BlueNotes | Spring 2016
Program Spotlight
Dental Hygiene Reaches Out to Community
Tennessee State University’s Dental Hygiene Clinic is helping to provide needed care in the Nashville community.
In conjunction with its associate degree program, the clinic, located in Clement Hall on the main TSU campus, provides a wide range of dental services to nearly 600 patients a year at reduced cost. This includes the campus as well as the greater Nashville community.
The TSU clinic services include comprehensive oral examinations, X-rays, dental cleanings, radiography, oral health education, nutritional counseling, oral cancer screening, and tobacco assessment and cessation.
Graduates of the highly accredited program receive an Associate of Applied Science degree, which prepares them for diverse options in the health care environment.
The outreach initiatives of the program are not limited to services offered in the clinic, according to Brenda J. Kibbel, assistant professor of Dental Hygiene. Under the supervision of faculty, students are stationed in various areas in the community where they provide care.
Students and professors have also completed services at Baby U and Hope Smiles at St. Thomas Medical Mobile Mission in Rutherford County, she said.
Besides dental screenings, the health and wellness fair will also provide fitness demonstrations and other health screenings including hypertension, glucose, and cholesterol. An educational component will offer information on weight loss management, nutrition, and HIV.
National Service Project Continues MLK Legacy
Tennessee State University is using funding it was awarded to help facilitate a national service initiative involving 10 other higher education institutions in the southeast region. Following a competitive grant process, TSU received $447,000 in June from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the agency that leads the national Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.
TSU’s Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement was one of six organizations to receive federal and matching funds from CNCS to mobilize volunteers to honor King’s memory through service projects. TSU then provided the 10 regional HBCUs with mini-grants up to $4,400.
Some of the institutions used the grants for activities in January, while others are doing theirs through August. The activities include community beautification, disaster relief initiatives, and financial literacy and on-site education events.
Specifically at TSU, which performed its activities the first weekend in April, students and community volunteers packed disaster relief boxes, helped workers at Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, and partnered with the Nashville Area American Red Cross to help install smoke detectors in homes.
Established in 1993, CNCS engages more than five million Americans in service through different programs each year. The funding is intended to get more Americans to observe the MLK federal holiday as a day of service in communities, and encourage them to make a long-term commitment to community service.
The colleges and universities that received mini-grants from TSU are Albany State University, American Baptist College, Benedict College, Clinton College, Dillard University, Huston-Tillotson University, Jackson State University, Morehouse College, Southern University and A&M College, and Talladega College.
University Highlights
TSU Joins ALFI
Tennessee State University has joined a national organization that focuses on best practices for adult students. Higher education institutions that are part of the Coalition of Adult Learning Focused Institutions (ALFI) strive to advance programs and services for adult students, evaluate their adult degree programs and share “best practices.”
Transition Advisory Committee Formed to Address FOCUS Act Implementation
Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover recently announced the formation of a Transition Advisory Committee to assist the university with implementing the new FOCUS Act. The committee will provide thoughtful leadership, and assist in determining how the institution will advance from the current Tennessee Board of Regents structure to the new state university board governing structure. The major role of this external committee will be advisory in nature with the ultimate goal of developing the strategy for implementation of the FOCUS bill.
Chemistry Day Proves Successful
More than 100 middle and high school students recently participated in research and demonstrations at Tennessee State University’s 13th annual Chemistry Day. The April 7 event provides a platform for students to showcase their talent and knowledge in the field of chemistry as it seeks to expose students to one of many STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines. TSU students, faculty and staff also participated in the event, which was held in the Alger V. Boswell Science Complex. Chemistry Day featured a career fair with a host of exhibitors, along with the organization of a departmental tour for Hillsboro High School and J.T. Moore Middle School students in Nashville, who also participated in chemistry lab demonstrations and a Chemistry Challenge Quiz Bowl.
Health Fair Brings Community Together for Healthier Living
Tennessee State University partnered with the Vanderbilt University’s HIV Vaccine Program and the DP Thomas Foundation for Obesity to host a Community Health and Wellness Fair on April 22 in Kean Hall. The outreach event, which was free and open to the public, attracted more than 30 vendors with some connection to health care and wellness, along with nearly 100 students, faculty, staff and community guests. The fair provided information on weight loss management, nutrition, HIV, and offered wellness and fitness demonstrations. A number of health screenings were provided, including hypertension, glucose, and cholesterol. The dental hygiene component included oral examinations, dental cleanings, and oral health education.
Honors College Receives TBR Approval
The Tennessee Board of Regents and the Tennessee Commission for Higher Education officially approved Tennessee State University’s 52-year-old Honors program in January to be an Honors College. Representatives from the National Collegiate Honors Council’s Assessment and Evaluation Committee were at the university April 13-14 to follow up on a self-study summited to the council a month ago, as well as to ensure the program is consistent with the university’s mission and goals. In a statement, the reviewers congratulated TSU for investing in the council’s program review process. More than 400 “high-ability” students are enrolled in the TSU Honors College.
Faculty and Staff News
Likes Wins Seven AP Awards
Henry Part of Team that Discovers Planet with Eccentric Orbit
Engineering Welcomes New Associate Dean
Robinson is New "Sheriff" in Town
Hodges Selected as Maxine Smith Fellow
Longtime Reporter Joins TSU Media Relations Team
New Hires, Promotions, & Transfers
New Hires
- Frances Williams
- Kristopher Logan Cole
- Tiffanie M. Harris
- Cordalero R. Stuckey
- Angela Kelly Stone
- Christina Blair Carroll
- Dwight Edward Gordon
- Tracy Annette Farmer
- Rebecca Rose Miller
- Sara Kathryn Sparks
- Ahmad W. Ashari
- Noor M. Latif
- Lydia M. Springer
- Charles Edward Mosley, Jr.
- Kevin Wayne Jacobs
- Paula T. Roberts
- Harriet Coraetta Callier
- Gregory Robinson
- Riki J. Shye
- Cameshia L. Beard
- Montina Nelson
- Eddie Charles Paramore, Jr.
- Thomas A. Tate
- Donisia Latorius Ward
- Marilynn Ann Andrews
- Jocelyn Fernandez
- Precious K. Bailey
- Uylondia C. Gordon
- Jovon Dannielle Jones
- Sidney Rionte Powell
- Pierre Washingont
- Jarvis Bernard Sheffield
Promotions
- Ashley L. Boleyjack
- William J. Fain
- Erica L. Lewis
- Stacey A. Nieman
- Julius Proctor
- Kimberly Smith
Transfers
- Lacey Lane Al Atraqchie
- Audie B. Black
- Marguerite Mai Black
- Keyatta N. Butler
- Sammy L. Davis
- Hosam Hagib Gawargi
- Linda I. Goodman
- Kathy Gretton
- Linda F. Hambrick
- Antonio Lomont Harris
- Darrell Heard
- Danny Hobdy
- Tiera M. Pigg
- William Larry Starnes
- Joyce Anita Stringer
- Romona Sweatt
- Joy S. Williams
Mark Your Calendar!
- April 26, 2016, 11:30 a.m. – Employee Recognition Luncheon at Jane Elliott Hall
- April 27, 2016 – Administrative Professionals’ Day
- May 6, 2016, 5 p.m. – Graduate Commencement Ceremony at Howard C. Gentry Complex
- May 7, 2016, 9 a.m. – Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony at William Jasper Hale Stadium
- June 30, 2016 – Annual Non-Faculty Employee Performance Evaluations due