Student Success

RESILIENCE. PURPOSE. HOPE. Student Success

D.P. Culp Student Center Transforms

In March 2015, members of the Student Government Association overlooked the obstacles and envisioned what their living room, the D.P. Culp Student Center, “could be.” “I remember that vote like it was yesterday. It was unanimous,” recalls Doretha Benn (Class of 2016) . With the passage of the resolution, Benn, the first Black female to serve as SGA President at ETSU, and subsequent student leaders, watched their dream begin to grow and eventually bloom nearly five years later. “Our students have remained dedicated to seeing this happen, even though many of them knew they would never be here to enjoy it,” said Dr. Jeff Howard, Associate Vice President for Student Life and Enrollment and SGA advisor. The transformation of the Culp Student Center would not have been possible without the student leaders who called for more student services, rallied for support of the fee increase necessary to support the renovation, helped with the redesign and reassured students while the building was in various stages of construction. The additional 20,000 feet of square footage, a new dining hall, an

The ramp inside the Culp Student Center was removed as part of the renovation.

outdoor plaza and a wall of windows to let natural light into a concrete building, were worth the wait . Their legacy -- a $45 million renovation -- is now on full display to be enjoyed by generations to come . During the ribbon cutting ceremony March 5, SGA President Aamir Shaikh proudly said ETSU “is a place where students are encouraged to bring forward their ideas and this is a place where students are encouraged to dream. One of the things I value most is that students truly have a voice on this campus.” The first floor of the renovated Culp Student Center is a thoroughfare connecting the east and west side of campus featuring new and returning dining options, a video wall and stage in the Cave and the ETSU Bookstore. This open layout was made possible by removing the iconic ramp from the center of the building, a state-of-the-art feature when the Culp Center opened in 1976 .

The second floor houses the new Carrier Center for Student Success and Engagement with plenty of resources for student organizations, as well as a new Student Media Center for the East Tennessean and The Edge Radio, plus the Dr . Patricia Robertson Pride Center and the Mary V . Jordan Multicultural Center . “This building will continue to play a transformative role in the lives of our students and those who work in the Culp and dedicate their careers to ETSU,” said ETSU President Brian Noland. “These individuals are planting seeds daily that will be realized for years to come.”

NPHC Plaza Unveiling

A highlight of the Homecoming 2019 celebration was the opening of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) Plaza, a gathering place honoring the nine historic African American fraternities and sororities that are part of the NPHC, founded in 1930 . NPHC organizations, which became increasingly important to the social integration, academic success and professional development of its collegiate and graduate members, were founded at ETSU in 1973 and today there are five active chapters: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc . , Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc . , Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc . , Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc . , and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc . Situated between Centennial and Governors halls, the NPHC Plaza serves as a place to share the history of each of the “Divine Nine” NPHC member organizations and provides a dedicated outdoor setting for community engagement and programming . Dozens of alumni, current members and students were in attendance for the unveiling ceremony November 2. Each brick column and plaque revealed honors past and present members of the NPHC organizations . The plaza was made possible by supporters contributing $54,000 toward the project .

Students Experience the ETSU Advantage

During its quarterly meeting this past April, the Board of Trustees announced that students attending ETSU in fall 2020 would not see an increase in tuition and fees. This was the first time in possibly decades that an increase had not been put in place . The zero percent tuition increase was part of the ETSU Advantage initiative announced during the spring semester aimed at improving access to higher education for graduating high school students . ETSU Promise Plus was announced in January 2020 and is open to first-time, full-time freshmen beginning fall 2020 who are

eligible for the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship and the maximum Pell Grant. In addition to financial assistance, Promise Plus offers free support to help students be successful in their pursuit of a degree. These support services include participation in pre-college programs including new student orientation, Preview ETSU and early move-in to the residence halls. Program benefits include access to faculty and peer mentors, academic tutoring services, career support, a first-year experience course, and membership in the Buccaneer Family Association . Students living on campus can receive up to $6,000 in on-campus housing scholarships ($1,500 annually) . In addition to Promise Plus, another new initiative – Free Freshmen Tuition – was made available for the 2020-21 academic year for first-time, full-time freshmen who are Tennessee residents and are eligible for the Tennessee Student Assistance Award and the Tennessee Lottery Scholarship .

Ten members of the ETSU Class of 2020 were inducted into the newly formed 1911 Society . Named in commemoration of the year when ETSU was founded, the honorary recognizes the university’s most notable graduates from undergraduate, graduate and professional programs who have distinguished themselves among all graduates for academic excellence, service, and leadership . The inaugural recipients are Sarah Hamilton,

Alexis Harvey, Gabrielle Johnson, Shannon Ketchem, Brianna McCoy, Margaret Jean Miller, Taylor Osborne, Aamir Shaikh,

John Sterrett and Raina Wiseman .

Of the 165 undergraduate and graduate students from across ETSU’s educator preparation programs who recently took the edTPA exam (a national performance-based assessment), 95 percent earned a passing score . Some educator preparation programs had a 100 percent pass rate .

ETSU students and alumni took home five International Bluegrass Music Awards in 2019 .

ETSU Army ROTC commissioned 17 second lieutenants Army ROTC welcomed 21 national scholars in fall 2019, the highest in more than a decade . Scholars attend ETSU or other partnering satellite programs at UVA Wise, Milligan University and King University.

In its annual Educator Preparation Report Card for Tennessee, the State Board of Education announced that the Clemmer College performed very well and earned an overall designation as “Exceeds Expectations.”

A scholarship program offered by the Honors College that helps develop artists for the 21st century was named in honor of ETSU Provost and longtime Tennessee higher education leader Dr . Bert C . Bach, who retired from the university in early 2020 . Approximately 17 students are chosen each year for the Bert C . Bach Fine and Performing Arts Scholarship Program .

406 international students enrolled, from 51 countries and in 58 majors (fall 2019)

$40,303,469 awarded in institutional scholarships The Patricia Robertson Pride Center in the D.P. Culp Student Center was named in honor of retired faculty member Dr. Patricia Robertson, who was a champion for inclusion on the ETSU campus, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community.

The Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center was dedicated in honor of retired staff member Mary Jordan in recognition of her ongoing and tireless efforts to foster and build an environment of equity, inclusion and diversity on the ETSU campus and, in particular, for her visionary leadership to establish the Multicultural Center.

Cassie Dandridge Selleck, an ETSU graduate student in storytelling, authored an award-winning book, The Pecan Man, which is being adapted into a major motion picture starring Laurence Fishburne. In Selleck’s novel, a widow sets out to tell the truth about a homeless black man who was charged with the murder of the town police chief’s son, who was found near his camp.

Student Success

78% Fall 2019-Fall 2020 retention rate (first-year, fulltime freshmen) – highest in ETSU’s history

3,746 Degrees conferred during 2019-20

3.5 Average GPA Fall 2019 entering class 15:1 Student-to-Faculty ratio (Fall 2019)

494 High school students participated in dual-enrollment program (57.3% increase from previous year)

4,175 in Spring 2020 named to dean’s list

Roan Reaches a Milestone

The Roan Scholars Leadership Program is celebrating 20 years since welcoming its first class in fall 2000. This comprehensive fouryear leadership development program was the vision of Mr. Louie Gump whose initial gift established an endowment to provide unique, out-of-the-classroom experiences and a financial award . Each Roan class is chosen from high school seniors nominated by eligible schools in Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina . There are 32 Roan Scholars now enrolled at ETSU, and the number of Roan alumni stands at 74 . Excelling in and out of the classroom, current Roan Scholars have an average GPA of 3.71. Both the current SGA President and Student Trustee are Roan Scholars .

ETSU Student Advertising Team Heads to National Competition

ETSU’s National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) team competed in the national championship for the second time in three years in the spring of 2020 . The team participated virtually after winning first place at both the district and regional levels of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) competition sponsored by Adobe . The NSAC tasks AAF college chapter teams to develop an integrated marketing campaign in response to a real-world marketing challenge facing Adobe . “Students must research the product and its competition, identify potential problem areas and devise a completely integrated campaign for the client . Each student team then ‘pitches’ its campaign to a panel of judges,” according to the AAF website .

The ETSU team is made up of 25 students from the departments of Media and Communication, Art and Design, and Digital Media . These students competed against nearly 200 schools across the U.S. to be in the top eight . Faculty mentors Dr . Stephen Marshall and Megan Fannon of Media and Communication, Jonathan Hounshell of Digital Media, and Kelly Porter of Art and Design praised the team for its efforts, especially in light of the extra challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic .

“You can’t tackle such challenges without all hands on deck,” Hounshell said. “I believe the ETSU team is set apart from the rest because of the heart and diligence in each and every student.”

Iris Kamgue, a student pharmacist at Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, was chosen from nearly 400 applicants as a recipient of the CVS Health Minority Scholarship for Pharmacy Students. From Douala, a coastal city in Southwest Cameroon, Africa, Kamgue hopes to take the health care skills she learns at ETSU back to her home.

Students from three disciplines – business, mathematics and computer science – earned 2nd place in the first-ever National Analytics Case Competition held at Elon University. Jessica Owens, Dawson Maddox and Aaron Barlow also won the Team Spirit Award for their hype video created before the competition.

ETSU alumnus Greyson Jennings is serving a three-year term on the Tennessee State Rehabilitation Council upon the appointment of Gov. Bill Lee. Jennings assists in the review, analysis and advisement to the state on vocational rehabilitation and shares his perspectives on state vocational rehabilitation services as a former client.

Clara Reynolds (health sciences) was recognized as volunteer of the year by the Branch House – The Family Justice Center of Sullivan County. She received the Daryl Marino Award for work completed during Summer of Service with Roan Scholars Leadership Program. Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy’s American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists Chapter received the national Division AAA Chapter Achievement Award. In addition, the college’s Generation Rx Initiative and Operation Diabetes Project were recognized as the Region 3 award winners for their work in 2018-2019.

In May 2020, Hunter Ayers and Chase Carter were the first to graduate with B.S. degrees in Engineering from ETSU and Tennessee Tech University. The joint degree program in general engineering began enrolling students in fall 2017.

In February, Pepper journeyed to ETSU from Florida via the Paws & Stripes Comfort Dog Program. As a therapy dog, she is available to meet with students when they need a break from the pressures and demands of college.

Marah Mullins (elementary education) and Shivam Patel (health sciences) were recipients of 2020 Appalachian Highlands Twenty Under 20 honors for serving as ambassadors and role models in their communities. Lily Edwards (media and communication) received an honorable mention.

The Office of Veterans Affairs received the Minuteman Award from the Tennessee Army National Guard for participation in the Tennessee STRONG Act, a last-dollar tuition reimbursement program for first-time degree seeking Tennessee National Guard members. Thirty-two students took advantage of the program this year, resulting in more than $160,000 in tuition reimbursements.

ETSU a cappella ensembles nearly swept the 2020 South Regional Quarterfinals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). With its overall first-place finish, Greyscale, directed by Dr. Alan Stevens, moved on to the ICCA South Semifinals, and student-led ensembles Ascension and Harmonium placed third and fourth, respectively. Rebekah Cormack (Greyscale) was named Outstanding Soloist, Thomas Richardson (Ascension) earned Outstanding Arrangement, and Kaitlyn Hopkins (Harmonium) received Outstanding Vocal Percussion honors.

250 Student Organizations — average membership is 32 with a total of 7,652 students involved in student organizations

Six ETSU students brought home honors in the 2019 Tennessee Associated Press Broadcasters and Media Editors College Contest . Kirsty McCaughtry, Kate Trabalka and Allison Winters placed third in the Online Specialized/Topic Reporting Category for their work on the fall 2019 edition of “Overlooked in Appalachia,” which examined the opioid crisis in the region . Also, taking second place in the Radio Newscast Category were Jessica Dunker and Raina Wiseman of the East Tennessean and Jesse Denney of The Edge 89 . 5 HD4 for their work on “The ET Echo,” a collaborative news show launched in 2019 and produced by the two student-run news outlets .

441 students enrolled in Honors College Programs (University Honors, Midway Honors, HonorsIn-Discipline, Fine and Performing Arts, Presidential Honors Community Service)

763 military-affiliated students enrolled in fall 2019

New Fraternity Spaces on Campus

Four fraternities now have a space on the ETSU campus they can call their own . During fall 2020, the Interfraternity Council celebrated the opening of four new learning community spaces . Both Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Sigma Phi Epsilon relocated to houses at 916 and 920 West Maple Street, respectively, which are on campus . In addition, two new chapters – Alpha Sigma Phi and Beta Upsilon Chi – unveiled their new dedicated suites on the first floor of Nell Dossett Hall. These facilities are available for meetings of organization members, alumni and guests and for use as a gathering place for academic enrichment and organization activities.

SoCon Championship

The Buccaneer Men’s Basketball team brought home the Southern Conference Championship after defeating Wofford on March 9 . That game was a historic win for the Bucs, as it marked their 30th victory of the season. Only four programs in SoCon history have ever achieved that mark. Selection Sunday was just on the horizon and would reveal the Bucs’ first opponent in the NCAA tournament. Sadly that day never came. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA announced all winter and spring championships would be canceled, bringing ETSU’s 2019-20 season to a sudden halt. It would also mark the end of Coach Steve Forbes’ tenure at ETSU. Coach Forbes became the new head basketball coach at Wake Forest University. During his five seasons at ETSU, he compiled an overall record of 130-43 ( . 751) and directed the Bucs to four Southern Conference Championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances .

ETSU is in the Esports game

Esports has become one of the fastest growing areas of collegiate and professional competition here in the United States and around the world . And now, ETSU is in the game with its first varsity esports team . A total of 22 students have been recruited for the League of Legend® team and the Overwatch® team and will compete in tournaments hosted by the National Association of Collegiate E-Sports . Members of the ETSU esports team have the opportunity to compete in the new esports arena in the D . P . Culp Student Center . A new 32-foot video wall has been installed to display tournaments and other livestreaming esports events.