of the Enterprise Systems Computing initiative for his new employment opportunity. 

“I feel very fortunate and very thankful to TSU for the preparation I received, which made all of this possible,” said City, who midway through his college career, switched from electrical engineering to computer science with the infusion of enterprise computing.

“TSU is a big part of who I became as a man and a professional. I had great professors in the computer science department who gave me a great foundation and knowledge in many aspects of computer science and the enterprise system.”

The enterprise computing initiative was launched at TSU in 2014 to help prepare students to compete for high-paying enterprise internships and jobs. Since then, up to 22 students have been placed with enterprise companies earning annual average starting salaries of more than $84,000. TSU is the only Tennessee institution that offers courses in enterprise computing.

Malik City attends the 2017 SHARE conference sponsored by IBM in Providence, Rhode Island. (Submitted Photo)

John Thompson, a former IBM senior manager, is TSU’s enterprise systems consultant.  He works with major Fortune 500 companies to identify their areas of need and pass that information over to the deans and chairs to identify the best way to infuse the requirements in the curriculum.

“The world’s largest banks, travel agencies, credit card transactions, global retailers, and communications service providers run on enterprise system,” said Thompson.  “This requires graduates in all majors such as criminal justice, mass communication, computer science, business, engineering, health science, agriculture, education, etc., to have some degree of base knowledge in enterprise computing concepts.”

There are 17 enterprise companies in Tennessee, including eight in Nashville, Thompson said. They include HCA, Mellon Bank, Comdata, BMI, State of Tennessee, Bridgestone, Amazon, and Vanderbilt.

While at TSU, Malik also served as a mentor in the VIL Kids Computer Science Program. (Submitted Photo)

“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,” he said.

Dr. Ali Sekmen, chair of TSU’s Department of Computer Science, said enterprise computing and related courses are offered to ensure that students possess the fundamental knowledge that “major companies are looking for in this area.”

“Students like Malik, who have a fundamental understanding of enterprise systems, are more competitive as they enter the pipeline of a qualified workforce to replace the current retiring workforce,” Sekmen said.

Antoinette Duke, associate director of the TSU Career Development Center, added that TSU’s overall goal is to ensure that students leaving the university have the skill sets and experience needed to successfully compete for top jobs in business and industry.

“We are committed to providing services to our students that prepare them for meaningful career goals,” Duke said.

According to Dr. Jacqueline Mitchell, professor and Enterprise Systems manager, the program is opened to students in all disciplines.

“Malik’s success is one of the major achievements of the enterprise program at TSU, but we don’t want students to think this is just for computer science majors,” Mitchell said. “We want to attract other students to this program. It was designed under the Office of Academic Affairs for students in any discipline.” 

City, who will be relocating to his new company’s headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, encouraged other students to take advantage of the program, which he called a “high industry need area.”

“I was very fortunate to come into the industry right after college,” said City. “My mainframe experience did it for me. That extra edge separated me from the competition, because my manager said by having that experience proved that I had the willingness and appetite for knowledge.”

In addition to software engineer, graduates of the Enterprise Systems Computing would be qualified for jobs such as network support specialist, network analyst, network engineer, PC support specialist, and PC help desk.

For more information on TSU’s Enterprise Systems Program, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/computer_science/.

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 kicks off 2018 Homecoming with 31st annual Robert N. Murrell Oratorical Contest

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University will kick off this year’s Homecoming with the 31st Annual Robert N. Murrell Oratorical Contest on Sunday.

The event, which is free and open to the public, starts at 3 p.m. in the Floyd-Payne Campus Center on the main campus. Cash prizes of $1,200, $800 and $500 will be awarded respectively for first, second, and third place winners in freshman and upperclassman divisions. There are 23 participants this year.

The contest, established in 1988, is named in honor of the late Robert N. Murrell, a longtime administrator and dean of men at TSU. It encourages students to develop skills in research, writing and oratory.

In 1993, the TSU Homecoming Committee incorporated the oratorical contest into the official Homecoming schedule of activities, and established the Homecoming theme as the theme for the contest. This year’s theme is: “Visions of Excellence with a Spirit of Success.”

Dr. Jacqueline Mitchell, chair of the Robert N. Murrell Oratorical Committee, said the contest is a good recruitment tool.

“These students work hard,” Mitchell said. “They’re going to show people around the country that TSU is quality, and our students are quality. When you hear our students speak, there are other students and parents in the audience who say, ‘I want my child to come to TSU.’”

Following the oratorical contest, TSU’s Homecoming events continue with the Gospel Explosion in Kean Hall gymnasium at 6 p.m. The concert, which is free, will feature hit artists Jonathan McReynolds, Earnest Pugh, and The Walls Group.

Other Homecoming highlights throughout the week include the Coronation of Mr. and Miss TSU, Oct. 17; Ralph Boston Golf Tournament, Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Symposium, and Homecoming Concert, Oct. 18; and the Greek Step Show and the Charles Campbell Fish Fry, Oct. 19.

On Friday evening, TSU has planned a stellar Scholarship Gala at the Music City Center. This year, the Gala welcomes back comedian Jonathan Slocumb as the master of ceremony. Special entertainment will be provided by legendary jazz artist Roy Ayers. Proceeds from ticket sales and sponsorships are used to provide financial assistance to students.

Homecoming will conclude Oct. 20 with the Homecoming Parade from 14th and Jefferson Street to 33rd and John Merritt Boulevard, and the big football matchup between the Tigers and the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech at Nissan Stadium.

For more information about Homecoming activities, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/alumni/homecoming/

 

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.