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TSU tops in innovation, wins first place at inaugural T-Mobile ‘Unconventional’ Awards

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University has received a major recognition for innovation. A program developed by the university using 5G technology to recruit and retain underserved students in the STEM field, won first place in the inaugural T-Mobile “Unconventional” Awards for innovation in customer experience, at the Mobile World Congress in Nevada, Las Vegas. The TSU academic eSports program, geared toward creating pathways for students from gaming to STEM, took the top honor in the first-ever awards created to recognize and celebrate T-Mobile’s business customers who dare to innovate. 

TSU beat out several top institutions and companies to win first place for innovation. (Submitted photo)

As a first-place winner, TSU was awarded a $25,000 in in-kind donation to the university’s favorite charity. 

“Being chosen by T-Mobile for Business as an Unconventional Award winner offers TSU more validation for its innovative and decidedly creative approach to addressing the issue of diversity in STEM fields,” says Dr. Robbie Melton, associate vice president for SMART Global Technology Innovation Strategies. 

“This award highlights the educational value of using 5G technology to support eSports as a pathway to STEM programs and careers. Students are rewarded, not punished, for their passion for playing video games.”  

TSU’s T-Mobile recognition in innovation comes in just the second semester of the opening of its Academic eSports Center, which aims to use video games as a crucial steppingstone toward STEM careers. 

T-Mobile celebrates the winning teams at its inaugural ‘Unconventional” Awards ceremony. TSU’s team members appear far left. (Submitted photo)

Egypt Garrett, a competitive eSports gamer and freshman computer science major, says it is no surprise that TSU won the award.  

“I am very excited about TSU winning this award,” says Garrett, of Alexandria, Virginia, who is a member of one of the six teams at the university. “Personally, being at an HBCU, and someone one who enjoys technology and playing, having good gaming is having the best specs (PCs), the best wi-fi, and the center has those. I am so grateful for all the investment that went into it.” 

T-Mobile’s President for Business Group Callie Field says the Unconventional Awards was created to “honor organizations driving business and education forward with original thinking.”

Egypt Garrett, a competitive eSports gamer and freshman computer science major, says she is not surprised TSU won the award. (Submitted photo)

“We know a thing or two about innovating and transforming how work gets done, and we wanted to recognize that same spirit in the customers we support,” says Field. “This is more than just celebrating the winners’ accomplishments — it’s also a tribute to being bold and taking risks to advance business and education.” 

Melton, who is also interim provost and vice president for academic afffairs, says the TSU Academic eSport Center offers a career pathway program to get students interested in “behind-the-scene” work in areas such as coding, programming, game design, business management and entrepreneurship.  

“A state-of-the-art eSports center built on cutting-edge 5-G technology gives students the tools to dive deeply in gaming,” she says. “It also helps level the playing field for those who may not have had access to the technology required to participate in eSports.” 

Following TSU in the category of “Customer Experience” at the Sept. 29 awards were: Amazon Explorer, second place; and Motlow Sate Community College, third place. Other categories were “Employee Enablement,” and “Industry.” 

Award criteria were based on embracing unconventional DNA, demonstrating originality, and measuring impact. 

For more information on TSU’s SMART Technology Center, visit https://tsu-smartinnovationtech.netlify.app/ 

Featured Photo (Submitted)
A T-Mobile representative presents the First Place Award for Innovation in Customer Experience to the TSU team. Team members are, from left, Dr. Robbie Melton, Associate Vice President for SMART Global Technology Innovation Strategies; Dr. Effua Ampadu-Moss, Director of Esports Programs; Dr. Deborah Chisom, Executive Director of eSports Programs; and Robert Hassel, Director of Faculty Training for SMART Technology.

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TSU takes aim at female gamers, will open academic eSports center in the fall

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The multibillion-dollar industry of video gaming, or eSports, is thought to be a hobby primarily enjoyed by males worldwide. Tennessee State University aims to change that perception.  

Dr. Effua Ampadu-Moss, Director of TSU’s eSports program, left; and Dr. Deborah Chisom, Executive Director of Open Education Resources, congratulate Kiara Davis and Tiara Radcliff, winners of TSU’s first eSports team competition. (Photo by Aaron Grayson, TSU Media Relations)

The university recently hosted a special eSports gaming competition for female gamers. Recent statistics show that only 22 percent of women participate in eSports. The goal of the competition was to use video gaming as a pathway to recruit minorities, particularly Africa American females into STEAM Academic programs. 

Tiara Radcliff, a senior psychology major, whose team won the gaming competition, is thankful for the opportunity. She has been playing since she was 6, but never competitively.

“It was my first-time winning in a tournament. I enjoyed it,” said Radcliff, of Indianapolis. “Some girls don’t play because they think it is for guys. I am glad TSU is doing this. It will open up more girls to the game.”  

TSU has six teams, including males and females, and the university is offering classes in eSports this fall. (Photo by Aaron Grayson, TSU Media Relations)

Kiara Davis, Radcliff’s teammate in the competition, is also thankful that TSU is “opening doors for girls.” She has also been playing from a very young age but was always afraid to join a team.  

“As a young kid, I watched my father and my younger brother play. I was very timid to join the eSports team. So, I didn’t join,” said Davis, a freshman business administration major from Memphis, Tennessee. “When I came to TSU, I decided to give it a go, and I am glad I did. What TSU is doing will get more women involved and they will see that they can actually play.”  

Currently, TSU has six teams, including male and females, and the university is offering classes in eSports this fall though a new Academic eSports Center. 

Chandra Cheeseborough-Guice, Olympic Champion and TSU’s Track and Field Coach, tests her skills at virtual reality gaming, at the eSports competition. (Photo by Aaron Grayson, TSU Media Relations)

Robbie Melton, TSU’s vice president of the Global Smart Technology Innovation Center, said the university wants to push students to look at eSports as more than just a game.  

“We want to look at the academics of game design, of coding, of entrepreneurship, of the psychology and the management,” said Melton. “It’s a whole gamut of career opportunities that we want to prepare them for looking at what they’re passionate about the interest of eSports.”  

Dr. Effua Ampadu-Moss, director of TSU’s eSports program, will teach a graduate course in the program, called “Special Topics: The Rise of eSports in Higher Education Administration.”  

A local TV station cameraman captures the moment as the eSports team competition got fierce in the Floyd/Payne Campus Center. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)

“Gaming has always been a male sport, and that’s the stigma we are trying to break by letting them know that girls can get in the game as well,” Ampadu-Moss said. “So, with the competition, we wanted to encourage our female eSports student-athletes to come out and play to help encourage other girls on campus to come out and play as well.”  

 Executive Director Deborah Chisom, who oversees eSports and Open Education Resources, added that eSports helps students build character, leadership skills, as well as teaches them to be strategic.  

“eSports is where the young people are going today,” said Dr. Chisom. “So, in order for us to be a part of it, we needed to start an eSports at TSU, not only for young men, but for our young girls as well. I think it is very important because it allows them some skills and helps them to be engaged. I like to see them collaborate; I like to see them plan.” 

For more information on eSports at TSU, visit the SMART Global Technology Innovation Center at https://tsu-smartinnovationtech.netlify.app/ 

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 staying competitive in booming gaming industry with establishment of Academic eSports Center

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University is continuing to make its presence known in the billion-dollar industry of competitive video game playing, or eSports, with the establishment of an Academic eSports Center set to open on the main campus this fall.

Dr. Robbie Melton

TSU’s SMART Innovation Technology Center will oversee the new center, which seeks to promote pathways and increase diversity in STEM and STEAM programs for underserved students.

“eSports is a chance to attract underserved students into our STEAM programs for opportunities to design, code, compose, coach, manage, market, produce, and become innovators and game entrepreneurs,” says Dr. Robbie Melton, associate vice president of the SMART Innovation Technology Center and dean of Graduate and Professional Studies at TSU.

“eSports also complements our TSU-HBCU-C2 National Center’s mission in promoting ‘Everyone Can Code and Create’ partnership with Apple, Inc. for empowering underserved students and communities with technological knowledge, skills, and opportunities for the global digital workplace.“

Mena Azzoz

Leaders at historically black colleges and universities say it’s not all about fun and games, and believe eSports is a steppingstone to jobs and internships for students. TSU has launched eSports classes, and joined eSports organizations and leagues that allow students to improve their gaming skills, as well as network with tech companies. A starting salary in eSports management is around $67,000.

However, there are some students who want to become professional gamers, like TSU’s Mena Azzoz, winner of the FIFA national championship in April.

“There are a lot of opportunities out there,” says Azzoz, a senior computer science major who lives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. “For me personally, I’m hoping that I can land a job in eSports as a FIFA player and play for a team that pays their players like a lot of FIFA pros. Winning the FIFA tournament was a step closer for me to do so.”

Henry Logan, Jr. is a sophomore English major at TSU and co-captain of the university’s eSports team. He says the new center will be game-changing.

Henry Logan Jr.

‘It’s a great expansion and investment for TSU,” says Logan. “It puts us one step closer to the goal of being successful in something we can make a long-term career in. This can draw attention to those who are interested in competitive gaming and who want to make a career in doing what they love.”

Classes that will be offered this fall through TSU’s new Academic eSports Center include “Academic eSports Pathways to STEAM” and “The Rise of eSports and Gamification in PreK-Higher Education”. Also offered will be current eSports Team programs such as FIFA, Call of Duty, Fortnite, NBA 2K, and Madden. Launching new this fall will be NHL, Rocket League, Track and Field, Valorant, Golf, Hockey, and iRacing.

For more information about eSports and TSU’s Technology Centers, contact Dr. Robbie Melton at rmelton@tnstate.edu.

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 joins billion-dollar esports industry, new program prepares students for jobs as game creators, innovators

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University is among a growing number of HBCUs that are getting into the billion-dollar industry of competitive video game playing, or esports. 

Dr. Robbie Melton works with students in a coding program provided through TSU’s SMART Global Technology Innovation Center. (TSU Media Relations)

Historically black colleges and universities say it’s not all about fun and games, and believe esports is a steppingstone to jobs and internships for students. TSU has launched esports classes, and joined esports organizations and leagues that will allow students to improve their gaming skills, as well as network with tech companies. A starting salary in esports management is around $67,000.

 Dr. Robbie Melton is TSU’s associate vice president of the SMART Global Technology Innovation Center and dean of Graduate and Professional Studies. She says “esports crosses every major academic area.” 

 “Problem solving, creativity, curiosity, coding, math. When you play esports, all of a sudden you are into what we call high level critical cognitive skills,” says Melton, who teaches an online course called, The Rise of esports and gamification in higher education. “You’ve got to think, you’ve got to anticipate, you’ve got to now pose strategies. That’s what we call the peak of education. That’s what we want all of our students to do in whatever they’re doing.”

Michael Davis Jr., and his wife, Keyosha, who is taking coding classes at TSU. (submitted photo)

 TSU is a charter member of the Black Collegiate Gaming Association. HBCUs in the association commit to making Black esports more than an extracurricular activity by offering academic esports classes.

 Melton says the curriculum at TSU focuses on how esports connect with traditional forms of education. She also hopes students will be motivated to consider the entrepreneurial side of esports, such as actually designing and creating games. 

 While many Black teens are gamers, this stat doesn’t seem to translate to those who hold jobs in the gaming industry. An estimated 83 percent of Black teens play video games, while 68 percent of video game creators are of European or Caucasian descent, according to data from the International Game Developers Association.

 Michael Davis, Jr., a high school teacher in Nashville, is taking the esports course at TSU. He says he’s been inspired to learn “to create the game,” and not just play it. He wants his students to do the same. 

Tiffany Obiogbolu. (submitted photo)

 “I tell them about TSU, and its esports program,” says Davis. “I tell them they should consider TSU for what it has to offer that the other schools here in town don’t have.” 

Collegiate StarLeague (CSL), with some 2,000 schools and 100,000 players, recently announced a partnership with the HBCU Esports Alliance (HEA) to start a 16-team HBCU esports league to begin competition in early 2021. TSU is with the HBCU eSports League, which is powered by Cxmmunity and Amazon’s Twitch.

 “That’s just phenomenal,” says Tiffany Obiogbolu, who is taking the TSU esports course. “Esports is a great bridge between various industries and where technology will continue to go. Being able to solve real world problems through a video game aspect, will provide a multitude of results.”

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.