Tennessee State University Welcomes Class of 2023 At Freshman Convocation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University welcomed first-year students during the 2019 freshman convocation on Aug. 30.

Nearly 1,400 incoming freshman students were inducted during the ceremony in Kean Hall.

TSU President Glenda Glover welcomed the students to the university, calling TSU “the greatest institution for men, women, boys and girls on earth and in heaven.”

“Your class is one of the strongest ever.  You have such high ACT scores. You have such good GPAs,” she said.  “You hail from 41states and 21 different countries.  You’re from Bangladesh, Canada, China, Columbia, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Great Britain, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Pakistan Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Uganda and Vietnam.”

Dr. John Cade, vice president for Enrollment and Student Success, presented the students for the induction.

Female students taking Freshman Pledge at 2019 Freshman Convocation.

“Madam President, it is my pleasure to present these young people who have satisfied all the requirements for admission to Tennessee State University as freshmen and students with advance standing,” Cade said.

With each student holding a lighted candle symbolizing “knowledge and truth,” they took the TSU Freshman Pledge..

Aaliyah Brown, an economics and finance major from Chattanooga, said the induction ceremony is an experience she will always remember.

Aaliyah Brown

“It was a good feeling to see all of my classmates, all the men and women, in our white,” she said. “When I was leaving the residence hall, there were a bunch of girls in white, and we all looked very beautiful and put together.  It was a great moment to cherish.”

Brown said she decided to come to TSU after visiting the campus for Preview Day.

“I fell in love with the College of Business.  That was what really sold me.  I said this is where I have to be if I want to be successful and have a good career.  I was just amazed,” she said.

Females dressed in white with pearls presented to them by the TSU Women’s Center, and males dressed in white shirts and blue pants, sporting TSU-supplied blue and red ties. They pledged to commit themselves “to serious intellectual and cultural efforts” and to deport themselves “with honor and dignity to become better prepared to live a full and useful life in society.”

Male students preparing for induction at 2019 Freshman Convocation.

In addition to student representatives, speakers at the convocation included Dr. Alisa Mosley, interim vice president for Academic Affairs, Joni McReynolds, president of the TSU National Alumni Association and Dr. Geoffrey Burks, associate professor of physics.