NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Building on the impact of their initial gift, the family of the late pioneering cardiac surgeon Dr. Levi Watkins Jr. has committed an additional $500,000 to the Dr. Levi Watkins Jr. Institute at Tennessee State University. Prior to the check presentation, President Dwayne Tucker affixes his signature to the Watkins family’s new commitment, as Dr. Annie Marie Watkins Garraway, and TSU Foundation Board President, Dr. Laveil Allen look on. (Photo by Aaron Grayson) The new contribution brings the family’s total investment in the institute to $1 million, securing an enduring academic pipeline for underrepresented students…
Author: Emmanuel Freeman
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – When Dr. Kisha Bryan-Jordan was a young girl growing up in St. Helena Island, South Carolina, her professional aspirations didn’t shift with the visual trends of the day. While others cycled through dynamic career goals, her destination remained resolute: she wanted to be a teacher. Now an associate professor of Education Practice and Leadership at Tennessee State University, Bryan-Jordan has spent over two decades following that singular vision. Her journey has taken her from middle school classrooms to guiding future educators in higher education, and now, across oceans. Following her selection by the Fulbright Foreign…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The atmosphere across the campus was nothing short of electric last week. Music echoed near residence halls, golf carts zoomed across campus lawns loaded with suitcases, and smiles as hundreds of incoming Big Blue Tigers officially made TSU their new home. The annual move-in tradition was special this year as the university celebrates a massive resurgence in enrollment. Hundreds check into Wilson Hall on the first Day of Freshman Move-in at Tennessee State University. (Photo by PR & Communications) For the incoming students arriving on campus, settling into their residence halls was the realization…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – What began as a teenager’s dream of becoming a veterinarian, or even an underwater welder, ultimately led Dr. Veronica Oates to a nationally recognized career in nutrition, public health, and higher education. Dr. Veronica Oates says she initially wanted to be an underwater welder because of her love of swimming. professor in the Department of Human Sciences at Tennessee State University, has been named a recipient of the prestigious Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics National Education Practice Award. The award is one of the profession’s highest honors, recognizing her outstanding service, leadership, and contributions to nutrition…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – When Steffanie Rivers walked across the graduation stage at Tennessee State University in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications, she viewed the world through the lens of a traditional storyteller. Decades later, she is looking at the world from an entirely different angle – hundreds of feet in the air, captured by the high-tech sensors of unmanned aircraft systems. St photo) As the fAs the first Black woman to launch and register a commercial drone academy in Texas, Rivers has built a trailblazing career at the intersection of emerging technology, journalism, and workforce…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State’s Aaron Nkruma has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Denver Nuggets, earning an opportunity to compete for an NBA roster spot after completing one of the most accomplished seasons in program history. The agreement comes immediately following the 2026 NBA Draft and marks the next step in a pre-draft journey that transformed Nkrumah from an overlooked prospect into one of the most compelling stories of the offseason. An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year, non-guaranteed NBA agreement that allows players to compete during training camp and can be converted into a two-way contract. For…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University has officially launched its summer-long New Student Orientation program, running weekly from May 19 through August 11, amid an unprecedented surge in incoming enrollment. Driven by an aggressive, university-wide recruitment strategy, TSU is currently projecting a Fall 2026 incoming freshman and transfer class of between 1,600 and 1,800 students if current trends hold, a massive leap from the nearly 500 students at this time last year. Dr. Eric Stokes The excitement surrounding this historic turnaround is best felt through the voices of the incoming students. Among the new class is a tight-knit…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News) – Tennessee State University marked a historic milestone April 21 as university officials, state legislators, and community stakeholders gathered in the heart of campus for the groundbreaking of a state-of-the-art $60 million engineering facility. Designed to elevate the student experience through immersive, hands-on learning, the nearly 70,000-square-foot building is intended to be an interdisciplinary hub for innovation and workforce readiness. President Dwayne Tucker says the new facility will give students hands-on experiences that mirror what industries offer. (Photo by Aaron Grayson) The facility, funded by the State of Tennessee, will be constructed on the site of the…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – When the processional music begins at Tennessee State University’s Spring 2026 Commencement on May 1, one graduate will embody the university’s motto of “Think. Work. Serve.” In a way, that spans nearly nine decades. Dr. Charles Whitman Dabbs Charles Whitman Dabbs, 85, will walk across the stage at the Gentry Center Complex to receive his Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership, proving that the pursuit of knowledge has no expiration date. Dabbs is one of nearly 1,400 graduates, the university’s largest class in several years that will be honored during the two-day ceremony on…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – For the first time in more than three decades, Tennessee State University men’s basketball is headed to the NCAA Tournament. President Dwayne Tucker, middle, and Athletics Director Mikki Allen, left, congratulate Coach Nolan Smith on winning the OVC championship. (TSU Athletics) The Tigers (23-9) captured the 2026 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship on March 7 with a commanding 93–67 victory over Morehead State at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, securing the league’s automatic bid to March Madness and ending a 32-year drought for the program. The TSU community will have an opportunity to celebrate…