Liberal Arts News

Fall 2012

TSU to Host Kurdish Arts Festival

On the weekend of September 7-9, Kurdish artists, musicians, and other creative talents will come together on the main campus of TSU for the first annual Kurdish Arts Festival. The TSU College of Liberal Arts is proud to host this cultural and educational event in partnership with the Kurdish Cultural Institute.

Summer 2012

TSU Musicians Win Friends and Fans in Colombia

For two weeks in June, Dr. Carlos Castilla of the TSU music faculty and students Kerry Frazier, Elijah Holt, Daniel Hyberger, and Adam Smith joined groups from Julliard and the University of Vermont in a program sponsored by the Instituto Colombo Americano that included stays in Medellín, Apartadó, Armenia, Manizales, and Pereira.

The numerous concerts, workshops, and classes offered throughout the program made it a service-learning experience as well as a study-abroad opportunity. Mr. Frazier, Mr. Holt, Mr. Hyberger, and Mr. Smith participated in workshops with Colombian music students during the trip and gave numerous concerts as a jazz ensemble to great acclaim from their audiences. In addition to supporting the students, Dr. Castilla was also invited to offer guitar master classes in Colombia and was asked to give a lecture about educational opportunities in the United States. Read more.

Sophomore History Writing Prize Announced

Ms. Maria C. Witherspoon, a rising junior in the TSU Biology program, has won first place in the University's Sophomore History ePortfolio Writing Prize Competition, receiving an award stipend of $100. "This is a blessing," she said of the honor, "and I am thankful."

Ms. Witherspoon was awarded the prize for her essay on the Scotsboro Boys, which examined the famous civil rights case in terms of race, class, gender, and Southern culture.

The Sophomore History Writing Prize is the latest in an impressive list of distinctions for Ms. Witherspoon, who is a member of the National Society of College Scholars, the American Medical Student Association, and the Meharry Medical School B.S./M.D. as well as the TSU Honors Program.

Spring 2012

TSU Hosts International Conference on U.S.-African Relations

Africa Conference Scholars from Nigeria, Canada, and the United States met at the TSU Avon Williams Campus in April for an all-day conference on U.S. international relations with Africa. The conference included four academic panels with over twenty papers on topics ranging from democratization and political conflict to health, agriculture, and education as well as a guest lecture by former Gambian Ambassador to the U.S. Neneh MacDouall-Gaye and a concluding keynote address by Dr. Toyin Falola, Frances Higginbotham Nalle Centennial Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin.

The conference was organized by Dr. Adebayo Oyebade of the TSU History faculty with the support of Dr. Wosene Yefru from Africana Studies and other colleagues. Read more.

TSU Communications Professor Wins Two Regional Murrow Awards

Two audio documentaries by Dr. Terrence Likes of the TSU Communications faculty have been recognized by the Radio Television Digital News Association with Edward R. Murrow Awards.

"Violence, Vulgarity and the V-Chip" won in the category for Best Use of Sound.

"Concussions Concerns" won in the Sports Reporting category.

Both reports will go on to compete with other regional winners at the national level later this year.

Oregon Historical Society Honors TSU History Professor

The College of Liberal Arts congratulates Dr. Sheri Bartlett Browne of our History faculty, who has won the 2012 Joel Palmer Award of the Oregon Historical Society.

The Palmer Award recognizes the best article published in the Oregon Historical Quarterly during the previous year. Dr. Browne received the award for her article "A Lovely but Unpredictable River: Frances Fuller Victor's Early Life and Writing," which members of the Editorial Advisor Board praised for its insightfulness, use of sources, and writing quality.

TSU HCASC Team Competes in National Tournament

TSU's Honda Campus All-Star Challenge team traveled to Los Angeles this spring for the HCASC National Tournament, which brought together teams for 48 HBCUs in a competition based on knowledge of history, literature, geography, science, business, current events, popular culture, and sports.

This year TSU's HCASC team emerged from the first half of the tournament with 4 wins (against Bethune-Cookman, Cheney, Mississippi Valley State, and Prairie View A&M) and 1 loss (to Morehouse). The team also played well in the second half but lost to Morgan State, which went on to win the national championship.

TSU English Major Wins National Honor Society Office

The College of Liberal Arts is pleased to announce that Ms. Tamia Easterling of our English program has been elected to national office in the International English Honor Society Sigma Tau Delta.

Ms. Easterling will be serving as Associate Student Representative for the Southern Region.

TSU Forensics Team Continues Historical "Best Year"

Having won first place in both halves of the Jackson-Purchase Swing Tournament at Murray State University in February, the TSU Forensics team enters state and national championships this spring with over 300 awards to its credit

The College of Liberal Arts congratulates team members and Director Kimberley LaMarque, Associate Professor of Communications, on this unprecedented achievement in the history of forensics at the Tennessee State University. Read more.

National Broadcasting Society Recognizes TSU Communications Major

The College of Liberal Arts congratulates Ms. Kelli Volk on her selection as a finalist in the National Broadcasting Society's Undergraduate Student Electronic Media Competition and her recognition with honorable mention at the 2012 NBS Convention in New York City.

Ms. Volk received this honor for her audio documentary, "The Negative Effects of Texting," aired on the Tennessee Radio Network in February and is also available online.

Local Conference Celebrates TSU Centennial

The Nashville Conference on African American History and Culture this February focused on TSU's 100-year history, with contributions by Dr. Gloria C. Johnson, Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and by Dr. Crystal deGregory and Dr. Learotha Williams of our History faculty.

Dr. Bobby L. Lovett, recently retired from the History faculty, delivered the keynote address "A Touch of Greatness," which is available online.

The annual conference is hosted each February by the College of Liberal Arts and the Metropolitan Historical Commission.

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Layla Bonner

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