NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Thousands of alumni, students, and community members will gather in Music City from Oct. 11 to Oct. 17 as Tennessee State University hosts its 2026 Homecoming celebration under the theme “The Blue Never Fades.” The weeklong celebration of academic legacy, HBCU culture, and athletics will culminate on Saturday, Oct. 17, when the Big Blue Tigers take on the Morgan State University Bears at Nissan Stadium. “We are thrilled to welcome our Big Blue family back home to celebrate our rich traditions, outstanding achievements, and the lifelong bonds that connect us across generations,” said Jerome Oglesby,…
Author: Emmanuel Freeman
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University’s College of Engineering, in collaboration with the TSU SMART AI Innovation Technology Center, has been awarded a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to transform undergraduate STEM education through artificial intelligence and hands-on research. Sanaiya Choute The five-year initiative, titled “Implementation Project: Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Research-Based Experiential Learning into STEM Curriculum to Enhance Education and Student Retention,” runs from 2026 to 2031. It aims to build a coordinated, stage-based engineering pathway from pre-freshman through senior year to boost math readiness, course success, and workforce preparation. The multimillion-dollar investment directly…
By Ella Clark, TSU Athletics HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (TSU News Service) – The Tennessee State men’s cross-country team overcame a lengthy weather delay and an altered race format to claim the team title at the Legacy Series Invite Sept. 11 at John Hunt Park. The men’s race was originally scheduled as an 8K, but inclement weather halted competition with approximately two miles remaining. After a delay of nearly two hours, the race was reset as a 5K and run alongside the women’s 5K. TSU responded to the disruption by placing five runners inside the top 10 and finishing with 32 points to secure the team…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University, in collaboration with the Office of International Programs and Academic Global Engagement (IPAGE) and the U.S. Department of State, will host a two-day, community-wide Passport Fair to help students, faculty, staff, and local residents apply for or renew their U.S. passports. The event is designed to break down geographic and administrative barriers to global travel, bringing U.S. Department of State officials directly onto TSU’s campuses to process passport applications on-site. The fair will take place on Sept. 16 in Training Room-2 at the Avon Williams Campus from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,…
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…
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…