Treveccan | Summer 2019 by Trevecca Nazarene University

SUMMER 2019

Treveccan THE MAGAZINE OF TREVECCA NAZARENE UNIVERSITY

The Nashville Issue From the Ground Up

A GUIDE TO

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Dan Boone, ’74

V.P. for External Relations Peg Cooning

Associate V.P. of Marketing & Communications Matt Toy

Managing Editor Mandy Crow

Graphic Designers

Bailey Basham, ’17; Nick Eagles, ’12; Michael Johnson, ’82; Hannah Pollok, ’17; Greg Ruff, ’87, MOL ’13; Jenny Sowers; Blake Stewart, ’18; Anne Twining, ’74; Kayla Williamson

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Contact Information:

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Treveccan 333 Murfreesboro Road Nashville, TN 37210 615-248-1695 treveccan@trevecca.edu

Main number 615-248-1200

Office of Admissions 615-248-1320

Office of Alumni & Church Engagement 615-248-7735

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www.trevecca.edu www.facebook.com/TreveccaNazarene www.twitter.com/Trevecca

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Table of Contents

Loving Nashville am the fourth generation of my family to live in Nashville. My mother’s roots are here, and they intersected my father’s family through Trevecca. My earliest memories include vacations to visit the relatives in Nashville. Needless to say, the city has changed a lot. Now when I travel and people ask where I’m from, the word Nashville brings an immediate smile and favorable comments. I live in a destination city, a great place for start-up businesses, a booming town with 83 people moving here daily, a center for medicine and IT, the new home of a major Amazon investment. Nicknamed the “Athens of the South,” Nashville is also home to a large number of higher education institutions. We also have great hockey, mediocre football, and stellar music of every kind. As a follower of Jesus, we are called to love the city in which God has placed us. Trevecca does. When asked my most important decision as a president, I quickly reply, “We stopped apologizing for our neighborhood and turned it into our classroom.” Trevecca has been a significant participant in the rise of our city to global recognition. We pray for our city, address its needs and participate in its governance. You’ll see stories of these investments in the pages that follow. My children and grandchildren now live here. I want to help build the city in which they can thrive.

PRESIDENT’S IMPRINT 4 TREVECCAN

100 WORDS ON HOME Welcome home. It’s the greeting that meets Trevecca’s traditional undergraduates on Move-In Day— shouted by the upperclassmen and scrawled on the signs they hold as they welcome the long line of cars to campus. For cohorts in Trevecca’s School of Graduate and Continuing Studies, it’s a sense of belonging and acceptance as classmates become more like family. Trevecca is a community, a family, a bond that can’t be erased. Home is where the heart is, the old adage declares, and Trevecca has become that for many: a Christian university nestled at the center of a city that needs the light on this Hill.

// 103 words

CAMPUS NEWS

From the hill A F O N D FA R E W E L L T R E V E C C A H O N O R S R E T I R I N G F A C U LT Y A N D S TA F F

Seven Trevecca faculty members and employees are retiring this year, many of whom started their career at the University as students. Each served many roles at Trevecca and will be missed on the Hill. Retirees include: • Dr. Steve Pusey, university provost, began working at Trevecca in 1992 as vice president for academic affairs. Pusey, who retired in June, served the University for 27 years.

Cook spent much of her Trevecca career working in admissions and enrollment. Over the years, she has helped enroll thousands of students who have called Trevecca home.

•D r. Mary Ann Meiners, professor of economics, found her calling through her desire to help poorer countries. She began working at Trevecca in 1990, serving the University for 29 years.

• Donna Tudor (’78), director of institutional research, initially returned to Trevecca to work in institutional research and teach in the degree-completion program. Over the past 26 years, Tudor has served as director of institutional research, registrar and director of institutional effectiveness.

• Dr. Corlis McGee (’75), professor of economics and a Trevecca alumna, has taught at Trevecca for 15 years collectively. She devoted her career to Christian higher education, serving more than four decades at various Nazarene higher education institutions, including 12 years as the president of Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Mass. • Patty Cook (’73), enrollment systems consultant and Trevecca graduate, has served the University for 39 years. While filling a number of roles throughout the University,

• Ruth Kinnersley, director of library services, trained librarians across 28 counties before being recruited to Trevecca. She has served the University for 18 years. • Fran Parham (’75), administrative assistant for athletics, was recruited by former athletic director, Alan Smith, to return to her alma mater and serve in the athletic department. She has served Trevecca for 16 years. Read more at Trevecca.edu/ Retirements. —By Kayla Williamson

C A L DW E L L DE PA RT S UNIVERSITY After nine years serving as Trevecca’s executive vice president for finance and administration, David Caldwell (’84) has accepted an opportunity with Naxos of America as chief financial officer. “David has played a vital role in raising the profile of the University and advancing our mission through faithful stewardship,” said Dr. Dan Boone, Trevecca’s president, in an announcement to faculty and staff. Caldwell was instrumental in the construction of the Flats at Walden Grove, Jackson Center for Music and Worship Arts, Reed Memorial Bell Tower, Gordon Barn and the Hardy Alumni Center as well as Trevecca’s campus being recognized as an arboretum by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council. Caldwell’s last day was June 30. 6 TREVECCAN

CAMPUS NEWS

NA M E R EC O G N I T I O N Known simply as “The Barn” since its completion in February 2015, the iconic structure at the center of the Trevecca Urban Farm recently got a new name: the Gordon Barn. The name honors Don and Nan Gordon, parents of Denise Boone (’74). “Today we will name this structure the Gordon Barn in honor of your lives. To think at 92 and 93 you are still tending and gardening is pretty amazing,” Boone said of her parents during the dedication held on May 10. “My prayer is that the generations of students who follow and work this urban farm at Trevecca will know that hard work and the love of land are life-giving.”

The barn is also adorned with a new quilt square painting, patterned from a quilt pattern made by Nan Gordon’s mother. The barn is featured on the Five Rivers Resource, Conservation and Development Council’s Quilt Trail. 7

CAMPUS NEWS

ALUMNI AND FRIENDS BUILDING BRIDGES FOR CURRENT STUDENTS For many students, summer means a much needed break from classes. But others spend the time away from school working and planning in order to return in the fall. Trevecca’s Build a Bridge campaign is designed to bridge the financial gap that would prevent their return. “This campaign allows donors to partner with us and give students the financial ability to return to Trevecca and complete their education,” said Peg Cooning, vice president for external relations. Last year, the Build a Bridge campaign raised more than $25,000 and enabled 11 students to continue their education at Trevecca. One of those students, Hannah Somboon, graduated from the University on May 4. She hopes to use what she’s learned at Trevecca to minister to the people of her home country of Thailand. “Hannah was one of those students last year who needed a donor to build the financial bridge to return to Trevecca,” Cooning said. “Watching her cross the stage and receive her diploma was such a joyful moment!” Read more at Trevecca.edu/Bridge.

FIVE QUESTIONS with Dr. Randy Carden For Dr. Randy Carden (’78), Trevecca professor of psychology, Christian higher education isn’t just a job. It’s a calling. Carden first came to Trevecca as a junior, recruited by Alan Smith to play tennis. He fell in love with Trevecca and experienced the power and influence Christian education can have. A member of Trevecca’s faculty for more than 35 years, Carden is driven by his love for teaching and his love of research.

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Why does Trevecca mean so much to you? Everything we do is a form of worship. Our academic preparation and commitment is critical and is an expression of worship. [Trevecca] is a unique environment where we worship holistically—with our entire being. This environment is where I have committed my life—I thrive here. I feel like I am still in school—like many, I am a lifelong learner.

O UR STUDE N TS WAN T TO ACTIVELY HELP OTHE RS WO R K THRO UGH ISSUE S A N D FLO URI SH.

Research has been very important to you. How do you try to instill a love for research in your students? Research is about discovery. It is my hope that my students will get excited about the process of exploration and discovery. I hope that my deep involvement in each of their research studies is inspiring to them. … To conduct an original research study from beginning to end in one semester is a daunting task—but we are in it together. Is there a research project that you are particularly proud of? Over the last 10 years or so, about 8-10 studies conducted in my research class have been published in peer-reviewed journals. That is quite an accomplishment, I feel. One of the studies we just completed this spring semester was especially interesting to me. One of my undergraduate psychology majors, Grace Perry, conducted a multivariate study related to optimism, rumination, cognitive flexibility, creativity, depression and resilience. How do you think psychology graduates give back to or help their communities? Many feel a strong desire, calling and sense of mission to work in the helping profession of applied psychology. Many of our students feel a keen awareness of the pain that a lot of people experience. Along with their empathy, our students want to actively help others work through issues and flourish. Many of our students plan to attend graduate school in order to prepare for this future work. You’re also a painter. Does your love for painting and the arts ever make it into your classes? My art has influenced my work at Trevecca. I developed a course called “Psychology of Art” and teach it every other year. It combines two of my passions, and it’s one of my favorite classes.

Want to read more of our conversation with Carden? Visit blog.Trevecca.edu.

Trevecca conferred more than 1,140 degrees, ranging from associate to doctoral degrees, during the May 4 ceremony.

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Carry High Her Banner “Today we go from students to servant leaders, using Jesus as the example for our own lives.” —Shana Light, Class of 2019, during Trevecca’s Commencement Convocation

My Trevecca Story

BY HANNAH POLLOK, ’17

Finding Home

Like many of Trevecca’s current Living in close quarters on students and alumni, I grew up campus basically meant that I in the Nazarene church. Both my got emotionally close with other parents attended Olivet Nazarene people quickly. Living in the University in my hometown, dorms allowed me to find people, Bourbonnais, Ill. I heard about true friends that were like-minded Trevecca at Nazarene Youth and really understood me. Before Conference and was intrigued college, I never thought I would by Nashville and moving to a find people who accept me so bigger city. After visiting campus wholly, friends that I could live life and interacting with students with and partner with in prayer. I and professors, Trevecca was think Trevecca is a safe place for “The One” without a doubt. The relationships to grow, and I made inviting community is what stood friendships that I know will last out to me immediately. I felt a lifetime. comfortable there, and before Outside of relationships, Trevecca I knew it, I had packed my bags built me up from the beginning. and moved into I started my freshman Tennessee Hall for “Trevecca was year as someone who my freshman year. where I found had no clue who I was A lot of people think my people, and and graduated as a that your college in turn, found person with character experience shapes and more confidence. myself.” you academically and Everything from professionally. While this is true taking personality tests in general for me, Trevecca has done so much education classes to taking more. My experience at Trevecca advantage of the free counseling was extremely transformative. center played a part in helping me Trevecca was where I found my find myself. people, and in turn, found myself. My relationship with God From the beginning, Trevecca blossomed because of the Christallowed me to cultivate relationships. and service-centered attitude 12 TREVECCAN

that my peers as well as Trevecca’s faculty and staff upheld. With the support of others, I was able to break out of my shell and lead as I took on opportunities in student government and theatre. Additionally, professors consistently believed in me, challenged me and supported me. Trevecca’s community truly shaped me. A moment that stands out to me the most happened just a few months after I had graduated. In the fall of 2017, my dad got really sick and was rushed to the hospital. I was told that I would have to fly to Florida to see him and say goodbye. My friends and acquaintances quickly got word of this. Within hours, the Trevecca community raised enough money for my plane ticket. That night I felt so surrounded by the love of God and the love of a community around me. I am forever grateful for my Trevecca experience. More so, I am grateful for the servant leaders, friends and lasting relationships it produces.

100% online. We mean it .

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Christian Community

Letting Music Speak

These days, she’ll usually find herself there on a monthly basis because of her work with Beat of Life. A Nashville nonprofit, Beat of Life seeks to harness the power of music to minister to the city’s most vulnerable—including those in prison, young students facing bullying and people dealing with mental health issues. Williams, along with another recent Trevecca graduate, Matt Fredericksen (’19), got involved when Dr. Kim McLean told them about the program. A songwriter herself, McLean, also a

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By Mandy Crow

Until earlier this year, recent Trevecca graduate Madyson Williams (’19) had never set foot in a prison.

member of Trevecca’s faculty, had been involved with the organization for a number of years. “About four or five years ago, a friend of mine from the music industry contacted me and said they needed professional songwriters for this program that was starting,” McLean said. “My friend thought it sounded like it was right up my alley because it had a ministry aspect.” Eventually, McLean became a Beat of Life board member. She also found herself yearning to get her students involved with the organization, which would allow them to grow as songwriters, but more than that, allow them to minister to others. “[Beat of Life]’s mission aligns so well with Trevecca because it is so in line with our ministry,” McLean said. “I knew that Mady and Matt were up for that task.” Williams’ first Beat of Life event was part of the nonprofit’s Sing It to Stop It, an antibullying initiative that allows the organization to send songwriters into classrooms. As Beat of Life’s flagship youth-based program, Sing It to Stop It has opened the door for other avenues, says Jeni Dominelli, the founder and CEO of the nonprofit. “Bullying is an issue, especially cyber-bullying, and we found out that Metro Nashville Public Schools actually had a mandate to come up with a solution to the bullying problem,” Dominelli says, outlining the history of the program. “But as we’ve been going along, we keep getting asked about [Sing It to Stop It] by other youth centers, including those devoted to students with special needs or autism or youth on the school-to-prison pipeline. We really just started tackling all the issues kids are going through.”

After taking part in that first Sing It to Stop It event—Fredericksen was there, too—both Trevecca students decided they wanted to get more involved with Beat of Life. “I really liked it,” Williams says. “So, I decided to do the training and take part in Redemption Songs program.” The prison co-writes can be challenging, McLean says. A pair of songwriters are matched with an inmate and have a couple of hours to create a song. “You have to be equipped and know your craft,” she says. “You write fast and perform the song you’ve written in front of about 200 people. It’s intense and scary.” For Fredericksen and Williams, being able to help the men or women they’ve been paired with express their thoughts in song is an honor and a joy. “It’s a way that I can help someone else out,” Fredericksen says. “A lot of time in their own heads. . . it’s a way to get it out. I like being the catalyst for that—not really the catalyst, I guess, but the medium.” “I just love the fact that I’m getting to help someone else tell their story,” Williams says. “The last lady I worked with—her song was for her sons, just a way to express her feelings. It’s really a form of therapy. They can write their feelings out and keep it as a record.” Now Trevecca graduates, both Williams and Fredericksen plan to stay involved with the nonprofit. McLean hopes that up-andcoming Trevecca songwriters follow in their footsteps. “Our students don’t tend to come into the program to say, ‘I want the world to notice my music,’” she says. “Rather, they ask, ‘How can I bless the world with my music?’ That’s our motto: to love people with our songs. And that’s a really different priority [from many songwriters].”

Mandy Crow is the editor of the Treveccan and the manager of content and media relations for the University. When she’s not writing about Trevecca, she enjoys reading classic British literature, cheering on the St. Louis Cardinals and hanging out with her family, friends and dog, Mac.

Left to Right: Fredericksen, McLean and Williams at a Beat of Life event; McLean at a songwriting session at a prison; McLean performs.

Raising the Bar HOW TREVECCA IS INVESTING IN NASHVILLE’S BUSINESS COMMUNITY

t’s no secret that Nashville’s population has been growing. The city bears the telltale signs of growth everywhere you look, from the Nashville Business Journal’s crane count to social media posts describing the woes of Nashville traffic. Between 2014 and 2016, Nashville’s metro region grew at an average pace of 100 people a day. The latest census data, released in April, shows the growth has slowed just a bit, with an estimated 83 people moving to Nashville every day.

But Nashville’s population isn’t the only thing that’s growing. So is the business community. The region is now home to a number of corporate headquarters, including HCA, Nissan North America, Dollar General and more. Last fall, the Tennessean reported that professional and business service and financial services—a grouping that includes everything from bankers and real estate management companies to insurance agencies—were among the fastest growing industries in the city, followed closely by the leisure and hospitality industry.

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Clearly, Nashville is open for business—and the Trevecca Association of Business Professionals is poised to invest in the city’s business community.

RAISING TREVECCA’S PROFILE The Trevecca Association of Business Professionals isn’t new. The organization will celebrate its tenth anniversary next year, founded as Nashville was in the beginning stages of the city’s recent growth. “The idea really came from alumni Jennifer Showalter (’97) and Matthew Mullins (’97),” says Dr. Jim Hiatt, Trevecca’s associate vice president for academic programs and dean of the Skinner School of Business and Technology, who got involved with the organization soon after its formation. “We started [the association] to work with the business community to connect, provide network opportunities and serve.” Like Hiatt, Trevecca alumnus Cary Bush (’02) was an early member of the association and among the first to serve on the advisory board. Bush currently serves as a national account manager for Meridian IT Inc. “There are a lot of [Trevecca business graduates] in the Nashville business community, but we didn’t really do anything together,” Bush recalls. “The association allows us to serve and engage the greater business community, but it also brings camaraderie.” At the association’s core, both Hiatt and Bush say, is a devotion to serving the city as well as the business community—and allowing Trevecca to shine. “We want to add value to the business community by providing inspiring and knowledgeable speakers,” Hiatt says. “We feel that we can get people from the business community on campus for motivation, knowledge and inspiration. We also hope to raise the brand recognition of [Trevecca] in the community.” Bush agrees, stressing that the association’s networking events—the group plans two to three each year—help to raise awareness about Trevecca in a city where the University has often been called a “hidden gem.”

healthcare side, so the association helps to raise awareness about Trevecca and what we do.” Another goal of the association is to help worthy business students complete their degrees at Trevecca. In 2011, the association established the Association of Business Professionals Scholarship, and a portion of the proceeds from each Trevecca Association of Business Professionals’ events go toward the scholarship fund. To date, the association has made a way for nearly 60 students to complete their studies at Trevecca.

THE FUTURE STARTS NOW According to Bush and Hiatt, the association’s future is firmly rooted in Trevecca’s mission to develop leaders who serve. They’ll take that message of servant leadership to the greater Nashville business community starting next fall with the Servant Leader Series. “We want to demonstrate the value of serving and how it impacts the lives of others and your own,” Hiatt said. The first event in the speaker series is set for Oct. 16 and will feature Randy Boyd. Boyd is a former candidate for governor of Tennessee and currently serves as the interim president of the University of Tennessee. In addition to continuing to plan and host informative networking events, Bush says the association’s future will also be focused on building deeper, stronger relationships with Trevecca graduates, both traditional and nontraditional, and building diversity within the association. “Many of our non-traditional business students may not get as engaged in campus life,” he says. “I think it’s important that we create a culture of giving back, finding ways for our adult students to get engaged as part of alumni campus life.” Don’t miss out! Reserve your seat for the first event in the Servant Leader Series at Trevecca.edu/businessprofessionals. Left to Right: Cary Bush, Jim Hiatt

“When people come on campus and haven’t been here before, they’re like, ‘Wow, I didn’t know! This is an oasis,’” he says. “There are also thousands of graduates out there working in the business community, especially on the 17

In a city full of opportunity, Trevecca is investing in a new breed of entrepreneurs devoted to business with a purpose By Bailey Basham, ’17

Photo of Percy Blade (’16) by Danitsa Blade

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From the

Ground Up

Dean Diehl (’87) says there are basically three types of entrepreneurs. The first is the hopeful baker, the coffee lover or the tailor who has always dreamed of translating their passion into a business plan. The second is the entrepreneur born of necessity—the side hustler. Dean Diehl

Instructor, Music Business Director, Music Business Program

Then, there’s what he calls pure entrepreneurs. These entrepreneurs notice it’s snowing outside, so they start selling sleds. According to Diehl, who serves as director of Trevecca’s entrepreneurship and small business management program, there is no one type that is more common than the others. And in a city like Nashville that seems to be constantly attracting new businesses, there are sure to be all types who are looking to fund all sorts of dreams.

City on the Rise Nashville’s growth is a topic on nearly everyone’s mind recently. According to a Vanderbilt poll from April, some are in favor of the expansion, while others are skeptical of the city’s direction. Public opinion aside, Nashville is growing in numbers, and with an increase in residents comes an increase in businesses. Since 1990, more than 930 large companies have relocated to Middle Tennessee, including corporations like Nissan, Under Armour and Amazon. These relocations have created significant growth for the city—laying the foundation for local entrepreneurs to build their own businesses. Nashville is the nation’s fourth best city in which to start a business, according to the small business and start-upfocused Inc. Magazine. Magnify Money found that among the 50 largest U.S. 20 TREVECCAN

cities, Nashville is in the top five for women who want to launch and own a business. The business landscape in Nashville is abundant, and entrepreneurs from across the country are moving to the city to take advantage of the market— like Alaina Schwartz (’09) and Percy Blade (’16). Originally from Louisville, Ky., Percy Blade came to Nashville to study business at Trevecca. He said that of the three types, he would classify himself a pure entrepreneur. He remembers selling candy to classmates in middle school and said that kind of business sense is something he learned from his parents. “I saw my parents both create their own businesses, and because of them, I’ve always had an entrepreneur in me,” he says. “Anybody can do anything,

especially if you have enough money, but what separates it is the passion. That is what makes business really work. God gave us our passions for a reason. We can change the world with it.” Blade graduated with his undergraduate degree in business in 2016 and went on to complete his master’s in organizational leadership at Trevecca the next year. After working a 9–5 job that he said wasn’t for him, he was ready for a change. That’s when Blade says God stepped in. As a business major, it felt natural for him to move into a role as a small business owner, and leaning on his passions for health and service, he decided to create Percy Blade Co., an online fitness coaching company. “If you—for one second—dread waking up on a Monday morning and cannot

wait until Friday, a 9-5 is probably not right for you. That’s where I was, and … I couldn’t give up on myself,” Blade says. “I know a lot of people wait around for other people to dictate our happiness … but if there’s something you’re passionate about—whether it exists in the business world yet or not—expand on it.” Diehl says Trevecca’s entrepreneurship and small business management program, which launched last fall, aims to equip those hoping to start their own businesses with the knowledge needed to get started upon graduation. From marketing to finance, this comprehensive concentration provides all the tools necessary to overseeing the success of a small business. “We try to shape the program for the students to find out which type of entrepreneur they are,” Diehl says. “Most ventures start out as small, and running a small business is very different than working for a regular business. We really want to bring out those differences so the students are prepared for anything.” Photo of Percy Blade (’16) by Danitsa Blade

Business with purpose Alaina Schwartz graduated with a degree in education, and though she currently teaches music with Metro Nashville Public Schools, it’s her 80-hour-a-week side hustle that the Nashville community is helping to grow. A year ago, Schwartz and her husband, Keith, were trapped in the car on a long road trip home from visiting family in Florida, and they were dreaming out loud. “On a long car drive like that, you’ll either grow to absolutely hate the person you’re with or you’ll talk about how you have these wild dreams,” Schwartz says. “We were on that dreaming kick … I’m a teacher, and my husband was a manager at a restaurant. We had no money, no trust fund, no investors, but we felt this calling to do something in our community.” Schwartz said she got onto Craigslist and found a coffee shop in the area that was closing. Without much of a plan of their own, they followed the one they felt God placing on their hearts. “We bought all their equipment sort of on a whim. Obviously we had never done this before, but we felt this urge to do something that would make us able to Photo of Alaina (’09) and Keith Schwartz by Nick Eagles

reach out to everyone, regardless of race, gender, age, background, story,” she says. “A lot of people use the phrase ‘the third place’ because a long time ago, people had their home, their work and their church, and those were the three places they found their grounding and foundation. Now that the church is not necessarily a part of everyone’s life, there’s a space open for that third place. We wanted to be that welcoming place.” A year later, the coffee shop she and Keith opened in Donelson, Caliber Coffee Co., has become just that. “There was one night when I was buying Capri Suns for my kids in Kroger at 10:30 at night, and this lady walked up and said, ‘Do you own that coffee shop across the street?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I do,’ and she said, ‘I don’t know anything about you. I just know that when I was there, I felt so at home, and I needed a home in that moment.’ Her car had broken down at Kroger, and she was brand new to a college in the area. She didn’t know anyone, and she just happened to come in. It was just one of those moments that I knew we were Christ to her.” Schwartz continues, remembering moments of connection with other customers as well, one of which

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was an elderly man whose wife had just received a terminal diagnosis. “He was just crying at the counter, and we all gathered around and prayed with him. We didn’t know him, but we knew he needed that,” she recalls. “I don’t know if he had other family around or a church, but we were able to be there in that moment. We didn’t see him for a while, but he came back a couple weeks later. He sat and cried because his wife had passed. He just came back and cried. But he knew he could come back here and cry and have that support.” For Schwartz, if the doors had to close tomorrow, she’d still consider Caliber Coffee Co. a success. “I think the moments I’ve known we are doing the right thing are the moments where we’ve had that level of genuine humanity that has reached out and been present in a godly way,” Schwartz says. “It’s in those moments that I hear God saying, ‘Alaina, this is what I called you to do.’” Bailey Basham is a recent Trevecca graduate and currently works as a freelance journalist. She loves writing, browsing Pinterest for new recipes and spending time with her dogs, Ruthie (after the candy bar) and Pico (last name, Gallo).

Stephany Ordonez All Student Body Vice President, 2019-2020 Social justice major, Class of 2020

Home

”

“This is my home away from home, and I believe that I am where I am supposed to be. This is my safe place; a place where I can be both vulnerable and outgoing, and where I can feel loved and cared for.”

Your generosity helps make Trevecca home:

Give.Trevecca.edu

”

By Blake Stewart, ’18

At Your Service

Public Service with a Christian Approach

At his inauguration in January 2019, Gov. Bill Lee was surrounded by 23 department commissioners who each took an oath to lead and serve Tennessee. Among those commissioners was Brad Turner (’98) whom Lee tapped to oversee the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (DIDD). As commissioner of the DIDD, Turner provides support to some of Tennessee’s most vulnerable. He has oversight of all services that support Tennesseans with developmental and intellectual disabilities. 24 TREVECCAN

The role is one that is deeply personal, Turner says, cultivated by his life’s experiences and Christian faith—and he counts time on the Hill among those formative experiences. “The idea built around service, and the environment around Trevecca with a focus on servant leadership, prepared me for my role in government and was a big driver in me going into public service,” Turner says. “Public service and community engagement were ideas instilled at Trevecca.”

Left: Turner with Gov. Bill Lee Right: Turner and his family

DISCOVERING A DEEPER PURPOSE From an early age, Turner knew he wanted to work in public service. Arriving to Trevecca’s campus in 1994 on a baseball scholarship, he wanted to take his passion for politics to the next level, pursuing a degree in political science and history. It was on the Hill where Turner met his wife, Trevecca alumna Rebecca Turner (’00). Together, the couple has a daughter, Kinsley, who Turner says is a key motivating factor in his work. As a proud father of a special needs child, Turner brings a personal desire to serve others like Kinsley and has been an advocate for those with special needs. “My daughter drives everything that I do from a public service prospective,” Turner said. “I hope what we’re doing at [DIDD] helps others in achieving what they want to achieve in their own lives.”

at HealthStream, where he served as director of client services. Turner says the company provided him with opportunities to excel. “HealthStream really gave me the opportunity and exposure to work with teams in the health care setting,” Turner says. With a passion for public service, Turner ran for local office in Rutherford County where he and his family have lived since 2003. He was elected to serve as Rutherford County commissioner in 2010, holding that seat until taking over as commissioner of DIDD. While serving the people of Rutherford County, Turner learned more about the impact of local government and how bringing a Christian perspective adds value to public service.

A LIFE OF PUBLIC SERVICE

“It’s important not to forget to pass empathy, grace or mercy to people,” Turner says. “Everyone has a story to tell and from a Christian perspective, we owe it to listen with our ears and hearts.”

After graduating Trevecca, Turner worked on a capital campaign, where he helped raise funds for the development of Waggoner Library.

As a leader, Turner strives to embody the teachings and values of Jesus both to those he leads and the Tennesseans that DIDD serves.

Shifting roles, Turner took on his next opportunity working in the healthcare industry

“We have to empathize with people so they know we are hearing them and get back to 25

the core of being Christian servant leaders,” Turner says. In 2014, Turner was appointed by former Gov. Bill Haslam to serve on the state Interagency Coordinating Council which advocates for special needs children and families through early intervention programs. With a life of public service and a passion for serving the needs of others, Turner was a perfect fit to move into his new role at DIDD.

PUTTING FAITH INTO PRACTICE In his first 100 days as commissioner of DIDD, Turner is working to continue being a Christian service-oriented leader in his role where he strives to help the most vulnerable.

At Trevecca, Turner, a 1998 graduate, majored in political science.

“I’m excited to work in a department personal to me,” Turner says. “It adds new purpose to my passion, helping the most vulnerable.” Transitioning into his new role with Lee’s administration comes with challenges, though. “Serving as a commissioner is an ominous role,” says Butch Eley, chief operating officer in Lee’s administration. “But Brad’s hitthe-ground-running nature provided exactly what was needed for him to quickly learn the details of the department.” One of those organizations is The Arc Davidson County and Greater Nashville, a family-based organization that promotes, protects and advocates for the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live self-determined, meaningful lives. The Arc has worked with DIDD for several decades, receiving grants to provide support to make sure their clients are getting the care they need. The current chief executive officer, Sheila Moore has been with The Arc for seven years, working with DIDD to help provide care for nearly 300 people in the Greater Nashville area. The working relationship with The Arc and DIDD is one Moore says is critical to providing support. “It’s very important we all work together,” Moore said. “DIDD has great staff that we can call upon at any time.” Eley echoes Moore, sharing that Turner has brought great value to the state in the first months as commissioner. “Using his business background, [Turner] understands the service nature of this department. When you merge that understanding with his passion for helping others, it makes him easy to follow,” said Eley. “He is clearly a leader who believes in mission and that is worth everything.” 26 TREVECCAN

Blake Stewart is a recent Trevecca graduate, current freelance writer, former staff member on a U.S. Senate campaign and once upon a time, a member of the United States Army. He loves all things politics and podcasts and taking his dog, Duke, to Nashville’s Shelby Bottoms Dog Park.

Photo by Nick Eagles (’12)

A community of generosity

When Dr. Ryan Longnecker (MAT ’10, Ed.D. ’13) looks back at his career in education, he can identify a Trevecca alumnus at every major turning point. “Every big move of my professional career can be traced back to a Trevecca person,” he says. “The person who hired me for my first teaching job was a graduate of the first cohort in the doctoral program. The reason I got my principal job was … [a Trevecca connection]. I then became a supervisor, hired by a mentor who was a professor of mine in the doctoral program who was also a graduate.” It’s because of that heritage and what he calls the “community culture” that Longnecker, now serving as the program director of Trevecca’s online doctorate in leadership and professional practice,

feels deeply connected to the University. That’s why last summer, when Longnecker heard about Trevecca’s Build a Bridge summer giving campaign, he knew he had to get involved. “I may never meet the people who benefitted from my gift,” he says. “I’ve been involved with Trevecca for the past 15 years and that culture, it just gets into you, it gets into who you are through the people. You can’t be around people who are that good and who believe in Trevecca that much without it becoming part of who you are.” Longnecker realizes that an individual gift may feel small, but says that’s why campaigns like Build a Bridge are important. “A lot of people think ‘I can only give this much and that won’t make a difference,’”

he says, “but if enough people give what they can, then it becomes this massive thing.” For Longnecker, giving to the Build a Bridge campaign was about sharing the blessings he’s experienced as an alumnus with current Trevecca students. “The culture of this place, the culture of the Hill, just digs into you,” he says. “You start to realize, ‘I am such a blessed individual’ and many of those blessings are because of people at Trevecca. The past with Trevecca has built my present and is looking toward a future where I’m in purple and white until I retire.” Want to give to help Build a Bridge for a Trevecca student?

TREVECCA.EDU/GIVE

TUESDAY HUNT’S Road to Trevecca When Tuesday Hunt got the email on that Friday afternoon, she’d hit a low point. It was all too much. Tuesday and her husband, Blake, had come to Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) so Blake could interview for a job as an assistant baseball coach. Both had been serving at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., for a number of years—Tuesday as the director of sports medicine, and Blake as a volunteer baseball assistant. The move would make Blake’s professional dream of coaching at a Division I school a reality. But for Tuesday, the move meant leaving her dream behind. “It was a pretty good little battle in my heart and my head about who’s going to have to give up— me being the director of sports medicine or is he going to have to give up his dream of being a coach? ” Tuesday says. “So we came up here to see what it was like … we were driving around looking at apartments and houses. Finally, emotionally I was done, so much so that Blake had to pull the car over and give me a little bit of a pep talk. We pulled into the parking lot, and that’s when I saw the email from Mark Elliott.” That email from Trevecca’s athletic director changed everything.

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ATHLETIC NEWS

SEARCHING FOR DIRECTION Elliott, who has been at the helm of Trevecca’s athletic program since 2011, had been without a head athletic trainer for a while after former director, Stephanie Scott, moved on to another job. Trevecca’s three athletic trainers—Austin Krause, Nicole Burnett and Cody Jefferson—stepped in and shouldered the training responsibilities for the remainder of the year, while Elliott began his search. He started researching NCAA Division I schools with larger athletic programs, focusing on colleges and universities with a mission similar to Trevecca. For Elliott, the first priority was to find an athletic trainer who had spiritual leadership experience. Liberty University aligned with Trevecca’s values, so he started there. A quick search of Liberty’s faculty and staff directory led him to Tuesday. He composed a quick email asking if she had anyone on her staff who might be ready to take the next step. “I didn’t think there was any chance that she would be [interested in the job],” Elliott recalls. “I sent this email and basically said, ‘I’m looking for someone. Is there anyone on your team that would fit this description?’” It was late afternoon on a Friday, and Elliott didn’t expect a quick response—but he got one.

FOLLOWING THE MAP Tuesday remembers handing the phone to her husband, Elliott’s email open on the screen. “What do I do?” she remembers asking. Blake’s answer? “You reply back to it!” So Tuesday sent back a simple message—right there in the parking lot—explaining that she and her husband were actually in the Nashville area, and he was interviewing for a coaching position in Murfreesboro.

I have no idea what this means or what God is trying to tell us, she wrote, but something big is going on, and I’m not sure what it is. Upon receiving that reply, Elliott wasted no time in calling Tuesday. Before the weekend was over, Elliott had formally interviewed Tuesday. The job was hers if she wanted it. “It felt like a fork in the road. It was the kind of thing that felt like it was from [God],” Tuesday says. “Stuff like that just doesn’t happen every day.”

FACING THE FUTURE As Trevecca’s head athletic trainer, Hunt oversees the healthcare needs of Trevecca’s student athletes. It’s more than simply treating sports-related injuries. “An athletic trainer is a health care professional,” Tuesday says. “While [training and fitness is] a portion of the job, we’re also in charge of the entire health care of the student athlete, whether it be sickness, an injury, even down to mental health issues, we help facilitate, direct and provide care.” Tuesday leads a team of three trainers who travel with Trevecca’s athletic teams, attend practice and become vital members of the teams they serve. She’s dedicated to serving Trevecca’s student athlete population holistically, including health, training and spiritual needs. “My vision for the future is to provide excellent health care to student athletes,” Tuesday says, “and doing that in relationship to the athletic department’s focus on Christian-scholar-athlete, making sure that’s our focus, too.”

ALUMNI NEWS

BE. DON’T SEEM

Best Buds In spring 1968, Trevecca students Ted Hill (’70), Dale Killingsworth (’70), Dennis Moore (’71), Jim Quiggins (’71), David Dodge (’67), Jordy Conger (’71), David Edwards (’71) and Charles Davis (’70) decided they would all live in the same unit of Wise Hall. Living in the C-Suite, the group of friends became known by the same name. In 1976, the group sponsored their first reunion, which led to more over the next few decades. In 2014, the C-Suite guys started getting together for dinner every year at Homecoming. Since then, both Conger and Edwards have passed away, which further reinforces the group’s commitment to meet each year. Since all of the C-Suite guys served in campus leadership positions, the group has endowed a scholarship benefitting future campus leaders. To date, they’ve raised nearly $10,000.

Trevecca.edu/alumni Send news to Treveccan@Trevecca.edu

ALUMNI FALL TRIP Join Trevecca alumni and friends for a fall trip that includes stops in Dallas, Bentonville, Ark.; Eureka Springs, Ark.; and Little Rock, Ark. Scheduled for Oct. 5-10, the trip includes stops at two Presidential Libraries, Dealey Plaza, Christ of the Ozarks and the Thorn Crown Chapel, among other highlights. Enjoy premium travel accommodations provided by Wise Coach as well as fellowship and fun with fellow Trevecca alumni. Email trip coordinator Dr. Melvin Welch (’61) at mwelch@trevecca.edu for more information.

TREVECCA ALUMNI STEP INTO NEW ROLES Trevecca alumni Dr. Tom Middendorf (’99) and Holly Whitby (’95, MS ’18) have moved into new roles at the University. Middendorf, who most recently served as Trevecca’s associate provost and dean of academic and student affairs, began his duties as University provost on July 1. Whitby is now the vice president of enrollment and marketing. In this revamped role, she will oversee all enrollment functions of the University as well as the Office of Marketing and Communications and the Department of Athletics.

Holly Whitby (’95, MS ’18)

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Dr. Tom Middendorf (’99)

CLASS NOTES Trevecca alumnus Harold Ivan Smith (’69) recently got a chance to meet former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Albright was recently honored at the Truman Library Institute’s Wild About Harry dinner. Smith is the author of Eleanor: A Spiritual Biography and led a panel discussion at the library in the days following the dinner. Officials of Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla., recently appointed Dr. Tim Eades (’87) to serve as the university’s next provost. Since 2014, Eades has served as the associate provost and executive vice president of graduate and continuing studies in Trevecca’s School of Graduate and Continuing Studies. Katelyn Hutchison (’18) was recently named the director of ministries at Allen Memorial United Methodist Church in Athens, Tenn. At Trevecca, Hutchison earned her bachelor’s in social work, with a minor in compassionate ministries. She also was a member of the women’s soccer team. Andrew Edgeworth (’18, MS counseling) has been accepted into the Peace Corps. He left for Mongolia on May 29 to begin training as a health educator in secondary and vocational schools. Following training, Edgeworth will live and work in Mongolia for two years, working with local people and partner organizations on communitybased development projects.

WE NEED YOUR HELP! Trevecca’s traditional undergraduate students will begin returning to campus on August 22. As new and returning students begin moving into their rooms and apartments, reminisce about your Trevecca move-in day by sharing photos on your favorite social media channels. You can also share tips or advice to help current students as they navigate Move-In Day! Use the hashtag #TNUMoveIn.

UPCOMING EVENTS AUG. 30 Trevecca Faith Night | First Tennessee Park Trevecca.edu/FaithNight Join current Trevecca students and alumni for a night at the ballpark. The Nashville Sounds’ Faith and Family Worship Night will feature Trevecca band Awaken as well as player testimonies.

SEPT. 24 Nina G. Gunter Servant Leadership Chapel | Boone Convocation Center

OCT. 3 Trevecca Celebration Day | Trevecca Community Church Trevecca.edu/TreveccaCelebration Featuring the Collingsworth Family

OCT. 16 Trevecca Association of Business Professionals Luncheon | Boone Business Center Trevecca.edu/BusinessProfessionals Keynote speaker: Randy Boyd, Economic Development in Tennessee and the Link to Higher Education

OCT. 19 AND NOV. 9 Experience Trevecca Day | Trevecca’s campus Trevecca.edu/ETD Know a few traditional undergraduates who are interested in Trevecca? Encourage those students to attend Experience Trevecca Day to learn more about the Trevecca experience.

NOV. 1-2 Homecoming | Trevecca’s campus Trevecca.edu/Homecoming

Friends Remembered Notifications through May 2019

Joseph E. Adkisson, friend of the University | May 22, 2019; Alumni and friends of the University who have passed away since the last issue of the Treveccan.

Nashville, Tenn. David Edwards, ’71, bachelor’s in biology | March 1, 2019; Upatoi, Ga. Dr. Jack E. Forrest, former professor | March 25, 2019; Murfreesboro, Tenn. Joyce Ann Hendrickson, ’89, master’s in education | March 18, 2019; Nashville, Tenn. Claudia Hanson Hyde, ’73, bachelor’s in education | May 18, 2019; Huntsville, Ala. David Michael Johnson , ’73 | March 30, 2019; Franklin, Tenn. Sharee Sanders Miller, ’99, master’s in education, ’08 doctorate in leadership and professional practice | May 11, 2019; Chattanooga, Tenn. J.V. Morsch, friend of the University | May 25, 2019; Orlando, Fla. Read more at Trevecca.edu/Morsch. Shirley Kuyrkendall Nabors, friend of the University | May 22, 2019; Mt. Juliet, Tenn. Renee Oxendine, former student | April 23, 2019; Mount Holly, N.C. Sandra Lee Gay Riddle, ’87, master’s in education | Nov. 12, 2018; Chattanooga, Tenn. Thomas I. Sheley, ’73 | March 4, 2019; Sabina, Ohio. Dan E. Spivey, ’70 | March 2, 2019; Henderson, Ky. Roger Gayle Sweeney, ’71, bachelor’s in music | Oct. 1, 2018; Sharon Grove, Ky. Lois G. Taylor, former student | March 25, 2019; Dunedin, Fla. Judy Drake Wise, ’90, bachelor’s in management and human relations | Nov. 27, 2018; Hendersonville, Tenn. Lois E. Wolfgang, associate professor emeritus of allied health |

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May 20, 2019; Nashville, Tenn.

Summertime is always the best of what might be. Charles Bowden

www.trevecca.edu

USPS No. 394470

Treveccan

The Magazine of Trevecca Nazarene University

SUMMER 2019