Benchmarks 2022 | Section D | Health & Education

SECTION D

HEALTH & EDUCATION

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition March 19, 2022

Page 2D

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Saturday, March 19, 2022

GreenevilleSun.com

SUN FILE PHOTO

The Thomas Howard Educational Center, located next to the Greene Technology Center on Hal Henard Road, is now a TCAT Service Center, housing the new HVAC program and the existing industrial electricity program. Cosmetology will relocate in the summer.

TCAT Grows In Greene County

BY CICELY BABB STAFF WRITER

A

fter plans were set back due to the pandemic, Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Morristown expanded its local footprint in 2021 with the addition of a new refrigeration technology program.

TCAT Morristown utilizes the Greene Technology Center (GTC), where it operates college classes after 3:30 p.m. and trains many local high school students enrolled at the technology center through dual enrollment during the school day.

The neighboring Thomas Howard McNeese Educational Center is now also serving as a TCAT Service Center, housing the new Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) program. It also now houses the existing industrial electricity program, which relocated into a larger space next-door and will soon also house the cosmetology program.

Counselor Sandy Fine said work is on track for the cosmetology class to SUN FILE PHOTO relocate in May. Industrial electricity student Brandon Justice adjusts an LED light he installed in the Thomas Howard McNeese Education Center as instructor Johnny Frank“We’re still working on lin and two students look on. the building as far as renovating and moving walls.

We’ll be doing electrical next, and it should be pretty smooth after that,” he said.

The additional space for the cosmetology program will allow an additional daytime TCAT program in that building.

Cosmetology instructor Kim Brewer said the expansion will also allow more clients to visit, which in turn will give more students more hands-on experience.

“That will be a huge benefit,” she said.

The new HVAC program is open to adult students in the evenings currently, with plans to allow high school students to take courses through dual enrollment starting in the fall. Cosmetology and industrial electricity are among the existing TCAT course options in Greene County, open to both adult and high school students.

Industrial electricity students have gained practical work experience through helping prepare the McNeese building for its new SUN FILE PHOTO purpose.

SEE TCAT ON PAGE 3D

Cosmetology instructor Kim Brewer and students Morgan Jackson, Sandi Inscore and Tayan Harris practice with mannequins. Brewer said the added space next door in the T.H. McNeese building will allow more clients to visit.

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TCAT Grows In Greene County ............................................................................................ 2 Staffing Issues Plague Ballad As Hospitals Struggle To Keep Up With COVID-19............. 3 Schools Ease Toward Normal In Second Year Of Pandemic ............................................... 4 Greene County Endures COVID-19 Surges And Vaccine Hesitancy In 2021...................... 5 Strong Futures Addiction Rehabilitation Program Opens In Greeneville .......................... 6 Tusculum University Remains Active, Grows In 2021 ........................................................8 Walters State Community College Saw Growth In 2021 ................................................... 10

Ballad Health ..................................................................................................................... 12 Fitness Guide ....................................................................................................................... 9 Greene County Schools ........................................................................................................3 Greeneville City Schools ......................................................................................................8 Life Care Center ................................................................................................................... 7 Morning Pointe Assisted Living .......................................................................................... 6 Nursing Home Guide ......................................................................................................... 10 Pharmacy Guide .................................................................................................................11 State of Franklin Healthcare Associates .............................................................................8 Summit Family Medicine .................................................................................................... 3 Summit Urgent Care of Greeneville .................................................................................... 4 Unity Urology ...................................................................................................................... 6 Walters State Community College ...................................................................................... 5

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Staffing Issues Plague Ballad As Hospitals Struggle To Keep Up With COVID-19

BY SPENCER MORRELL STAFF WRITER

B

allad Health struggled with staffing in their facilities in 2021 as COVID-19 waves swept through the region in the late summer and winter of 2021 and federal vaccine mandates took effect.

With hospitals already facing staffing challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the shortage and accelerated the need for more nurses.

Three years ago, before the pandemic, Ballad Health had approximately 350 licensed nursing positions vacant.

Two years ago, in the midst of the pandemic, the system had around 475 licensed nursing job openings.

In October of 2021, for its current patient volume, Ballad Health had a deficit of about 600 licensed nurses.

According information provided by Ballad in October, the COVID-19 pandemic led to frontline clinicians being constantly barraged with surges of COVID-19 patients. The instability and stress led many employees to become burned out and leave their nursing positions.

Ballad said that during the winter COVID-19 surge from December 2020 to February 2021, its nursing

Alan Levine

staff was shorthanded but fairly stable. Most hospital needs were being covered.

However, as 2021 went on and the delta variant drove a surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations beginning in July, Ballad began to lose nurses who did not want to work at bedsides anymore.

At one point during the summer’s delta surge, Ballad saw four or five nurse resignations per week.

Trying to keep nurses on staff, Ballad paid out $11.4 million in COVID-19-related pay incentives. Ballad also invested about $18.1 million in pay adjustments for its health care workers.

Ballad also committed more than $100 million over 10 years to increase wages for frontline nursing positions.

“This investment was one of many steps we took SEE BALLAD ON PAGE 4D

PHOTO COURTESY OF BALLAD HEALTH

Nurse Emily Egan works in the COVID-19 intensive care unite at Holston Valley Medical Center, wearing full personal protective equipment.

TCAT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2D

Instructor Johnny Franklin said his students typically build their own control panels to use as training stations, but such real-life work experience on campus is more of a unique opportunity. As they were working on the HVAC classroom areas in preparation for that course to start in November, Franklin said he and his students had been working on lights and wiring throughout the building.

“Normally this would be a job for a maintenance team, but it’s good experience,” he said.

Fine said those students are also assisting with the work on the cosmetology classrooms, and plans are on track for that program to begin instruction in its new classroom this summer.

Further expansion to TCAT’s local presence could be on the horizon as the Greeneville-Tusculum-Greene County Industrial Development Board considers development of a new facility near the former Greene Valley Developmental Center in Tusculum.

“We’re definitely excited about that,” Fine said, adding that the increase in space for TCAT locally would allow the college to add more courses.

“We’ll be getting together and looking at how to support citizens of Greene County with any other programs that might be in demand here. We’ll see if we can get some of those programs closer to students here,” he said.

The Tennessee Board of Regents, which oversees TCATs among other post-secondary education opportunities, has proposed about $30 million for both construction and equipment. If approved as written the project would be completed by 2025.

For more information about TCAT Morristown, visit www.tcatmorristown.edu.

PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN

TCAT Morristown’s expansion into the Thomas Howard McNeese Educational Center last year provided practical experience for industrial electricity students, who helped work on the building and prepare classrooms for use.

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PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN

Industrial electricity students work on the Thomas Howard McNeese Educational Center to prepare it to serve as a TCAT Service Center.

Page 4D

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

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Saturday, March 19, 2022

Schools Ease Toward Normal In Second Year Of Pandemic

BY CICELY BABB STAFF WRITER

A

fter more than a year of pandemic-related disruptions and changes to the educational setting, local schools welcomed students back to a setting more closely resembling pre-pandemic normal in the fall.

Both Greene County and Greeneville City school systems altered schedules and teaching formats since the pandemic arrived in Tennessee in 2020, and at the start of 2021, both districts were preparing to expand in-person learning to four days a week.

Following changes in state law and a declaration in May

by Gov. Bill Lee that the pandemic was no longer an emergency, district leaders announced they were relaxing mask rules, first making them optional outdoors, and that when students returned for the fall 2021 semester, both would operate on a regular full-time schedule, in person, with mask use optional anywhere on school campuses.

While contact tracing duties statewide were defaulted to local health departments, the city school board voted in September for the district to resume conducting its own contact tracing and later reversed the decision to comply with state law.

Both districts were also granted Epidemiology Laboratory Capacity grants in the amounts of just under $300,000 for Greeneville City and a little under $1.04 million for Greene County.

The funds have been supporting in-school COVID-19 testing as well as nursing station renovations.

“Our goal is to keep kids in school. They need

SUN FILE PHOTO

Ashley Lawson, right, whose daughter started kindergarten in August, talks with EastView Elementary School secretary Connie Walsh at the start of the school year.

in-person learning,” said Coordinated School Health Supervisor for Greeneville City Schools Jeannie Woolsey, in September when the school board approved a contract for testing services and voted to resume contact tracing for COVID-19 cases as in 2020. “Nothing is perfect, but we need to be as effective as possible. If kids are sick, they need to stay home, and with this grant, all of the testing is free to parents and they don’t have to go somewhere else and pay a copay.”

Case numbers in schools, as reported on both districts’ websites each Monday for the previous week, have fluctuated along with surges of cases in the

community, but remained low through the end of the year compared to early 2022, when cases rose to multiple new highs before dropping again.

Local school systems also utilized federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding throughout the pandemic, approving plans for the third round of those grants last year.

Greeneville City Schools received $4.5 million in ESSER 3.0 funding. Greene County received $14.7 million and was recognized in February for investing at least half of that funding in student achievement, such as through tutoring programs.

SUN FILE PHOTO

Angelina Carlucci takes a photo of her daughter Giana Tobey on her first day of first grade.

BALLAD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3D

to address the national nursing shortage, with the U.S. federal government projecting, even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortfall of 800,000 nurses in 2020. This particular wage increase applied to a variety of nursing positions, including acute care registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPN), certified nursing assistants (CNAs) whose primary responsibility is direct inpatient care, scrub techs, longterm care LPNs and CNAs, clinic LPNs and certified medical assistants, behavioral health techs and telemetry techs,” Ballad said in a statement.

Still Ballad is looking to do more to bring more nurses into its hospitals.

“We’ve also focused a great deal of effort in recruiting new team members to Ballad Health, hosting drive-thru job fairs that allow candidates to learn about jobs, apply, be interviewed and receive job offers – all from their vehicles,” Ballad’s statement said.

As staffing shortages persisted in 2021, Ballad was forced to pay for expensive contract nurses also known as “travel nurses.”

Ballad said in October that prior to the pandemic, the system had fewer than 75 temporary contract nurses filling holes in its usual roster of 3,500 acute care nurses.

In August 2020, the number of contract nurses working in Ballad’s system had more than doubled to 150 contract nurses.

By August 2021, the number of contract nurses had reached 450.

According to Ballad, contract nurses typically work 13-week stretches and previously made double or triple the amount of money permanent staff nurses make.

However, as the pandemic progressed through 2021, Ballad was forced to pay travel nurses even more.

As hospitals across the country competed for contract nurses to fill their many open jobs, Ballad found itself having to pay

BALLAD HEALTH

National Guard members deployed to Ballad Health hospitals in August to assist amid the COVID-19 delta variant surge are seen at Johnson City Medical Center.

up to seven times as much as it normally would for contract nurses.

“With nurses burning out, staying home to care for family or quitting to become contract nurses themselves, Ballad Health has had no choice but to pay the additional wages,” Ballad said in a statement in October.

Ballad also required assistance from the National Guard during the delta surge of COVID-19.

In August, 20 National Guard members arrived at Johnson City Medical Center to assist medical staff, and in September an additional nine Guard members arrived to help the staff at Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport.

These National Guard members served in a variety of roles, evenly split between administrative and frontline care.

A COVID-19 vaccine mandate through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also applied more pressure to Ballad’s staffing concerns.

The mandate forced all health care employees in the United States, which includes all Ballad employees, to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

About 63% of Ballad’s employees had been fully vaccinated, and Ballad tried to put off the mandate as long as possible. How-

ever, as the CMS mandate deadline neared, all Ballad employees had to either be vaccinated or receive an exemption from the mandate

by Feb. 11 of 2022.

While Ballad Chief Executive Officer Alan Levine was initially worried that over 1,000 Ballad employees would have to be terminated only two weeks before the deadline, only 63 Ballad employees were put on unpaid leave as the vaccine deadline passed due to increased vaccinations and a liberal application of exemptions.

The health system also enacted crisis staffing in January during the omicron wave of COVID-19 in order to continue providing necessary services.

According to comments

by Levine in January, a crisis staffing declaration allowed the health system to follow guidance put forth by the Centers for Disease Control to have asymptomatic COVID-19 positive employees come back to work.

“Team members who are home, have tested positive, and are asymptomatic are going to be asked to come back to work and help out,” Levine said. “Team members who are positive and symptomatic, must be fever-free without the aid of fever-reducing medications for at least 24 hours.”

Those employees who

were COVID-19 positive and asked to return to work were not allowed to work in oncology departments, NICUs, labor and delivery units, or Niswonger Children’s Hospital.

Ballad was able to cease crisis staffing in late February.

In an effort to retain and recruit more employees,

particularly nurses, Ballad announced retention initiatives and bonuses in February.

The bonus is meant to show appreciation to employees who have worked on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Full-time Ballad employees who averaged 60 hours of work per two-week pay

period from July 4, 2021, through Jan. 31 will receive a bonus of $1,250.

A $750 portion of the bonus will be paid to those employees in March, with the remaining $500 being paid in July, according to Levine’s message.

Part-time Ballad employees will receive a bonus of $625. That bonus will paid in separate installments as well, with $375 being paid in March and $250 being paid in July.

In an additional message in February to Ballad employees, Ballad Chief Executive Officer Alan Levine said the health system will invest millions in the expansion of affordable childcare within the system and full scholarships for Ballad employees who pursue higher education in certain clinical disciplines.

As Ballad continues to work through staffing shortages, system officials asked for kindness, patience, and understanding.

“Above all, please remember to treat health care workers — and everyone around you — with grace and patience as we work through an unprecedentedly difficult time,” Ballad said in a statement in October.

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Page 5D

Greene County Endures COVID-19 Surges And Vaccine Hesitancy In 2021

BY SPENCER MORRELL STAFF WRITER

E

ven as COVID-19 vaccines became widely available in 2021, Greene County still endured two record setting COVID-19 waves in the latter part of the year.

COVID-19 vaccines became widely available in Greene County in the spring of 2021 and residents lined up at the former Greene Valley Developmental Center to receive their vaccines in a drive-through line.

However, as the summer season arrived, the rate at which Greene Countians were getting vaccinated began to taper off.

COVID-19 cases levels also began to drop as summer arrived, but low case levels would not last.

As the delta variant of COVID-19 swept through the nation, Greene County experienced a spike in COVID-19 cases beginning in late July that culminated in a new daily record for new COVID-19 cases in a day in the county in September.

On Sept. 10, Greene County recorded 244 new COVID-19 cases in a single day, which broke the previous single day record of 144 set in December of 2020 according to data provided by the Tennessee Department of Health.

As the delta surge began in late July, only about 34% of Greene County residents were fully vaccinated, and Ballad officials sounded the alarm that this low vaccination rate was driving up infections and hospitalizations in the region.

On Sept. 8 at the peak of the delta surge, Ballad was caring for a record number of COVID-19 patients with

TENN. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

This graph from the Tennessee Department of Health shows the magnitude of the delta spike of COVID-19 cases in the fall and the omicron spike in the winter compared to the previous lower surge in the winter of 2020.

SUN FILE PHOTO

Nurse Practitioner Tenicia Clark draws up a Pfizer vaccine during a clinic for students at Chuckey-Doak High School in May.

413 people in the region being hospitalized with the virus.

“The only way to get this to end is to get as many people vaccinated as possible,” Ballad Chief Infection Prevention Officer Jamie Swift said in a September press conference.

Ballad reported that 94% of the COVID-19 patients in the hospital in September were unvaccinated.

The delta surge did spark a bump in vaccinations in Greene County, and by midway through November, about 43% of the county had become fully vaccinated. That was about a 10% increase in a period of 3 months.

COVID-19 cases in the county also began to decline by November, but the arrival of the omicron variant in late December led to the largest and sharpest spike yet in the county’s COVID-19 case levels.

According to state data.

Greene County recorded

46 new COVID-19 cases on Dec. 20. One month later on Jan. 20, Greene County recorded 308 new COVID-19 cases in a day, breaking the daily record set in September.

A record surge of hospitalizations in Ballad facilities quickly followed.

By Feb. 7, Ballad was SUN FILE PHOTO caring for 454 COVID-19 patients in its hospitals, and People are seen lined up at a vaccine clinic at the Greene Valley Developmental Center in just as with the delta surge, March of 2021. most of those patients hospitalized with COVID-19 County residents lost their appointment is necessary. statement, while the antiviwere unvaccinated. lives to COVID-19 in 2021 However, those who prefer rals now available may help Ballad was caring for compared to 92 in 2020. to make an appointment treat COVID-19, vaccination 434 COVID-19 patients It was also the most can go to vaccinatetn.gov or is the best approach to on Feb. 9, and 84% of infectious year as both the call the Health Department prevent infection. those patients were delta and omicron variat 423-798-1749.

COVID-19 testing is unvaccinated. ants of the virus exhibited Adults ages 18 and older taking place at the counThe omicron surge themselves to be highly are eligible for all COVID-19 ty Health Department. receded almost as quickly contagious. vaccines while children PCR testing by a nurse is as it arrived as only about According to state data, ages 5 and older are eligible available 8:30-9:30 a.m. a month later, COVID-19 Greene County saw 15,352 for the Pfizer-BioNTech on Tuesdays. Self-testing levels in the county had COVID-19 cases in 2021 COVID-19 vaccine. kits are available at the dropped to the lowest levcompared to 5,641 cases The Health Department Greene County Health Deels they had been since late recorded in 2020. is also offering COVID-19 partment Monday through July 2021.

The Greene County vaccine booster shots to Friday.

It was the deadliest year Health Department at 810 those who are eligible.

The Health Department of the pandemic in Greene W. Church St. offers free According to the Tennes- is open 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

County as 196 Greene COVID-19 vaccines. No see Department of Health Monday through Friday.

ws.edu

Page 6D

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SUN FILE PHOTO

Ballad’s Senior Director of Addiction Services Dr. Michael Bermes speaks with judges and DAs during a tour of the Strong Futures facility in August.

Strong Futures Addiction Rehabilitation Program Opens In Greeneville

BY SPENCER MORRELL STAFF WRITER

B

allad Health’s Strong Futures residential rehabilitation program officially opened its doors Sept. 20 in Greeneville.

Strong Futures is an addiction rehabilitation program for mothers with children.

According to Ballad’s Senior Director of Addiction Services Dr. Michael Bermes, a woman must be a mother to be admitted to the residential program.

This also includes stepmothers, pregnant women,

or those who have had their children removed from the home but are working toward the goal of reunification.

The program is located on the remodeled fourth floor of the former Takoma Hospital.

During a tour of the facility in September, Bermes said it was important that the space feel different than other rehabilitation facilities. The focus is on having the residents feel as independent as possible by being able to do their own laundry and cook for themselves.

The fourth floor of the

former hospital was transformed into a residential space for up to 12 women.

Of the 12 rooms available, two are suites which have two rooms each, one room for a mother and one for a young child. The other 10 rooms can house a mother and an infant or toddler comfortably.

Each of the 12 rooms in the facility has a changing table, a small refrigerator, and a safe for the purpose of securing medication. In the two suites, the child’s bedroom has a bed and a crib. Cribs can also be placed in the other 10 rooms if needed.

Ballad’s Vice-President and CEO of Behavioral Health Services Tammy Albright said in September that keeping mothers and children together is a priority for the program.

“We want children to have the best life they can, and we want to give the mothers skills that will help them have a positive impact on the community,” Albright said.

Bermes agreed that the emphasis on family is what sets Strong Futures apart from other programs.

“This is all about the families,” Bermes said.

In addition to residential

rooms, the facility has two dayrooms for the relaxation and rest of the patients.

One dayroom is meant for mothers to use mainly by themselves to read and relax. The other dayroom is geared more towards the recreation of children. It contains toys and room for play.

Also included on the fourth floor is a large kitchen where instructors from the University of Tennessee Extension Office will come to teach residents how to cook. A laundry facility is also included where residents can do their own laundry as well as a study

room with computers so residents can work toward getting their GEDs or pursue other educational opportunities. There is also a common area where residents can eat and socialize with one another.

Albright compared the arrangement to living in a condo or dormitory, and Bermes said Ballad patterned the facility after the Ronald McDonald house in an effort to make the fourth floor of Takoma functional and comfortable.

The program was first announced by Ballad in SEE FUTURES ON PAGE 7D

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This banner adorned the front of the old Takoma Hospital building during the summer of 2021 as renovations were made to the fourth floor of the building to house the Strong Futures program.

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SUN FILE PHOTO SUN FILE PHOTO

Ballad’s Vice-President and CEO of Behavioral Health Services Tammy Albright shows a playroom designed for the children in the Strong Futures program.

Ballad’s Vice-President and CEO of Behavioral Health Services Tammy Albright shows the new kitchen on the fourth floor of the former Takoma Hospital during a tour of the Strong Futures facility in September.

FUTURES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6D

January 2021, and outpatient services for addicted mothers began in May while renovations to the fourth floor were completed.

According to Albright, four women who were being treated as outpatients were able to move into the facility in September.

Local judges from around the region toured the facility in August and were impressed with what they saw.

Criminal Court Judge Lisa Rice for district 1, which consists of Carter, Johnson, Unicoi and Washington counties, said she wanted judges across the 10-county service area Strong Futures serves to see the facility and learn about the program when she visited in August.

“We are always looking for assistance with housing and treatment programs, and this is a perfect solution for the people who want to change their lives,” Rice said. “We could probably fill it up today.”

According to Bermes, one-monthlong recovery programs serve a purpose, but for many they are not effective enough. Mothers can stay at the Strong Futures facility for up to 15 months and children can stay who are 5 or younger.

Strong Futures opened last year as part of the Niswonger Children’s Network and has served over 800 women and family members in its first year through its two-generational approach, according to Ballad.

The Strong Futures program serves Greene, Carter, Cocke, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington counties.

“Addiction is a cancer to our whole society. It creates disfunction, economic disaster and pain,” Bermes said in September. “It is our duty to provide this service to the community.”

SUN FILE PHOTO

Women in the Strong Futures program will stay in bedrooms such as this one.

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Page 8D

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Saturday, March 19, 2022

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Tusculum University Remains Active, Grows In 2021 and Nicole Bailey, designed a mural that has been placed in the Greene Couns the first instity YMCA. tution of higher The university has moved education in Ten- forward with two key ininessee, Tusculum tiatives it identified in 2021 University is honored to call – restarting the Tusculum Greene County home and music program and hiring a is proud to continue to play full-time campus minister. a vital role in the strength Tusculum chose Dr. and quality of life in the David Gonzalez as the community. director of bands, and For more than two centu- he has moved swiftly to ries, Tusculum has provided incorporate music into an outstanding education, campus life. The Tusculum made a significant ecoBand entertained with its nomic impact, attracted first formal performance in students and faculty from December and supported all corners of the country many events, including and world, performed com- Hummel’s inaugural dinner munity service, provided and the Farm to Table dinculture and entertainment ner during Homecoming. and prepared career-ready Gonzalez also assembled professionals. Even in the the Pep Band, which permidst of the pandemic, formed at home men’s and this past year has been no women’s basketball games. exception.

Long-term plans include “We value our engagethe startup of the Pioneer ment with the community Marching Band. and appreciate the support The university is on the we receive in return,” said verge of hiring a campus Tusculum students work on a footbridge during Nettie Day. Dr. Scott Hummel, Tuscuminister who will build on lum’s president. “We are the university’s Presbyteriespecially proud of the con- an heritage to help stutributions our faculty, staff dents, faculty and staff grow and students have made to in their faith. This individuunderstanding and serving al will strengthen the caring our county.”

Christian environment of In the summer, faculty the university as it minismembers from Tusculum’s ters to all regardless of a History Department emperson’s faith tradition. phasized the importance of Hummel and faculty and Greene County by presentstaff members have worked ing a fascinating six-part closely with local churches series. “A History of Greene to increase their connecCounty in Six Objects” was tions with the university well-received and might be through the “adoption” the largest class ever held of athletic teams, service at Tusculum, with 240 reg- as chapel speakers, and proistrants from the university vision of lunch for new stuand the community. dents and their families in Tusculum student August during the Pioneer Samantha Nelson studied Welcome Orientation Week. burley tobacco’s impact on Now in its 228th year, the identity of the Horse Tusculum remains a Creek community in Greene pioneer in education. A County. As part of an primary example is the update to a 1980s research research undergraduate project on that part of biology and chemistry Greene County, a group students are conducting on of students and faculty anti-cancer drugs. Many members are reaching out faculty members are ento residents in the Horse gaged in research initiatives Creek community to hear as well, and the inclusion of their stories. Furthermore, SEE TUSCULUM ON PAGE 9D The Tusculum Band performs in the Marilyn duBrisk Theatre of Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center. two students, Lilliana Gall

BY JIM WOZNIAK

TUSCULUM UNIVERSITY

A

PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN

PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN

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Page 9D

PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN

Tusculum University’s Pep Band performs at a basketball game.

PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN

From left, Dr. Peter Noll, Maggie Vickers, Samantha Nelson and Dr. Katherine Everhart look at a map of Horse Creek as they explore the community.

TUSCULUM

include a Bachelor of Arts program in arts outreach CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8D administration; a Bachelor of Arts in communication, with students demonstrates the concentrations in theatre importance the university and arts outreach adminisplaces on active and experi- tration; a Bachelor of Science ential learning. program in sport science The university continues to pre-physical therapy/occuadd academic programs to its pational therapy; concen60 majors and minors. These trations in historic tourism

and museum studies for a history degree, industrial organization for psychology, museum studies for art and design and mathematics education for grades 6-10 for mathematics; and minors in African-American studies and music.

Tusculum also added a Master of Science in entre-

PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN

The Tusculum Band performs at the Farm to Table event.

preneurial leadership to the College of Business’ graduate roster. During the last two years, Tusculum has introduced 19 new concentrations to its Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees.

“The value of a Tusculum education is enormous because of its impact on our students and the commu-

nity,” Hummel said. “Many generous individuals have stepped forward to help our students succeed, and we are grateful for the support.

Several donors have recently established scholarships specifically for Greene County students. Others are making it possible to build a new wellness center on

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“We encourage people to continue investing in our students through philanthropy and to remain involved with the university.

Working together, we will positively impact the community’s quality of life and equip the next generation of leaders for success.”

Page 10D

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Walters State Community College Saw Growth In 2021

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Saturday, March 19, 2022

Nursing Home Guide

BY DEBRA WILLIAMS WALTERS STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

W

alters State Community College celebrated four commencement ceremonies in 2021, awarding 1,320 associate degrees and technical certificates. While ceremonies were socially distanced for safety, students enjoyed the traditional walk across the stage to signify the end of one chapter of life and the beginning of the next.

As the pandemic continued, Walters State was challenged to devise new methods for serving students and the community. As a result, the college grew in many new areas that will serve to strengthen its mission for generations to come.

The growth of 2021 began with the January opening of the Walters State Newport Center. The center offers both credit and noncredit courses.

Through a partnership with the City of Newport, the Cocke County Partnership and the college, the center was able to locate in the historic Tanner Building. Attendance at the center has grown steadily Deidre’ Kyle throughout the year.

The college also added an exciting, new program to its list of 150 majors.

The Digital Media Program includes visual effects and motion graphics, principles of game design, principles of digital animation and principles of visualization. Students earning the Associate of Science in Digital Media will be able to transfer seamlessly into the bachelor’s program at East Tennessee State University.

“This degree began with requests from our stuCandace Justice dents,” Dr. Tony Miksa, president of Walters State, said. “The skills learned through this degree are needed in the workplace and our students are excited about meeting that need.”

Digital media degrees often lead to careers as special effects artists, animators, modelers, game designers and in fields such as public relations and marketing.

Walters State’s apprenticeship program grew as more employers became interested in this unique training model. The Division of Workforce Training worked with the Tennessee Department of Labor to launch apprenticeship programs in the previous year. Students learn through noncredit courses, credit courses and onthe-job experience. Students are considered full-time employees and receive pay during the training. Many apprentices move into leadership roles after graduation.

Manufacturing and hospitality are two areas where apprenticeships are gaining in popularity.

Walters State employees were recognized for excellence.

Deidre’ Kyle, director of student success and recruitment for the Niswonger Campus, was one of 21 educators in Tennessee to be named a Maxine Smith Fellow.

The Maxine Smith Fellows program provides professional development, training and advancement opportunities for participants from traditionally underrepresented groups at Tennessee’s locally governed public universities and the community and technical colleges governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents. Members meet monthly for a year.

“I am very excited to part of the 2021-2022 Maxine Fellows Program class,” Kyle said. “Our focus for the next year is increasing the success rate of Black males.

I am looking forward to growing my leadership abilities and I also hope to see personal growth.”

“Most of all, I hope to be able to share what I learn with my co-workers at Walters State. People helped me along my way through college and I want to use what I know to help others.”

Candace Justice, director of instructional design at the college, was named the SOAR (Statewide Outstanding Achievement and Recognition) Community College Faculty Member of the Year. The award is given by the Tennessee Board of Regents. Justice trains faculty members in online and other nontraditional delivery methods. Justice’s department trained over 1,000 faculty members when the college had to move all classes online.

“Community colleges offer education to a variety of students,” Justice said. “We are able to make a college education affordable for many. As an instructor here, I have the opportunity to make a lasting impact on students and that’s why I teach here.”

International and cultural events remained popular with both students and community members. Many became virtual events, enabling a completely new audience to enjoy productions.

The popular “Mildred Haun Conference” became a virtual conference in February 2021. Events were held throughout the month with attendees watching from other countries and throughout the United States. Acclaimed author Dr. Karen Saylors McElmurray delivered the keynote speech. The conference returned to the first weekend of February in 2022. The conference honors the late Mildred Haun, author of “The Hawk’s Done Gone,” and celebrates Appalachian literature, scholarship and culture.

The Walters State Student Gallery exhibit was also SEE GROWTH ON PAGE 11D

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GROWTH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10D

moved online. Future student exhibits may offer both an online presence and the traditional viewing in the Catron Art Gallery.

Choral and theatrical performances also returned to the stage, as did many of the college’s bands.

Due to the nature of instruction, some programs could not be moved online. Graduates of these programs proved key to East Tennessee’s successful response to COVID-19. Four classes graduated from the Walters State Basic Law Enforcement Academy, which is located on the Niswonger Campus. Classes in nursing, occupational therapy assistant, physical therapist assistant and respiratory care continued in Greeneville with support from clinical locations across the region.

Registration for summer and fall semester begins April 4. For more information, email Senators Central at senatorscentral@ ws.edu.

PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN

The Walters State Community College Niswonger Campus in Greeneville is seen in this aerial photo.

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