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Tennessee Tech launches new degree program in nuclear engineering
The College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech announced this month the launch of its Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering degree program, only the second such program currently available in Tennessee. The program was formally approved May 16th by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
Tennessee Tech students, transfer students and incoming first-year students can transition into the nuclear engineering major over the upcoming 2024-25 academic year.
Tennessee Tech welcomes more than 1,350 new graduates at spring commencement
Tennessee Tech welcomed more than 1,350 students into the ranks of its newest alumni on May 3 at its spring commencement ceremonies, held at the Hooper Eblen Center.
"You are set to get a great return on investment because you have what the world wants and desperately needs: talent and tenacity," said President Oldham in remarks to the graduates. "You are and forever will be bold, fearless, confident and kind Golden Eagles."
Tennessee Tech Alumni Association to host event at Tech vs. MTSU game Aug. 31
On August 31, Tennessee Tech will open its 2024 football season in Murfreesboro when the Golden Eagles take on the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders.
Join the Tennessee Tech Alumni Association at a pre-game gathering on MTSU's campus, which will include a catered meal and optional game ticket. Whether you plan to attend the game or just live in the Murfreesboro area and want to meet fellow alumni, we hope you'll join us. Additional details will be shared as soon as the game time is announced, so watch your inbox and social media for more information!
Register now via the link below.
Tennessee Tech celebrates centennial anniversary of student newspaper, The Oracle
Nearly 100 Tennessee Tech students, faculty, staff and alumni gathered at a recent event to honor the centennial anniversary of Tech's student newspaper, The Oracle.
First published on April 25, 1924, the newspaper has remained an independent, student-led media source on Tech's campus operating continuously over the last century.
"I've been looking forward to this day for a couple of years," said Bee Goodman, the 2023-24 editor of The Oracle and a senior communication major at Tech. "The Oracle is a part of history. There's 100 years of voices that we get to hear."
Donor support inspires civil and environmental engineering students to research, teach and lead
Tennessee Tech's civil and environmental engineering students are inspired to research, teach and lead, thanks to a generous CEE alumnus who wants to help the next generation of engineers.
Danny Stoppenhagen (`78 civil engineering and `79 M.C.E.) has supported CEE students for nearly four decades, establishing the Stoppenhagen Civil & Environmental Engineering Fund and providing gifts for the new Ashraf Islam Engineering Building and the Building Information Modeling Lab.
Read the full story in the 2024 edition of Gratitude magazine, linked below.
Henry Bowman honors wife Monika through gifts to her alma mater
When Henry Bowman is asked why he gives to Tennessee Tech, his answer is simple:
"Well, why not? Giving back helps other people, and that's a good feeling," he said.
Henry's support of Tech also honors his late wife Monika. While Henry is not a Tech graduate, Monika is, and Henry says she is the inspiration behind the couple's support of Tech.
The Bowmans have supported Tech for nearly 35 years, giving to numerous areas on campus but specifically designating much of their support for the College of Education through the Monika and Henry Bowman Education Scholarship and the women's basketball team through the Monika and Henry Bowman Women's Basketball Scholarship.
Henry says he will continue to support Tech because it's important to keep Monika's memory alive.
"May 14," he said. "I will always remember. And I will continue to give because, well, why not? The students are important, regardless of where they attend. But I live in Cookeville, and Tech is such an important part of the Upper Cumberland region, and I want to help the students here."
Read the full story in the 2024 edition of Gratitude magazine, linked below.
Carolyn V. Whitaker Scholarship honors inaugural Tennessee Tech nursing faculty member
When Tennessee Tech's School of Nursing opened its doors in 1980, it did so with just five inaugural nursing faculty members. One of those faculty members was Carolyn V. Whitaker.
Whitaker passed away on Feb. 9, 2024, but her legacy lives on through every nursing class and every nursing graduate. Now, it will live on through the Carolyn V. Scholarship for Advanced Practice Nursing as well.
Rebecca Tolbert, a retired nursing faculty member and Academic Affairs administrator, funded the scholarship to honor a woman who is often described in one word: trailblazer.
"Carolyn was dedicated to excellent nursing care and meeting as many patients' needs as possible," Tolbert said. "And she was a trailblazer in providing nurse practitioner care to patients."
Read the full story in the 2024 edition of Gratitude magazine, linked below.
Alumni invited to submit Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame nominations by June 30
Nominations for the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024 are open, with the deadline set for Saturday, June 30. Each nomination remains active for a period of three years.
The Hall of Fame Class of 2024 will be inducted as part of Homecoming weekend with the Hall of Fame Dinner on Friday, Nov. 1, and recognition at the Homecoming football game against Lindenwood on Saturday, Nov. 2.
Fans can submit nominations through the TTU Sports Hall of Fame online nomination form linked below. Contact Mandy Thatcher with questions.
Tech to host Appalachian Studies Association Conference in 2025
The 48th Annual Appalachian Studies Association Conference will be held at Tennessee
Tech March 20-22, 2025. The theme is "Rural Reimagined: A Grand Challenge for Appalachia."
The conference will showcase Tech's unique facilities, bring more than 800 scholars and artists from throughout the Appalachian region to campus and provide interdisciplinary opportunities for professional development. Past conferences have featured scholars and artists in history, English, nursing, sociology, psychology, engineering, music, art and earth sciences. Additionally, Tech students will assist in planning this event, from designing the conference logo to developing a risk assessment plan.
To support Tech in hosting this event, make a gift to the College of Arts and Sciences via the link below and note "ASA Conference" in the comment box.
make a gift to support the asa conference
From felony to 4.0, two-time graduate says Tennessee Tech gave him a second chance
Rob Frazier ('23 professional studies and '24 M.S.) says Tennessee Tech gave him a second chance. Now, he's doing the same for others as the director of development for This is Living Ministries, a program led by Executive Director Lindsay Holloway that gives women from Tennessee state prison systems the skills necessary to reenter society free from trauma and addiction.
"We bring justice-involved females out of our prison systems, and we give them a chance to turn their lives around," Frazier said. "I get to see women who thought they were worthless -- who were told they were worthless - get a second chance. Each time I graduate from Tech, I bring my cap and gown to the ministry house, and our staff encourage the women to put them on and look in the mirror. We tell them, 'You thought you didn't have a future, but now everything is open to you. This can be your life.' And they know they can have a second chance, too, as long as they are willing to put forth the effort."
Frazier knows what second chances can do for a person. In 2019, he turned his own life around, and he credits much of his success to Tech.
Tech Took Us There features outstanding Tech alumni who credit their career success to the education they received at Tennessee Tech.
Alumni invited to participate in monthly Tech Trivia question
Last month we asked the following trivia question:
The Oracle newspaper turned 100 on April 25, 2024. In what year was the first color edition of The Oracle published?
The first color edition of The Oracle was published Nov. 16, 1990.
Congratulations to Heather King (`04 business management and `08 MBA) for winning this month's trivia prize!
And now for this month's question:
What was the original name of the building we know today as Oakley Hall? (Hint: It's also been known as the Student Union, Library Annex and South Hall, but it had another name to begin with.)
Photo top left: Tennessee Tech's Student Union (the building's name when the photo was taken).
Monthly trivia questions in The Alumnus are designed to test your knowledge of all things Tech! If you know the answer, email alumni@tntech.edu. We'll randomly select one of the correct answers to win some Tech SWAG! And if you have an idea for a trivia question, send it to us! You may see it in a future edition of The Alumnus.
follow the Crawford alumni center on facebook
University Archivist Megan Atkinson and the University Archives staff are responsible for collecting, preserving and making accessible materials of historical significance to the university and the Upper Cumberland. Follow Archives and Special Collections on Facebook, email their office with questions and watch for more "Archives with Atkinson" in future editions of The Alumnus.
Bobby Adams
Tennessee Tech alumnus, former faculty member and current doctoral student Bobby Adams passed away on May 9.
Bobby has been a fixture on Tech's campus for 15 years. He first came to the university in 2009 as a freshman by way of Sullivan South High School in his native Kingsport, Tenn., where he played in the marching band.
Once he became a Golden Eagle, Bobby fully immersed himself in our university community. He served as SGA president, was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, was a College of Engineering student ambassador, and even took home top honors among his fellow chemical engineering students at the 2012 Research and Creative Inquiry Day. Bobby also earned a master's degree in chemical engineering from Tech in 2019 and was working toward the completion of a Ph.D.
Bobby also spent years on the other side of the classroom -- giving a new generation of students the opportunity to see his knowledge, wit and kindness up close. He first worked as a graduate assistant and later served for three years in full-time instructor and lecturer roles.
Outside of the university, Bobby could be found playing frisbee golf, enjoying the outdoors, or working at local dining spots including Spankies and Fire & Vine where he was always a customer favorite.
VISIT FRIENDS REMEMBERED webpage FOR FULL OBITUARIES
Brice Bible (`85 mechanical engineering) is the new Vice President for Information Technology and the Chief Information Officer at the University of South Carolina.
Dr. Emmanuel Aboah Boateng ('23 Ph.D. computer engineering) was featured in an Alumni Stories article about his Tennessee Tech Ph.D. experience that led to a career in Artificial Intelligence with Microsoft.
Lindsey Bruce (`10 marketing), Kellie Fitzpatrick (`00 secondary education) and Ben Rodgers (`02 accounting), along with Kathleen Gilpatrick, Amy Allen, Wes Shanks, Kevin Maxwell and the City of Baxter, are leading an effort to transform the historic downtown area of Baxter, Tenn., into a more inviting and vibrant place. The committee applied for a grant from the Tennessee Downtowns program and recently learned that Baxter has been selected to participate.
Joe Campbell ('97 wildlife and fisheries science and '21 M.P.S.) was featured in a Career Stories article about his career with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
Justin Campbell (`12 secondary education, `17 M.A. and `22 Ed.S.) has been named the new principal at Upperman High School.
Bryant C. Dunaway (`93 criminal justice) is the elected District Attorney General for the 13th Judicial District of Tennessee. He has been selected by the 32 elected District Attorneys General from across the state to serve as President of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference.
Mary Beth Elrod (`10 civil and environmental engineering) is the new Director of Public Works for the City of Cookeville. Elrod has been with Cookeville Public Works since May 2022 and has more than 13 years of professional experience as an engineer and project manager.
Sydney Hildebrand ('22 foreign language) is a new reference librarian at North Fort Myers Public Library in Florida. She is a former University Archives intern and recently completed her master's in information studies from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Kristy Herr ('91 political science and '94 MBA) was featured in an Alumni Stories article about growing her family's cleaning business, Advanced Cleaning Service in Algood, Tenn., into a thriving operation.
Monica Machacek-Chiapello ('19 professional studies and '21 M.P.S.) was featured in a Career Stories article about her experience earning a master's in healthcare administration at Tech in 2020 -- in the middle of a pandemic.
Dr. Julie Myatt (`01 secondary education and `03 M.A.) recently received a National Women's History Month Trailblazer Award. The awards are presented annually and honor women who positively impact the Middle Tennessee State University campus community. Dr. Myatt is a professor of English at MTSU.
Gabe Seals (`13 English) was invited to present poetry at the Tennessee State Museum last month for their TN Writers | TN Stories series.
Charles Smith (`92 industrial technology) received the 2024 Brick Industry Association Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is designed to honor outstanding individuals who have -- for a minimum of 25 years -- given substantially of themselves throughout their career to the advancement and betterment of the clay brick industry. Smith is the Chief Executive Officer of General Shale.
Steve Walker (`90 electrical engineering) has been promoted to Owner at Gresham Smith. His project portfolio includes several electric vehicle battery manufacturing plants including the Honda/LGES Electric Vehicle Battery Plant and the Envision AESC Electric Vehicle Battery Plant.
Photo top left: Dr. Emmanuel Aboah Boateng ('23 Ph.D.) is an applied scientist through the highly-selective Microsoft AI Development Acceleration Program.
We love hearing about the successes of Tennessee Tech alumni. Email us your promotions, awards and other achievements, and we'll share in the next edition of The Alumnus!
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