TUSCULUM COLLEGE TUSCULUM HISTORY Tusculum College is the oldest college in Tennessee and the 28th oldest in the na�on. In addi�on, Tusculum is the oldest coeduca�onal ins�tu�on affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and an early na�onal pioneer in the admission of women. Tusculum accepted women students early in its history, and it is notable that by the turn of the 20th century more than half of its students were women. The roots of Tusculum College are buried deep in early American fron�er history. In 1794, George Washington was president of a young country and the state of Tennessee was s�ll two years away from becoming a reality. In what is now East Tennessee, Hezekiah Balch and Samuel Doak, Presbyterian ministers educated at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), were ministering to the pioneers of what was the southwestern fron�er of the United States. They also desired to meet the educa�onal needs of these Scots-lrish se�lers. Doak and Balch were visionaries ul�mately seeking the same goals through the rival colleges they established. Tusculum College as it now exists descends from two schools. The first, Greeneville College, was chartered in September 1794 by the General Assembly of the Territory of the United States South of the Ohio River, and established by Hezekiah Balch. Samuel Doak and his son Samuel Witherspoon Doak founded the second as Tusculum Academy in 1818. Tusculum Academy operated in a log cabin adjacent to the present site of Tusculum College. When the academy became Tusculum College in 1844, Andrew Johnson, who was to become 17th President of the United States, was one of its trustees. A merger in 1868 formed Greeneville and Tusculum College. In 1908, Greeneville and Tusculum College merged with Washington College, crea�ng Washington and Tusculum College. This union dissolved in 1912, and thus evolved modern-day Tusculum College. The College received formal accredita�on by the Southern Associa�on of Colleges and Schools 15 years later. The College takes its name from the ancient Roman town where the great statesman and educator Cicero had an academy at his villa. Cicero taught what are now called the liberal arts. They actually were cons�tuted by the prac�ces a ci�zen must develop to par�cipate effec�vely in leading his or her community - to play a vital role in civic affairs. TUSCULUM ACADEMICS As a Civic Arts ins�tu�on, Tusculum College prepares students to be effec�ve ci�zens, recognizing that they will need prac�cal wisdom to par�cipate in communi�es and enrich life�me experiences. Tusculum’s academic calendar is different from all but three other colleges in the country. The academic year is divided into two semesters and our students take four 3 1/2 week courses each semester, totaling eight courses for the year. Classes are taught one at a �me, with a four-day break in between. Three 3 1/2 week summer sessions are also offered. This allows our students to complete course requirements for the baccalaureate degree in four calendar years. Our unique Civic Arts program is being used as a model for other colleges and universi�es that seek to promote community, responsibility, and civic development. The Carnegie Founda�on for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized Tusculum as one of about a dozen schools (including Duke University and the University of Notre Dame) with a strong commitment to those ideals. As part of our emphasis on service-learning, we ask students to assess the needs of the community and complete a project to address those needs. Beyond helping key popula�ons, Tusculum students gain valuable experience in solving problems, apprecia�ng differences, and working with others. Tusculum College is a learning community where students and faculty members spend concentrated blocks of �me together exploring important areas of knowledge, developing and refining thinking and communica�on skills, wrestling with the �meless controversial issues that characterize the human condi�on, and applying themselves to the prac�cal solu�on of problems. Whether in the tradi�onal on-campus Bachelor of Arts programs or in the evening Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts programs for working adult-students, Tusculum College’s dis�nc�ve academic calendar lets students concentrate on learning one subject at a �me. It’s a tradi�on grounded in the belief that we best realize the poten�al of each individual when faculty members and students work closely together with the ul�mate aim of enriching the lives of our students and preparing them to contribute posi�vely to their communi�es. For many tradi�onal students, an ini�al reason for choosing Tusculum is our focused calendar, which allows students to take one course at a �me. For others, its our dis�nc�ve programs of study, from specialized areas such as Athle�c Training, Business Administra�on, and Museum Studies to strong arts and sciences areas such as Biology, English, and Psychology. Tusculum is well known throughout East Tennessee for the effec�veness of its Teacher Educa�on programs. Students are well prepared for careers in early childhood and elementary educa�on, in several secondary educa�on subject areas, in K-12 programs in Physical Educa�on and Visual Arts, and in Special Educa�on. But what o�en seals prospec�ve students’ decisions to join Tusculum’s community is the people. Tusculum a�racts topflight professors for the same reason that we a�ract students: small classes with close interac�on between professors and students, the focused calendar which allows concentrated study, and a Civic Arts curriculum that emphasizes community. Our professors are mo�vated and mo�va�ng. Excited and exci�ng. Whatever the major, you’ll find that Tusculum’s academics are innova�ve, and that our faculty is commi�ed to the success of our students. THE TUSCULUM CAMPUS Located in Greeneville, Tenn., Tusculum College lies in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains between Knoxville and the Tri-Ci�es (Bristol-Johnson City-Kingsport). Our wooded 190-acre campus has over 25 buildings, nine of which are listed on the Na�onal Register of Historic Places. The Albert Columbus Tate Library, one of our Na�onal Historic Sites, was built in 1910. The library is experiencing a major mul�-million dollar renova�on and expansion that will more than double the size of the current library facility, bringing our library space to 34,467 square feet. The Tate Library previously encompassed 12,000 square feet, and is incorporated into the expanded and renovated building. We also have two on-campus museums, one holding archives with materials da�ng to the College’s beginnings. The Andrew Johnson Presiden�al Museum and Library includes the Charles Coffin Collec�on containing materials from the Collegeís original library, the Andrew Johnson Library containing books, papers, and memorabilia from the 17th President of the United States, and the College Archives containing documents related to the history of Tusculum since its founding. Tusculum’s loca�on is convenient to shopping and entertainment, and our students enjoy access to such recrea�onal opportuni�es as backpacking, hiking, whitewater ra�ing, fishing and snow skiing. The city of Greeneville and Greene County have a combined popula�on of 65,000. Knoxville and the Tri-Ci�es are within a 70-mile radius of the campus.
60 - 2011 Tusculum Football