NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University freshmen advisor Nick Horton is headed to the TSU Sports Hall of Fame. On April 12, Horton will join 24 other former athletes for the special recognition. The 2024 TSU induction class includes NBA star Robert Covington, former NFL star Dominique Rogers-Cromatie, and the late legendary Tigerbelle Mamie Rallins, who will be honored posthumously. Horton is being celebrated for his outstanding track career and continued contributions to his alma mater.
Nick Horton receives a block in his honor at the Olympic Statue on campus in recognition of his becoming TSU’s first Male Athlete of the Year in 2004. (Submitted photo)
“I am overjoyed, happy, and I think it is well deserved, but also humbled,” Horton said. “When I came to TSU, all I wanted to do was run. But to know that I will be mentioned in the same room with esteemed athletes and coaches is truly a remarkable honor.”
Horton graduated from TSU in 2004, as a decorated member of the Flying Tigers men’s track team. The Milwaukee native ran the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes and served as team captain in his junior and senior years. His accolades consist of 10 gold medals as an OVC champion, Athlete of the Week, Male Track Athlete of the Year, and representation in national and regional competitions. In 2021, he was inducted into the Dominican High School Athletic Hall of Fame for his achievement in track and field.
Horton’s dedication to mentoring students and guiding them toward success exemplifies his commitment to serving his university and community, something that is celebrated by his freshmen students and colleagues.
Nick Horton talks to incoming freshman and public health major Jaden Snider, about selecting the appropriate classes for her first semester. (Submitted photo)
“Mr. Horton was very kind and very helpful in advising me to take the right classes for my freshman semester,” said Jaden Snider, a public health major from Detroit. “From how he interacted with me, I am not surprised that he is being honored this way. He is a good mentor.”
Olympic gold medalist Chandra Cheeseborough, who is TSU track and field head coach and HOF inductee, praised Horton’s accomplishments, calling him a valuable asset to the university.
“I signed Nick to TSU as a student athlete, and he came to do great things. He was an outstanding athlete in the conference, and I am proud to see him return to contribute to our university’s legacy of success.”
Nick Horton specialized in the 200-meter and 400-meter dash as a Flying Tiger. (Submitted Photo)
Isabelle Langham, executive director of the Office of Student Success, commended Horton’s success, saying, “We are proud of Nick and celebrate this deserving honor. Nick is not only a decorated athlete but an exceptional advisor who cares deeply about students and TSU. I’m lucky to have been an undergraduate student on the yard during his tenure with TSU athletics and privileged to see him come back home and continue an undeniable legacy of service and excellence. We salute him and all the honorees.”
Former TSU Men’s Track Coach Kelly Carter recalled that Horton had the skills, upon meeting the freshman, and predicted he would excel in the sport. “I thought he was going to be really good. I knew once he got the training that he needed, with his attitude and the way he carried himself, I just knew he was going to be great.”
The TSU Hall of Fame induction ceremony on April 12 is at the Grand Hyatt on Broadway, in downtown Nashville, and is a part of the 2024 Coming Home Celebration.
PROFILE PHOTO Nick Horton still holds records at Eastern Illinois Lantz Fieldhouse set in 2004, where he represented TSU in the NCAA Mideast Regional Championship. (Submitted photo)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Isabelle Langham, the executive director of Student Success at Tennessee State University, has been appointed to the Emerging Leaders Program Advisory Board of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), the Global Community for Academic Advising. NACADA is widely recognized as the leading association globally for the advancement of student success through excellence in academic advising in higher education.
Isabelle Langham speaks with first year students during New Student Orientation in Gentry Center.
“It is an honor to be selected as an ELP advisory board member for NACADA,” she said. “I am eager to collaborate with fellow leaders in the field and work toward enhancing academic advising practices worldwide. Together, we can make a profound impact on student success and positively transform the higher education landscape.”
A member of NACADA’s 2022-2024 Class of Emerging Leaders, Langham joins a remarkable group of individuals who will play a vital role in shaping the future of academic advising. The esteemed advisory board is responsible for collaborating on initiatives aimed at advancing effective advising practices and promoting student success. Langham will serve for two years.
Jason T. Evans, TSU’s Chief Operating Officer, commented on Langham’s accomplishment, saying, “We are immensely proud of Isabelle Langham’s recognition by NACADA. Her appointment to the advisory board is a testament to her exceptional leadership and dedication to supporting student success at TSU. We have no doubt that her contributions on a global scale will benefit not only our university but also the entire academic advising community.”
Isabelle Langham, Executive Director of Student Success, right, talks to an incoming freshman and his mother during a session of New Student Orientation recently in the Health Sciences Building, on the main campus.
At TSU, the Office of Student Success, led by Langham, serves a diverse student population, including incoming first-time freshmen, readmitted freshmen, continuing freshmen, and new freshmen transfers. With a caseload of over 4,000 students last year, Langham emphasized the importance of the ELP in supporting her work.
“Being selected for the Emerging Leaders Program last year was not only a professional honor but an opportunity to share new trends and leadership insights with my colleagues,” Langham said.
“I am grateful for the chance to contribute to the success of my alma mater and our students and to work with an incredible team of leaders in the Office of Student Success. I am also thankful for the work of those before me, like the late Fannie Hyde-Perry, who shared a love of our hometown Moss Point, Mississippi, and service to TSU as a former New Student Orientation director.”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – As Tennessee State University prepares for the new academic year, staff members are embracing a new mindset after participating in an all-day campus-wide customer relations training Wednesday. Led by industry experts and experienced professionals in customer service, the training aimed to better equip staff to serve their clients, specifically students.
President Glenda Glover reminds faculty and staff that customer service is about creating an excellent experience and inclusiveness that honors the TSU brand. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
Isabelle Langham, Sterlin Sanders, and Greg Robinson, who hold key positions at TSU, expressed their appreciation for the timely training and its ability to help them better serve both internal and external customers.
Langham, the Executive Director of Student Success, commented, “This training is important, especially before the start of a new academic year because it helps us define and identify the needs of our customers.”
Sanders, Assistant Chief Information Officer, added, “This training has been transformative. It offered highly beneficial information and practices that will enhance the overall customer service experience at TSU. This training will support the university brand that ‘Excellence is Our Habit’.”
The training provided valuable insights into effective communication strategies and handling inquiries. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
Robinson, the Chief of TSU Police and Assistant Vice President, shared his excitement about the insights provided during the training, stating, “I was very pleased and excited about their reiteration of some of the same things we have talked about at this university from the standpoint of public safety.”
The training, which follows the establishment recently of the Customer Relations Office under the oversight of Chief Operating Officer, retired Army Lt. Gen. Jason Evans, engaged participants in interactive discussions and hands-on activities. It provided valuable insights into effective communication strategies, timely handling of inquiries, personalized support, empowering TSU employees to consistently deliver exceptional customer service.
More than 100 employees from various departments across campus attended the training in the Health Sciences Building. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
At an opening ceremony on the main campus, TSU President Glenda Glover expressed her satisfaction with the participation and commended COO Evans for engaging the services of the industry-leading Moran Consulting firm for the training. President Glover emphasized the significance of customer service in the higher education setting, noting that students are not just customers but also the products of the institution.
“We are happy that these experts are here to work with us and carry us through this process as we become better communicators and better customer relations individuals. Customer service and customer relations are more than just answering the phone, listening to complaints, and solving problems. It is about creating an excellent experience and inclusiveness that honors the TSU brand.”
Jessica Powell is the new Assistant Vice President for Customer Relations.
COO Evans added, “My hope is that this will be the beginning of an ongoing initiative to have the highest level of customer service for our students, faculty, and staff.”
Jessica Powell, Assistant Vice President of Customer Relations, expressed her hopes that the training offered concrete steps for employees to interact with customers at the highest level, both internally and externally. Over 100 employees from various departments across the campus attended the training, demonstrating a commitment to providing exceptional customer service to the TSU community.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.(TSU News Service) – Nearly 150 first-time freshmen recently attended orientation to learn more about the “Land of Golden Sunshine.” The May 19 orientation was the first of several sessions Tennessee State University will hold to introduce new, incoming, and transfer students to campus academics and life at the university. Financial aid information, career development opportunities, student activities, disability services, and student conduct were among some of the areas available to provide information to students and their parents.
President Glenda Glover welcomes students and families to the first of several new student orientations in Kean Hall. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
“Welcome to Tennessee State University. I am glad you have chosen TSU for your college careers,” TSU President Glenda Glover told the gathering in Kean Hall on the main campus. “You join students and alumni who have gone on to be trail blazers. I was here at TSU and sat in these same seats in which you are sitting today. My charge to you is to be diligent, pursue excellence, be your best and do your best. You will enjoy being a student here, you will study, you will learn, you will excel. We will help you to be the best and to be successful.”
Rheagan Reid, from Charlotte, North Carolina, who plans to major in biology, and Elijah Ware, a commercial music major from Nashville, and their parents, were among the first who arrived for the orientation. They were moved by the president’s message.
Reagan Reid, with her father, Nate, left, and mom Cheyenne, right, said she was drawn to TSU because of the school’s family atmosphere. (Photo by Aaron Grayson)
“She made me feel very comfortable,” said Reid, a graduating senior from Merancas Middle College High School in Huntersville, North Carolina, who said she was drawn to TSU because of its “family” atmosphere. “The first time I visited TSU I immediately fell in love with the school. I love their programs. I am ready to leave home and TSU is where I want to be.”
For Ware, he is coming to TSU on a full ride scholarship and plans to be a part of the university’s Air Force ROTC program. He was enlisted in the program in 2022 and will be going to basic training on May 31.
Elijah Ware, who’s coming to TSU as part of the Air Force ROTC program, gets advice on course selection from Terrance Felker, Academic Enrichment Programs Coordinator and Advisor. (Photo by Aaron Grayson)
“I have always heard about this school. I come to homecoming and always enjoy myself and I am looking forward to what I can learn here to prepare me for my future,” said Ware. “Before I got my scholarship to come to TSU, they (Air Force) came to my school and talked to me about the military. So, I enlisted, and I have been going to the training since. I want to know all I can about the military while I am here TSU and see where that takes me.”
Terrance Izzard, associate vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Success, said orientation is intended to give students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with available resources, individuals, departments, programs, and activities that will help them in their college careers. On stage with him were individuals representing Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, First-Year Experience, and Admissions and Recruitment, among others.
Terrance Izzard, Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Success, and scholarship coordinators, left, discuss funding opportunities with students and parents. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
“TSU is a family,” he said. “I want you to be very attentive. While you are here today, the people you see here today are the people who will help you along your journey while you are at TSU. So, when it comes to your classrooms, faculty members or anything that deals with your programs of study, even unto graduation, these are the people who will guide you. You will get to build relationship. It’s all about building relationships.”
Following a joint and then separate student and parent assemblies in Kean Hall, the two groups were escorted by student ambassadors on tours across campus, culminating with an “AMA (Ask Me Anything) Session” in various locations, where individuals received one-on-one interactions with academic advisors, deans, program leaders to get answers to questions that they may not have had the time to address in the group sessions.”
Isabelle Langham, Director of Advisement and Student Transition, speaks to a new freshman and her mother during a one-on-one meeting at the AMA session in the Health Sciences Building. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
Among many key areas of concern at the AMA was academic advising – making sure students make the right decision when it came to course selection. Officials said before Friday’s orientation, a lot of proactive efforts had been made to prepare students to be ready by the start of class. For instance, since early April, the Office of Student Success has been hosting in-person and virtual sessions with parents and students to get them better prepared.
“And so, the nature of our (AMA) meeting today was to give feedback, allow parents and students to ask questions, answer some of those questions that may not be clear from those virtual sessions,” said Isabelle Langham, director of Advisement and Student Transitions. “Today’s efforts were easier because of the proactive efforts we have made. I think that we are definitely headed in the right direction in making sure that they (students) are ready before Day 1.”
Undradge Jamison, an incoming architectural engineering major, says he plans to engage in competitive gaming at TSU. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
Another major attraction at Friday’s AMA session was a display by the university’s award-winning Academic eSports and Smart Technology Center, which set up video games and robotics for gamers and other enthusiasts, in the new Health Sciences Building, to the excitement of visiting students and parents.
“This is super exciting,” said Undradge Jamison, an incoming architectural engineering major, from Stewart Creek High School in Smyrna, Tennessee. “I have not gamed competitively in the past, but I think TSU is giving me the chance to do just that.”
Few visiting parents and new students test their skills at virtual reality gaming, at the eSports display. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)
In November, 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, in Nevada, Las Vegas.
The next orientation, for transfer students, is scheduled for May 26, also kicking off in Kean Hall.
