Santa's Villageruns Dec. 8-11at ag complex

Christmas is coming soonand that means Santa'sVillage is, too.

The 32nd annual eventis scheduled for Dec. 8-ll at the Ned McWherterAgricultural Complex onthe University of Tennesseeat Martin campus.

The doors will be openDec. 8-9 from 6-9 P.m.,Dec. 10 from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.and Dec. 1l from 1-5 P.m.

Admission to the event isfree, but attendees are askedto bring $5 worth of nonper-ishable food and/or toYs.

istealso help meet the needsof the less fortunate in thearea.

The annual holidaYevent has drawn more than323,728 visitors and collect-ed more than $1,145,136 infood and toy donations overthe past three decades.

This year's event willfeature the traditional"enchanted forest" disPlaYwith thousands of lights.

Some other featuresof the event include vis-its with Santa, a Pettingfarm. amusement rides andarts and crafts and vendorbooths. WLJT's Jet from"Ready, Jet, Go!" will be aspecial guest Dec. 10 from1-4 pm.

Co-sponsors for the eventare UT Martin and the CitYof Martin, along with manYother communitY Partners.Additional sponsors includeZaxby's, Casey's GeneralStore, Simmons Bank,MTD Products and SavantLearning Systems, amongothers.

For more information,contact Marlin Parks andRecreation at (73I) 587-6184.

THE LAUDERDALE COUNTY ENTERPRISE

DECEMBER 1,2016

Cuest SPe aker

DR. SIMPFRONIA TAYLOR, center' director atthe

UT Martin Center, was the guest speaker Novem-

ber 17th for the bi-monthly meeting of the Lau-

a"rOuf " County Exchange Club at the Carl Perkins

Center. Dr. Taylor spoke about the direction the

center is taking to increase class sizes' by offering

a more diverse array of options for students' She

has worked for over seven years for the University

of Tennessee and has a doctor of education degree

from the University of Ceorgia' She is a 5-12 edu-

cator and middle school educator in the State of

Ceorgia, working as a principal at a private school

and tr"aining educators in Ceorgia and Tennessee'

Ot. i"Vf"t"spoke about all the classes offered at

,n" ."n,"t for traditional and non-traditional stu-

J"nu. She has authorecl a book, Teacher Efficacy:

Overcoming Barriers to Computer Instruction ' For

more information, call the center al 221-8778'

Sn" l, pictured with Exchangite Annette Sanders

tong, l"ft, and Patrick Cayson, club president'

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER I, 2016

HIGH RANKING - UTM was ranl<ed seventh in a survey of best online colleges inTennessee.

UT Martin offers six un-dergraduate programs com:pletely online, as well asan online degree-comple-tion program for veterinarytechnicians. Four master'sdegrees are also availableto distance leamers, includ-ing three Master of Sciencedegrees and the Master ofBusiness Administrationwith either a business or anagricultural focus.

UT Marlin's onlinemaster's degree in agricul-ture and natural resources.focusing on agribusinessand risk management, wasrecently named one of the"Top 20 Most AffordableOnline Master's in Ag-riculture Business/Agri-business" for 2016-17 byGradSchoolHub.com. Theprogram is ranked numbereight on the list. making itthe highest-ranked Tennes-see school in the listing,

Placements in this rank-ing were determined bycomparing information on

graduate fuition aqd, feesfrom the National Centerfor Education StatisticsCollege Navigator for ac-credited colleges and uni-versities offering onlinemaster's degrees in agri-cultural business or relatedfields.

For more information ononline programs, contactUT Martin Online ar 73I-88 1 -7080.

UTM online programranked seventh in Tennessee

The University of Ten-nessee at Martinls onlinecourse offerings have re-cently received attention atboth the graduate and un-dergraduate levels. Afford-ableCol legeCommun ity.org ranked UT Martin's on-line programs number sev-en on the website's list ofthe "Best Online Collegesin Tennessee for 2016-11 ."UT Martin comes in abovethe University of Tennes-see, Knoxville and theUniversity of Tennessee atChattanooga, ranked 13thand l4th respectively.

Institutions must be ful-ly-accredited and offer atleast three online degreeprograms to be consideredlor this listing. The rankingconsidered a variety ol iac-tors, including tuition andfees at both the graduateand undergraduate levels,types of available programs,graduate rates, scholarshipavailability and job-place-ment serrytces.

UTM broadcasterinducted into HOF

MURFREESBORO -(AP) - Five current and formerbroadcasters will be inducted into the Tennessee Journal-ism Hall of Fame Dec. 8 in Murfreesboro.

was press secretary for Tennessee Gov. Buford Elling-tonin tha 1960s;John D. Hood, who worked in radio in Mur-freesboro in the 1940s and 1950s and is a fotmer state

representative; and Darrell Patterson, an Athens nativewho worked in radio and TV, and was sports director at

WTVC-TV in Chattanooga.Also to be inducted is the late Monte Hale, who worked

at WGNS radio in Murfreesboro and was the voice of theMiddle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders fromI 961- 1 980. He died from cancer at age 42 in 1982.

The Hall of Fame is housed at MTSU.

Locals attendworkshoPon entrepreneurshiP

Recently the six-weekSkyhawk EntrepreneurialVision Workshop seriesconcluded. The series wassponsored by the Norlh-west Tennessee EntrePre-neur Center. and its col-laborative paftners, LaunchTennessee, the NofihwestTennessee Angel Fund,University of TennesseeMarlin Gil Parker Chair ofExcellence from the Col-lege of Agriculture andApplied Sciences, and theUT Martin Tom E. HendrixChair of Excelience in FreeEnterprise from the Collegeoi Global Affairs and Busi-ness Administration.

Over 80 entrepreneurialminded people participatedin the series of workshoPs.Each workshop was de-signed to provide a work-able solution about howa business concept couldgrow into a sustainablecompany. Workshops in-cluded subjects such as

how to define the purPoseof your business: definingyourself and your market;hd\i'' to 'fdtrti your businessfbr investors; what is intel-lectual propefiy; how aninvestor might look at your

business; and how to telland sell your story.

Frank Holbrook. Presi-dent of the Norlhwest Ten-nessee Angel Fund, sajd,"This series brought to-gether true subject matterexperts and created valu-able regional resource thatequipped entrepreneurswith the building blocks fora successful staft- uP."

Parlicipant Julie Smithcommented that. ""Thespeaker's presentation(William Donnell) was veryvaluable and made me thinkabout if I really wanted tostart a business."

Each high-energy. inspi-rational and informativesession was led by Mid-South business expefis in-cluding William Donnell -

UTM graduate and founderof Sodium Halogen; ChuckDoss - UTM graduate andowner of Inco Ag Irrigation;Frank Holbrook - presidentof the NWTN Angel Fund;UTM graduate David Harlfrom Alexander, ThomP-son & Arnold; David Reed,Clifford Ragsdale LamarII - Attorney for ButlerSnow; Richard Magid lromthe Memphis UT Research

Foundation; Jim Cochran- the CEO/Principal fromValley Mew Agri-SYs-tems; Mike Craft - theCFO from VaIIey ViewAgri-Systems; and CarolReed - executive directorof the Norlhwest TN En-trepreneur Center.

A surprise guest sPeak-er was Tom E. Hendrix,benefactor of the Tom E.Hendrix Chair of Excel-lence in Free Enterpriseposition at UTM.

Participant TamaraBeard, commented that"the information was veryvaluable and the speakersbroke down complex in-formation into easier tounderstand Ianguage."

Another six-week ses-sion will begin in Feb-ruary 2Ol1 . For moreinformation, pleasevisit ntecconnect.comor contact Carol Reed,Executive Director,Northwest Tennessee En-trepreneur Center, carol.reed@nwtdd.org or call731.581.4213 ext.275.

This project is fundedunder an agreement withLaunch Tennessee and/orthe State ofTennessee.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1. 2016

LEARNING THE ROPES - William Donnell of Sodium Halogen, who is a UTMalumnus, was among the presenters at the recent Skyhawk Entrepreneurial Workshop.

Retired professorprovides a newperspective onNathan B. ForrestBy LINDA THURSTONPress Editor

To some, he is the em-bodiment of racism in theSouth in the 19th century;a slave trader who becameone of the founders of theKu Klux Klan.

To others, he was a bril-liant military strategist.

In fact, he was both.A Martin retired profes-

sor has chosen to focus onthe military career of Na-than Bedford Forrest.

Dr. Lonnie Maness,professor emeritus at theUniversity of Tennessee atMartin, said he felt Forresthad been unfairly depictedby many historians, and hisgoal was to bring a new per-spectlve.

"Forrest: On the Way ToFort Pillow" follows theTennessean's path fromChickamauga to the captureof Fort Pillow, just north ofMemphis. Often referredto as the Fort Pillow Mas-sacre, Forrest's final vic-tory remains shrouded incontroversy. Historianshave charged him with tak-ing black Union soldierscaptive and then executingthem.

An estimated 230 Federaltroops were killed, but Con-federate soldiers' eyewit-ness accounts are muddyabout Forrest's involvementin the deaths.

In his book Manessbrings forth new ideas andinterpretations on some as-pects of Forrest's career.Forrest was considered bymost historians and militaryfigures to be an untutoredmilitary genius. Maness de-tails the general's path skir-mish by battle, through thedelta region of Mississippiand throughout westernTennessee.

"Forrest's deep penetra-tion movements werci mas-terpieces of strategy and tac-tics," Maness writes. "Thiswas true of his Middle Ten-nessee raid during the sum-mer of 1862, which helpedpave the way for Bragg'sinvasion of Kentucky, theWest Tennessee raid duringDecember 1862, the recruit-ing raid from March to Mayof 1864, his Middle Tennes-see raid that occurred afterthe fall of Atlanta, and hisJohnsonville raid. These

Snr PROFESSOR,Pncn ro

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER I, 2016

PROFESSOR,Fnou Pl.cn rdeep penetrations behindenemy lines may be char-acterrzed as the dawn oflightning warfare, a type ofwarfare that was used on alarge scale and with greatsuccess during World WarII."

In fact, Forrest scoffedat leaders who studied warmore than they practiced itwith success.

"Whenever I met one ofthem fellers that fit by note,I generally whipped hellout of him before he gothis tune pitched," Manessquotes Forrest, citing an-other author's work.

Historians say GeneralWilliam T. Sherman calledhim "that devil Forrest,"but also acknowledged,"After all, I think Forrest

was the most remarkableman our civil war producedon either side."

Maness manages to pro-vide a new perspective onthis man of rn-any faces.

And as, historian JacWeller has said, "Profes-sional soldiers will do wellto continue to study For-rest; military historiansyet unborn will considerand reconsider his placein fame; and Americans ofyesterday, today and tomor-row can take pride in a greatnative hero."

Nathan Bedford Forrestwas born in Chapel Hill inBedford County, and is bur-ied in Memphis, althoughhis remains are slated to beremoved from his epony-mous park in Midtown toElmwood Cemetery, amidmuch controversy.

NATIIANBEDFORI)FORREST

Forrest: On the Way ToFort Pillow" sells for $24plus postage and handling.

Dr. Lonnie Maness canbe contacted at 13I-587-3630 or by email at lman-ess @frontiemet.net.

htp ://www.thunderboltradio'com/

UT-Martin Professor to Perform with Mannheim

SteamrollerPosted on Decembe r 1' 2016 by Charles Choate in Local News

oneofthelongestrunningtoursinthemusicindustrywillfeatureaUT-Martinprofessorduringalocalstop

The Mannheim Steamroller christmas Tour wtll perform next wednesday in Paducah' and Dr Doug

Owens will be on stage with the group

DrowensistheassociateprofessorofmusicatUT-Martin,andmadeaprevlousappearancewiththegroup during a tour in 2014

Mannheim Steamroller,s 32nd Christmas tour includes more than 70 stops, and features a collection of

musicians working under the founder' Chip Davis

ThelocalconcertwilltakeplaceattheCarsonCenterstartingalTlS

.

Santa's Village returns to Martin Dec. 8-77 ;,

'lwinkliug lights and reindeer and/or toys to be distributed to Jet, Go!" wilt be o .pecial gueribells lvill soon return to Mar- needy area families. from l-4 p.m., Dec. 10.

tin for the 32nd annual Santa's Overthe pastthreeclecades, the UTM and the city of MartinVillage celebration Dec. 8-l I in annual holiday event has dlawn co-sponsor the event each year:,

theNedMcWherterAgricultural more than 323,778 visitors and along with many other commu:Complex on the rnain carnpus of collected more than $1,145.136 nity partners. Additional spon"UT at Marlin. in food and toy donations. l-his sol's to date include Zaxby'si

The doors will be open tiom year's event will feature the Casey'sGeneral Store,Simmons6-9 p.m., Dec. 8-9; 1l a.m.-9 traditional "enchanted forest" Bank,MTDhoducts,arrdSavantp.m., Dec. 10; and 1-5 p.m., Dec. display, as well as a petting farm, Learning Systems, anrong others.

11. Admission to the event is free, amusement rides, vendor booths For more inforrnation, crontasfbut attendees are asked to bring and visits with Santa Claus hinr- the Mafiin Office of Parks and$5 worth of nonperishable food self. "Jet" from WLIT's "Ready, Recreation aI73l-387-6784. ,

http ://www. robertsoncountyconnecti on. c om/

Local residents attend UT Martin Fall Preview Day

Friday, December 2.201612:08 am

Jack Smithson (center), a senior at DavidsonAcademy, attended the University of Tennessee at

Martin's Fall Preview Day on Nov. 12. This event isheld to inform prospective students about academicprograms, financial aid, scholarships, housing and

student life at UT Martin. Smithson is pictured withhis parents, Jeff (UT Martin'93) and Susan (UTMartin'90) Smithson. For more information aboutUT Martin or to schedule a campus tour, visitutrn.edu/advantage.

http : //www.thunderboltradio. com/

o'Miss UT:Martin'o Helps Chimes for CharityPosted on Ile;errrber 6 7a 16 by charles choate Lrl Local News

l,4rss L.lT lv4artrn' Brenna Wiikins was in her h':nreiowii of Uniotr Crty ast vreek to assisi the coili'r:i on of

food and tc'ys for Cirimes fof Chartty

Mrss Wilkrns ts a llnror at Uf-Martlrr and ls nraloringl tn sociai wolk

Diiring her volitnteer wor-k a1 il.:e coirrthcrdse last Frrcla'y she tcld Thuitd-.rbolt Ner,vs thal sfre v;as excttedto help rrr the corrrnrr.tntty afld vias aireaii'y preparirq for the "Mrss-lennessee Pageart ne>lt yeat

Mtss Wiii<.irrs satrl sfie v/as sltoclr.aai ai ,,vrr:rr;nq tne lli'i'"4;i'tttt ltuwn wlitch aarrtt: aiter persLiaslcn ircttr

another pac.lea n1 conteslani

As |VisS UI-hlartrn' forthe next V,oar llltss Wiikrns satd she wrll irse ilie Opporturrities ti, t)tor|oi| iei'plartfornr of depressr,:n aird slticide l,r ri,;iiege ca'Irptrses

UT Martin no longer on accreditation probationntblished: fuesday, Dercmber 6th 2016, l:24 pm CSIUpdated: Tuesday, Decenber Oth 2016, t:24 pn csr http://WWW.kfVS 1 2.COmWritten by Alycia Dobrinick, Digital Content Executiue Producer coNNEcI

IVARTIN, TN (KFVS) - The University of Tennessee at Martin is no longer on accreditation probation with the Southern Association of Colleges andSchools Commission on Colleges.

UT Martin was placed on a '12-month academic probation in December 2015 because the university did not comply with five of the 92 accreditationstandards, according to a release from the university.

'While I must congratulate UT l\4artin on successfullyaddressingthe matters raised bythe Southern Association of Colleges and SchoolsCommission on Colleges, I neverfor a moment doubted that successwould bethe outcome," said Dr.Joe DiPietro, University of Tennesseepresident. "The UT lvlartin faculty, staff, students and administration, underthe exceptional leadership of lnterim Chancellor Bob Smith, committedthemselves tirelessly with a Herculean effort and an jncredible sense of teamwork to ensure all concerns were resolved, and their hard work haspaid offwith the return oftheirfull accreditation status. No doubt, I am very proud oftheir accomplishment."

A team from SACSCOC was on campus Oct. 4-6 for a follow up and made no recommendations for further action.

School leaders have put together a long-term plan to ensure something like this doesn't happen again

TtE Pdrr'$d{

&$ffi5 $,Ys

UT Martin removed fromaccreditation probation statusDecember6,2016by LEyqryIne$

N ews Staff (http ://www.wbbltv. com/)

MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin is now officially removedfrom probationary status.

://www.w

v 16t12tUT

itation.ipq)The southern Association ofolleges and Schools Commission on

leges has officially removed the school fromtionary status, according to a release

from UTM.

The announcement came during the final day of the 2016 SACSCOC annualmeeting held Dec. 3-6 in Atlanta, according to the release.

UT Martin was notified in Decembe r 2015 of the commission's decision to placethe school on a 12-month academic probation based on the university's failure tocomply with five of the 92 accreditation standards, according to the release.

The UTM faculty members, administrators and support staff have made changesin the campus atmosphere and documentation surrounding assessment andstudent outcomes, the release states.

The school also has a long-term plan in place to ensure the issue doesn't happenagain, according to the release.

tHE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6,2016

FACULTY SCHOLAR - Dr. Nancy Buschhaus(second from left), professor of biology at the Uni-versity ofTennessee at Martin, has been selectedas the university's Featurbd Faculty Scholar forthe fall 2016 semester. She is pictured with (from

right) Dr. Richard Helgeson, dean, UT Martin Col-lege of Engineering and Natural Sciences; Dr.JeraldOgg, vice chancellor for academic affairs; and Dr.

Jennifer Greenwood, interim chair: UT Martin De-partment of Biological Sciences.

FACULTgFnolr Pecn Brcluding small non-gamewildlife such as birds, batsand other small mammals,are using steep-sided live-stock water troughs as wa-

ter sources. The study willinclude farms across sev-eral states east of the Mis-sissippi River and involvesgathering data through fleldobservations, and surveysof agency personnel and

livestock producers.For more information

on the Buschhaus's work,contact her directly as 731-881-1177 or by email atnbuschha@utm.edu.

Buschhaus named Faculty ScholarDr. Nancy Busch-

haus, professor of bi-ology at the Universityof Tennessee at Martin.has been selected as theuniversity's FeaturedFaculty Scholar for thefall 201 6 semester. A se-lection of Buschhaus'sprofessional work ison display in the PaulMeek Library and openfor public viewing.

The Featured FacultyScholar award, institut-ed during the 1996-91academic year by theUT Martin Academic

Council, is designed torecognize faculty mem-bers whose researchand creative works arejudged to be amongthe most prestigious ofthose produced by indi-viduals at UT Martin.

Buschhaus started hercareer with UT Martinin 1997 as an assistantprofessor in the depart-ment of biological sci-ences. She is now a fullprofessor with tenurestatus and has givenmore than 25 profes-sional presentations

since 2007, a majorityof those with the assis-tance of undergraduateresearch students. Bus-chhaus received bothbachelor's and master'sdegrees in zoologyfrom Miami Universityin Oxford, Ohio, and a

doctoral degree fromOhio State University.

Her current researchprimarily focuses onbat populations andvariations, and she is a

member of Bat Conser-vation International, theSoutheast Bat Working

Group and the MidwestBat Working Group.The UT Martin Deparl-ment of Biological Sci-ences recently receiveda grant from Bat Con-servation Internationalto study wildlife usageof livestock troughs,and Buschhaus willserve as project direc-tor.

This grant, totalingmore than $64,000,will be used to examinewhether wildlife, in-

Snr FACULTY,. Pl.cp Brz

OWENS TO PER.FORM - The MannheimSteamroller Christmas Tour:one of the longest-qunningtours in the music indus-try, comes to the CarsonCenter in Paducah, Ky., onWednesday and Dr. DougOwens, associate professorof music at the Universityof Tennessee at Martin, willbe on stage with the group.Mannheim Steamroller's32nd Christmas tour in-cludes more than 70 stopsacross the country fromNov. l5-Dec. 30. As a col-lective of musicians worl<-ing under the direction offounder Chip Davis, thegroup calls independentmusicians as needed tocomplete their ensemble.Owens per{ormed with thegroup once before in 20 14.

The concert will begin at7: l5 p.m., and tickets can bepurchased at thecarsoncen-ter.ort beginning at $45.

http : //www. covingtonleader. com/

Munford resident receives CarI Seale

Student Teaching Aw ard through I-ITMartin

Lisa DeLancey ldelancey@covingtonleader.comDecember6,2016

From left to right are the dean of UT Martin college of Education, Health and Behavioral sciences cindy west; award winner Emory

Clark; UT Martin Department of Educational Studles interim chancellor Dr Bob Smith and coordinator Kim Castleman

Emory Clark, of Munford, recently received the Carl Seale Student Teaching Award from the

Univelsity of Tennessee at Martin Department of Educational Studies.

The award, established by Seale's wife and children, recognizes students nominated and selected

for outstanding achievement during their supervised student teaching rotations. Clark will receive her

degree during UT Martin commencement exercises Dec' 10.

Milan grad takes top honor at {JT MartinMARTIN, Tenn. - The Uni-

versity of Tennessee at MartinDepartment of Computer Sci-

ence recently hosted a localbranch of the Association forComputing Machinery Intema-tional Collegiate ProgrammingContest. This is the first timein competition history that UTMartin has hosted the event.

"We are pleased to be able toprovide this experience both forour students and for others in the

region," said Dr. Joshua Guerin,associate professor of comPuter

science. "The feedback we

received from our students and

the other teams confirmed that

our facilities provided a better

competition environment thanthey had experienced in the

past."The local UT Mafiin compe-

tition was one of eight sites inthe association's mid-centralregion and one more than 480

around the world. Seven teams

from UT Martin, MurraY State

University and Tennessee State

University competed inthe frve-hour programming competitionsimultaneously with other mid-cehtral region partioipants.

Brooks Becton, of Milan;Jeremy Greenburg, of Cordova;and Cody Robertson, of Cor-nersville, claimed first-Placehonors in the local event.

UT Martin students Charles

Clayton, of Henry, and Carter

FIRST PLACE HONORS - University of Tennessee at Martinstudents (l-r) Cody Robertson, of Connersville, Jeremy Green-

burg, of Cordova; and Brooks Becton, of Milan, recently claimed

first-place honors in a local branch of the Association for Com-

puting Machinery International Collegiate Programming Contest

hosted at UT Martin.

CrewsandMichealSingle-Dr.KathleenEricson,assistantton, both of Dyersburg, *:"r. Professor of computer science'

awarded third place -locally. "We have -the

opportunity to

Alex Molbeft, of Jackson; focus on advaqced applications

Chloe Walker, of Bartlett; and of numerous problem-solving

Garrett Walkeq of Newbem, techniques' and we are happy

earned fourlh place during the to see -our

students reflect the

UT Martin competition. ttTtgth of the program'"

"Many in our discipline would The three UT Martin compe-

agree that competitive program- tition teams were coached by

riing is u ,p".iulir"d skill-set Guerin' Ericson' and Dr' Xiang-

somewhat distinct from other dong An, assistant professor of

areas of compufing;fnd sbfbware- ='9Q1[Plt't9ILqr-Qnc=9'

engineering. Inourprogram,we The UT Martin Department

foJus on a wide ,ungif .o-- of Computer Science is housed

puting tools and techniques that within the . College of Engi-

serve as a necessily founda- neering and Natural Sciences'

tion for building a competitiv" For more information' contact

programming tt itt-t"t," said Guerin at . 731-887-7246 or

emai I j guerin@utm.edu.

CALL ME MISTER - Faculty and students from the University of Tennessee at Maiin's Call MeMiSTER (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role models) program visited with MHSseniors last Wednesday to help foster interest in pursuing careers in K-8 education, particularly inSTEM (science, teclinology, engineering and mathematics) instruction. Faculty adviior Dr. LewisC. Glover and student assistants Clifford Jones and Alliyah Allen met with African-American malestudents, an under-represented demographic among teachers, to encourage them to enter the field ofeducation by using hands-on activities to make science and other STEM fields more interesting. TheCall Me MiSTER program, which originated at Clemson University in2000, is in its first semesterat UTM and is currently the only program of its kind in the state. Photo courtesy of Principal GregScott.

http : //www.thunderboltradio. com/

UT Martin Finals/GraduationPosted on Decernber 7 2016 by Derek Kelley in Local News

H'

L^

frnals they re also frnislrrng

Houstor-t Gordon clrvrng the

645 graduates plan to attend this lryeekend's commencement ceremony wlrrch is a non-ticketed event

Final exams began l/onday at the r-rniversity and wrli c;cir.rclude Frrday on the final dav of the serrrester

This is a big week for Uf l\4artin since students are not only finishrng up wrthcollege

Summer and Fall graduation begins Saturday at 11 in the Elam Center rvith Jcommencement speech

The Jackson Sun Wednesday, December 7, 2015

UT Martin lnterim Chancellor Bob Smith addresses a universitywide meeting of faculty andstaff Jan. 13 to discuss the university's accreditation. The university took major steps to addressaccreditation issues; and Tuesday the Southern Association of Colieges and SchoolsCommission on Colleges officially removed the university from probationary status.

Ulr-Martin gets removed from probation'Failure to comply' with standards caused issue in 2015

The Southern Association of Collegesand Schools Commission on Colleges hasofficially removed the University ofTennessee at Martin from probationarystatus. According to a news reiease, theannouncement came during the final dayof the 2016 SACSCOC annual meetingheld Dec. 3-6 in Atlanta.

UT Martinreceivednotice of the com-

mission's decision to place the universityon a 12-month academic probation in De-cember 2015. The decision was based onthe university's "failure to comply" withfive of the 92 accreditation standards.The university remained fully accredit-ed by the commission throughout theprobation period, and program-specificaccreditations also remained in placeand continue.

"While I must congratulate UT Mar-

tin on successfully addressing the mat-ters raised by the Southern Associationof Colleges and Schools Commission onColleges, I never for a moment doubtedthat success would be the outcome," saidDr. Joe DiPietro, University of Tennes-see president. "The UT Martin faculty,staff, students and administration, un-der the exceptional leadership of In-terim Chancellor Bob Smith, committedthemselves tirelessly with a Herculean

See Martin, Page 9A

The Jackson Sun Wednesday, December 7, 2016

MaxtinContinued from Page 34

effort and an incredible sense of team-work to ensure all concerns were re-solved, and their hard work has paid offwith the return of their full accreditationstatus. No doubt, I am very proud of theiraccomplishment."

Since the commission's decision, UTMartin faculty members, administra-tors and support staff have made signifi-cant changes in the campus atmosphere -'

and documentation surrounding assess-ment and student outcomes. A long-termplan is in place to ensure the issue doesnot recur.

A SACSCOC team made a site visit tothe UT Martin main campus Oct. 4-6,which included a series of meetings andthe team's follow-up report to the com-mission. The visiting team made no rec-ommendations for further action.

"I'm grateful to our UT Martin facul-ty and staff for their hard work and per-sistence in successfully addressing this

critical challenge," said Dr. Bob Smith,who guided the university through theyearlong process leading to SACSCOC'sdecision. "Our students, alumni andfriends showed tremendous confidencein us during the past year, and I'm espe-cially pleased that they are rewarded forstanding behind their university."

Dr. Keith Carver was elected the uni-versity's 10th chancellor in October bythe UT Board of tustees and will beginhis duties Jan. 3. He said the accredita-tion news offers the university a positivefoundation for the year ahead.

"This news reflects the great work ofthe UT Martin team o.ver the past year.This was a tremendous effort by the en-tire campus community," said Carver."I'm excited by the momentum this hascreated, and I look forward to our con-tinued work to educate the region's bestand brightest students."

UT Martin is a primary camPus in theUniversity of Tennessee System and of-fers 17 undergraduate degrees withmore than 100 specialized concentra-tions and five graduate degrees with L7

specialized concentrations.

University's online programsreceive national attention

The University of Ten-nessee at Martin's onlinecourse offerings haverecently received attentionat both the graduate andundergraduate levels.

AffordableCollegeCommunity.org ranked UTMartjn's online programsNo. 7 on the website'slist of the "Best OnlineColleges in Tennessee for2016-17 ;',

UT Martin comes inabove the University ofTennessee at Knoxville andthe University of Tennesseeat Chattanooga, ranked 13thand 14th, respectively.

Institutions must befully-accredited and offerat least three online degreeprograms to be consideredfor this listing. The rank-ing considered a variety offactors, including tuition

and fees at both the grad-uate and undergraduatelevels, types of availableprograms,." graduate rates,scholarship availability andjob-placement services.

UT Martin offers sixundergraduate programscompletely online, as wellas an online degree-comple-tion program for veterinarytechnicians. Four master'sdegrees are also availableto distance learners, includ-ing three master of sciencedegrees and the master ofbusiness administrationwith either a business or anagricultural focus.

UT Martin's onlinemaster's degree in agricul-ture and natural resourc-es. locusing on agribusi-ness and risk manage-ment, was recently namedone of the "Top 20 Most

Affordable Online Master'rin Agriculture BusinessrAgribusiness" for 2016-11by Grad .com.The progr d No.8 on the list, making it thehighest-ranked Tennesseeschool in the listing.

Placements in this rank-ing were determined bycomparing information ongraduate tuition and feesfrom the National Centerfor Education StatisticsCollege Navigator foraccredited colleges anduniversities offering onlinemaster's degrees in agri-cultural business or relatedfields.

For more detailed infor-mation on online programswhich are available at theuniversity, contact UTMartin Online at (731) 881-7080.

UT Martin officially removedfrom accreditation probation

The Southern Associationof Colleges and SchoolsCommission on Collegeshas officially removed theUniversity of Tennessee atMartin from probationarystatus.

The announcement wasmade during the final dayof the 2016 SACSCOCAnnual Meeting heldSaturday through Tuesdayin Atlanta.

UT Martin receivednotice of the commission'sdecision to place the univer-sity on a l2-month academ-ic probation in December2015. The decision wasbased on the university's"failure to comply" withfive of the 92 accreditationstandards.

The university remainedfully accredited by thecommission throughoutthe probation period andprogram-specific accredita-tions also remained in placeand continue.

"While I must congratu-late UT Martin on success-fully addressing the rnat-ters raised by the SouthemAssociation of Collegesand Schools Commissionon Colleges, I never fora moment doubted thatsuccess would be theoutcome." said -Dr. JoeDiPietro, University' ofTennessee president.

"The UT Martin faculty,staff, students and admin-istration, under the excep-tional leadership of InterimChancellorBob Smith, com-mitted themselves tirelesslywith a Herculean effortand an incredible sense ofteamwork to ensure all con-C€rns andth{ir paidoff w theirfull accreditation status. Nodoubt, I am very proud oftheir accomplishment."

Since the commission'sdecision. UT Martin fac-ulty members, administra-tors and support staff havemade signilicant changes in

the campus atmosphere anddocumentation surroundingassessment and student out-comes. A long-term plan isin place to ensure the issuedoes not recur.

A SACSCOC team madea site visit to the UT Marlinmain campus Oct. 4-6,which included a series ofmeetings and the team'sfollow-up report to thecommlsslon.

The visiting team madeno recommendations forfurther action.

"I'm grateful to our UTMarlin faculty and stafffor their hard work andpersistence in successful-ly addressing this criticalchallenge," said Dr. BobSmith. who guided the uni-versity through the year-long process leading toSACSCOC's decision.

"Our students, alumniand friends showed tremen-dous confidence in us dur-ing the past year, and I'mespecially pleased that theyare rewarded for standing

behind their university,"Dr. Keith Carvel was

elected the university's 10thchancellor in October bythe UT Board of Trusteesand will begin his dutiesIan.3,2011.

He said the accreditationnews offers the university apositive foundation for theyear ahead.

"This news reflects thegreat work olthe UT Martinteam over the past year.This was a tremendouseffort by the entire campuscommunity," Carver said.

"I'm excited by themomentum this has createdand I look forward to ourcontinued work to educatethe region's best and brightest students."

UT Martin is a primarycampus in the Univdrsityof Tennessee System andoffers 11 undergraduatedegrees with more than 100specialized concentrationsand five graduate degreeswith 17 specialized concen-tratron s.

LaunchTN chooses (ITM as partnerto encourage entrepreneurship

The University of Ten-nessee at Martin, in part-nership with the NorthwestTennessee EntrepreneurCenter, has receiveda $4,000 grant fromLaunchTN to encouragestudent entrepreneurship.

This is the second year forthe university to be chosenas a LaunchTN UniversityVenture Challenge Partner.

The grant will be usedto support the SkyhawkVenture Challenge, pre-viously known as the UTMarrin Business TnnovationPitch Contest.

The fourth annual contest,scheduled for March 30,2017, will allow UT Martinstudents from all academicareas to pitch business con-cepts and product ideas toa panel of judges. Winnerswill receive cash prizes tofund their business ideas

and have an opportunityto advance to the state-wide University VentureChallenge, sponsored byLaunchTN.

The university expandedthe competition programduring the fall 2016 semes-ter to include an optionalsix-week entrepreneurialworkshop, which covereda broad range of topicsrelated to new businessstart-ups. Special topicscourses stemming fromthese workshops will soonbe taught by Dr. JoeyMehlhorn, UT Martin GilParker Chair of Excellence,and Dr. Tommy Cates, UTMartin Tom E. HendrixChair of Excellence in FreeEnterprise.

The Skyhawk Venture

Challenge is sponsored bythe UT Martin College ofAgriculture and AppliedSciences, UT Martin'sParker and Hendrixchairs of excellence, theNorthwest TennesseeEntrepreneur Center andthe Northwest TennesseeAngle Investment Group.

For more information,contact Dr. Todd Winters,dean, UT Marlin Collegeof Agriculture and AppliedSciences, at (7 3l) 881 -125 Iorby email at winters@utm.edu.

DRESDEN ENTERPRISE o DECEMBER 7,2016

UT Martin lnterim Chancellor ting of facultyand staff Jan. 13,-2016, t niv-ersity toofpajor steps to ad-dress ac ciation of Col-leges.and Schools Gomm , removed the universitv fromprobatio_nary status. The annr nal div or iil; t0l6 SA"iscocAnnual Meeting held Dec. 3-6 in Aflanta, Ga.

uill Bemoued ltom Accrediiation pro[ation $tatusMARIIN, Tenn. - The South- and administr

emAssociation of Colleges and exceptional leSchools Commission on Col- terim Chancelleges has officially removed commithe University of Tennessee at with a

throughouttheprobationperiod, plan is in plaand program-specific accredita- issue does nottionsalsoremainedinplaceand A SACSCOC team made a c€Impuscommunity,"saidCarv-continue. site visit to the UT Martin main er. "I'm excited by the momen-

Colleges and Schools Commis- made no recomsion on Colleges, I never for a frrther action. pus in the University of Tennes-

o our UT Mar- see System and offers 17 under-staff for their graduate degrees with more thanpersistence in 100 specialized concentrations

essing this and five graduate degrees with," said Dr. 17 specialized concentrations.

The Lauderdale Voice, Wednesday, December 7,2016

Local receives award from UTMChristina Buckner, second from left, of Ripley, recenily received the Jodiwoods Teaching Award from the University of rennessee at MartinDepartment of Educational Studies. This award was established by the lateDr. Crystal Whitlow, a department faculty member, in honor of Jodi Woods,a special educatlon student who passed away while attending UT Martin.The honor is given to an outstanding student teacher each semester whohas excelled in the area of special education. Buckner will receive herdegree during ur Martin commencement exercises Dec. 10. she is picturedwith. from left, Dr. Bob Smith, UT Martin interim chancellor, Cindy West,Dean, UT Martin College of Education, Health and Behavioral Sciences, andKim castleman, coordlnator, UT Martln Department of Educational studies:

Gatesresidentearns degreeEunice Louise Delph ofGates will be graduat-ing on Saturday, Dec.10, from the Universityof Tennessee at Martinwith a 3.51 grade pointaverage. Mrs. Delph hasearned her bachelorlsdegree in criminal jus-tice.

UTMmoves offprobationThe Southem Association of

Colleges and Schools

Commission on Colleges has

offrcially removed the

University of Tennessee at

Martin from probationarY sta-

tus. The announcement came

during the frnal day of the

2016 SACSCOC annual

meeting held Dec. 3-6 inAtlanta, Ga.

tff fuf^ttltt t""ei"ea "otice

ofthe commission's decision to

place the ruriversity on a 12-

month academic probation inDecember 2015. The decision

was based on the universitY's

"failure to comply" with fiveof the 92 accreditation stan-

dards. The universitY

remained fully accredited bY

the commission throughout

the probation period, and pro-

gram-specific aicreditationsalso remained in Place and

continue.

Since the commission's deci-

sion, UT Martin facultY mem-

bers, administrators and suP-

port staff have made signifi-cant changes in the camPus

affnosphere.

Santa's Village returnsto Martin Dec. 8-11

Twinkling lights and rein-deer bells will soon returnto Martin for the 32nd arnu-al Santa's Village celebra-tion December 8-11 in theNed McWherter Agricul-rural Complex on the maincampus of the University ofTennessee at Martin.

The doors will be openfrom 6-9 p.m., December 8-9; 1 1 a.m.-9 p.m., Decemberl0; and 1-5 p.m., December11. Admission to the eventis free, but attendees areasked to bring $5 worth ofnonperishable food andlortoys to be distributed toneedy area families.

The annual holidayevent has drawn more than323,7 28 v isitors and co llect-ed more than $1,145,136 infood and toy donations overthe past three decades. Thisyear's event will featurethe traditional "enchantedforest" display, as wellas a petting farm, arnuse-ment rides, vendor boothsand visits with Santa Claus

himself. "Jet" from WLJT's"Ready, Jet, Go!" will be aspecial guest from 7-4 P.m.,December 10.

UT Martin and the city ofMartin co-sponsor the eventeach year, along with manyother community partners.Additional sponsors to dateinclude Zaxby's, Casey'sGeneral Store, SimmonsBank, MTD Products andSavant Leaming Systems,among others.

For rnore information,contact city of Martin Of-fice ofParks and Recreationarl3l-381-6'784.

Local colleges schedule

UTMJ. Houston Gordon, of Cov-

ington, will serve as keynotespeaker at the University ofTennessee at Martin's fallcomm€ncement, slated to be-gin at 11 a.m., December 10,in the Kathleen and Tom ElamCenter. University of Tennes-see System President Joe DiP-ietro will conler degrees.

Gordon graduated from UTMartin with a Bachelor of Sci-ence degree in 1968 and laterreceived a juris doctorate de-gree from the University ofTennessee College of Law in1970 and an L.L.M. master oflaw degree in taxation fromthe George Washington Uni-versity National Law Center

commencements Dec. 10tact the UT Martin Office ofUniversity Relations at 131-88 1 -761 s.

rn 1973.He served the University

of Tennessee System on theBoard of Trustees from 1989-95 and was vice-chair of theboard from 1994-95.4 UTMartin supporter, Gordon re-ceived UT Martin's Outstand-ing Alumni Award in 1997and the Chancellor's Awardfor Outstanding Service in2008. The J. Houston Gor-don Museum, located in thespecial collections area of UTMartin's Paul Meek Libraryis named in his honor.

Gordon spent four yearsrepresenting soldiers chargedwith crimes as a captain inthe U.S. Army Judge Advo-cate General Corps beforereturning home to Covingtonin 1974. He has been namedone of the "Best Lawyers inAmerica" by his peers everyyear since 1984 and is listedas one of the top-100 triallawyers in America.

Gordon is licensed to prac-tice law in Tennessee andthe District of Columbia andhas appeared as lead counselbefore federal and state ap-pellate courts in multiple ju-risdictions. He has also beenadmitted to practice beforethe Supreme Court of theUnited States, the Tenne$seeSupreme Court and all lesserstate courts, and multipleUnited States District Courtsin seven additional states.

He and his wife, Debbie,have three grown sons andnine grandchildren.

Those who are unable toattend UT Martin's fall com-mencement ceremony canfune in to a live webcast avail.able at ovcdigitalnetwork.com/watch,/?L iv e:49 5 2.

For more information, con-

TnsNroN GazerrP

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

SANTA'S VILLAGB - Previous Santa's Villageevents have included a model train display construct-ed by MTD Products. A portion of a previous displayis shown.

TRrNroN G.q.zerrs

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

ATTENDS WESTSTAR RISINGSTAR SUMMIT- Jada Roberson (right), a student in Gibson County,attended the WestStar Leadership Program's Rising-

i' UTM, Bethel graduatesto walk the line Dec. 10

, On Saturday, Dec. 10, the

, University of Tenhessee at Martinwill hold its 2016 fall commence-ment ceremony, slated to beginat 11 a.m. in the Kathleen and

'Tom Elam Center. University'of Tennessee System President' Joe DiPietro will confer degrees

; for bachelors and masters can-.didates, _ ,:.ii,- Prpming4t;attorneJandfer.mer

UT law professor J. Houston Gor-don, of Covirlgton, a 1968 UTMgraduate, will serve as keynote

, speaker.I Those who are unable to attendI UTM's fall commencement cer-I emony can tune in to a live web. cast available at ovcdigitalnet-

work.com/w atchl'! Liv e=49 52.For more information, contactUTM at 731-881-7615.

, Bethel University's Fall 2016Commencement also w'ill beheld Saturday, Dec. 10. The

ceremony will begin at 10 a.rn.in the Rosemary zuld Harry CdspII Arena, which is locatecl in theVera Low Center for StudentEnrichment at 101 WildcatLane on the school's McKenziecampus.

There will be one ser.rice ftrrboth undergraduate and graduatedegree candidates. Guest seatingfor commencement will beginone hour prior to the ceremony,and line up of graduates willbegin at that time as well.

Dr. Logan Hampton, Presidentof Lane College since 2014, willbe the commencement speaker.

For questions regarding BethelCommencement, prclspectivegraduates should contact theregistrars within their specificcolleges. For more information,please contact Myra Carlock at73| -352-4090 or carlockrn@bethelu.edu.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

University's

probation is liftedaccreditation

The Southern Associationof Colleges and SchoolsCommission on Collegeshas officially removed theUniversity of Tennessee atMartin from probationarystatus. The announcementcame during the final dayof the 2016 SACSCOC An-nual Meeting held last weekin Atlanta.

UT Martin received no-tice of the commission'sdecision to place the uni-versity on a l2-month aca-demic probation in Decem-ber 2015. The decision wasbased on the university's"failure to comply" withfive ol the 92 accreditationstandards. The universityremained fully accreditedby the commission through-out the probation period,and program-specific ac-creditations also remainedin place and continue.

"While I must congratu-late UT Martin on success-fully addressing the mattersraised by the Southern As-sociation of Colleges andSchools Commission onColleges, I never for a mo-ment doubted that successwould be the outcome,"said Dr. Joe DiPietro,University of Tennesseepresident. "The UT Mar-tin faculty, staff, studentsand adrninistration, underthe exceptional leadershipof Interim Chancellor BobSmith, committed them-

selves tirelessly with a Her-culean efforl and an incred-ible sense of teamwork toensure all concerns were re-solved, and their hard workhas paid off with the returnof their full accreditationstatus. No doubt, I am veryproud of their accomplish-ment."

'Since the commission'sdecision. UT Martin fac-ulty members, administra-tors and support staff havemade significant changes inthe campus atmosphere anddocumentation surroundingassessment and student out-comes. A long-term plan isin place to ensure the issuedoes not recur.

A SACSCOC team madea site visit to the UT Mar-tin main campus OcL 4-6,which included a series ofmeetings and the team's fol-low-up report to the com-mission. The visiting teammade no recommendationsfor furlher action.

"I'm grateful to our UTMartin faculty and staff fortheir hard work and persis-tence in successfully ad-dressing this critical chal-lenge," said Dr. Bob Smith,who guided the universitythrough the yearlong pro-cess leading to SACSCOC'sdecision. "Our students,alumni and friends showedtremendous confidence in

Snn UTM,PlcE 14

UTM,Fnotr. Pecn rus during the past Year,and I'm especially pleasedthat they are rewarded forstanding behind their uni-versity."

Dr. Keith Carver waselected the university's 10thchancellor in October bY theUT Board of Trustees andwill begin his duties Jan.

3. He said the accreditation

news offers the universitY apositive foundation for theyear ahead.

"This news reflects thesreat work ol the UT Mar-fin feam over the Past Year.This was a tremendous ef-forl by the entire campuscommunity," said Carver."I'm excited by the mo-mentum this has created,and I look forward to ourcontinued work to educate

the region's best and bright-est students."

UT Martin is a Primarycampus in the UniversitYof Tennessee SYstem andoffers 17 undergraduate de-grees withspecializedand five gwith 17 specialized concen-tratlons.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

retirement became effective Nov' 30 after32 vears of service. He is pictured withhis father-in-lawThomas Erwin (right) and

wife Susie Lewis, director of the UT MartinComputer Store.

SMITH HONORED -The University of Tennessee

at Martin Student Government Association has recom-mended t I in the B ersity Centerbe named M. Smith Chamber" inhonor of I ellor Bob ured after the

announc I are (from left) RYan Le

SGA vic Josh Diltz, SGA PresidSmith, in ellor:Jordan Long, SGAand Marabeth Kennedy, SGA secretary general

STATE GAZETTE 6 rnunsoev, DECEMBER 8,2016

U-f-Mardn has academicprobadon lifred

does not recur.

. Speqjnl to the State Gazette

' 1\{AR'|'JN, Ten'. TheSo Lrthern Association ofColleges anci SchoolsCommission on Collegestras officially removedlhr. Un iversitv ofI'enrrpssee at Martinlrom prohationary sta_tus. llhe arrnouncementcarne dunng the finaiday of the 2016 SAC_

-SCOC Annual Meetingheld Dec. lr-6 in Aflanta]{la.Irl' Mar iin received

notice of' tiie commis_sion's decision to place

. tile university on a 12_rnorrth acirdemic proba_liorr in December. 20IS.The decision was'based' on the university's ,,fail_ure to comply" with fiveof the g2 accreditation

standards. The universi_ty remained fullyaccredited by the com_mission throughout theprobation period, andprogram-specificaccreditations alsoremained in place andcontinue.''While I must congrat-

rrlate UT Martin on suc-cessfullymattersSouthernColleges and SchoolsCommission onColleges, I never for amoment doubted thatsuccess would be theoutcome," said Dr. Joe

administration, underthe exceptional leader-

ship of InterimChancellor Bob Smith,committed themselvestirelessly with aHerculean effort and anincredible sense ofteamwork to ensure allconcerns were resolved,and their hard work haspaid off with the returnof their full accredita-tion status. No doubt, Iam very proud of theiraccomplishment."Since the commis-

sion's decision, UTNlartin faculty mem-bers, administrators andsupport staff have made

changes inatmospherentation sur-

rounding assessmentand student outcomes. Along-term plan is inplace to ensure the issue

Continued from page 2continued work to edu_cate_the region's best andDrrghtest students.'.

in us during the past I Please see IIIM, 4

THE LAUDERDALE COUNTY ENTERPRISE, RIPLEY, TENNESSEE, DECEMBER B, 201 6

UT Martin NowOff Probation

The Southern Asso-

ciation of Colleges and

Schools Commission on

Colleges has officiallY

removed the UniversitYof Tennessee at Martinfrom probationary status.

The announcement came

during the final daY of the

2016 SACSCOC mnnual

meeting held Dec. 3rd

through the 6th in Atlan-ta, Ga.

UT Marlin received

notice of the commis-

sion's decision to Placethe universitY on a 12-

month academic Proba-tion in December 2015.

The decision was based

on the university's "fail-ure to complY" with five

of the 92 accreditation

standards. The universitYremained fully accred-

ited by the commission

throughout the Probationperiod, and program-sPe-

cific accreditations also

remained in Place and

continue.

Sch olar

EUNICE LOUISE

DELPH will graduate

Saturday, December

1Oth from the Uni-versity of Tennessee

at Martin with a 3.51

grade Point average.

Mrs. DelPh earned

her bachelor's degree

in criminal justice.

http ://www.thunderboltradio. com/

UT Martin Finals/Graduation this weekend

Posted on December 9,2016 by Derek Kelley in Local News

Some UT Martin students are finrshing up with ftnals thts week, while others are finrshing school

Today is the last day for final exams and is also the frnal day of the semester

Summer and Fall graduation begins tomorrow at 11 in the Elam Center with J Houston Gordon givtng the

commencement speech

647 graduales plan to attend this weekend's commencement ceremony, which is a non-ticketed evetrt

http : //www.thunderboltradio. coml

Interim UTM Chancellor Dr. Bob SmithPosted on December 9,2016 by Derek Kelley in Local News

lnterim Chancellor Dr Bob Smith has served UT Martin srnce May 2015 in his current position, whlch he

will be stepping down from January 3rd when Chancellor-elect Dr Keith Carver begins his first day on thejob

Dr Bob Smith played a pivotal role in helping UTM reach re-accreditation status this week after theuniversity was placed on probation last December

Dr Smith spoke to Thunderbolt Radio about the lasting impact he hopes will come from his time as

interim chancellor

The interim chancellor still has some regrets from his time at UT Martin

The Commerciat Appeal Sunday, December 11,2016

First woman chaneellor has IIT Kno>nrille abuzzMEGAN BOEHNKEUSA TODAY NETWORK _ TENNESSEE

KNOXVLLE - If University of Ten-nessee trustees vote to make BeverlyDavenport the next Knoxville chancel-lor, as they appear poised to do this com-ing week, it will be a historic momentfor the'systenrls tlagship camlxrs.

Not only will a female chancellor be afirst'for"UT Knoxville; it will also marka raie aDbOtiltnlent dcross all:collegesnationwide. Though women now earnthe majority of college degrees in thiscountry, only about a quarter of collegepresidents and chancellors are female,according to a report by the AmericanAssociation of University Women.

Davenport, 62, who is interim presi-dent of the University of Cincinnati,will be the only woman to lead a schoolin the Southeastern Conference. Shewillbe one of eight amongthe 64 schoolsin the Power Five conferences.

"It signals our university is lookingpast gender and looking at qualifica-tions," said Angela Batey, associatedean for the UT CoIIege of Arts and Sci-ences. "It signals that it's not businessas usual, and it's not necessarily thegood ol'boys network. I think the choiceof a woman says that our university is

o indeed is thebest candi-positions.l'

Davenport's selection has been ener-gizing for women across the campusand the state, drawing praise from fac-ulty members, former UT trustees andthe only other woman to hold a chancel-lor post in the UT system, former Mar-tin Chancellor Margaret Perry.

"I had my fingers crossed," Perrysaid last week. "I thought she was, tome, the best of the candidates."

Davenport declined to comment forthis story or grant any media inter-views before the Dec.L5 Board of Thust-ees meeting when the group is expectedto formally approve her hire.

Ann Baker Furrow, the first woman

Beverly J. Davenport, who is interirn president of the University of Cincinnati, will be the onlywoman to lead a school in the Southeastern Conference. Davenport's selection has beenenergizing for women across the campus and the state, drawing praise from facultymembers and former UT trustees.

appointedto IJT's Board of Thustees anda golfer who was the first womantoplaya men's varsity sport at the school, saidshe was thrilled to see Davenportnamed chancellor.

"I'm certainly excited by it, and itsounds like she will be an exceptionalleader and I'm ready to get behind herand help," Furrow said.'"My instincts,when I saw her picture and saw herwork, is that this is someone who lookslike she would fit into our culture very

well"UT President Joe DiPietro insisted

shortly after her selection that Daven-port was the most experienced andqualified candidate for the job, regard-less of her gender.

"I think it's great," he said of the Da-venport's history-making selection. "Ithink it's a great opportunity, whetherit's a man or a woman. We picked thefirst person, and a talented person, whocould do the job..."

t-TT choice may be historrco

MEGAN BOEHNKEUsA TODAY NETWORK _ TENNESSEE

KNOXVLLE - If University of Ten-nessee trustees vote to make BeverlyDavenport the next Knoxville chancel-lor, as they appear poised to do this com-ing week, it will be a historic moment forthe system's flagship campus.

Not only will a female chancellor be afirst for UT Knoxville, it will also mark arare appointment across all colleges na-tionwide. Though women now earn themajority of college degrees in this coun-try, only about a quarter of college presi-dents and chancellors are female, ac-cording to a report by the American As-sociation of University Women.

Davenport, 62, who is interim presi-dent of the University of Cincinnati, willbe the only woman to lead a school in theSoutheastern Conference. She will beone of eight among the 64 schools in thePower Five conferences.

"It signals our university is lookingpast gender and looking at qualifica-tions," said Angela Batey, associate deanfor the UT College of Arts and Sciences."It signals that it's not business as usual,and it's not necessarily the good ol'boysnetwork. I think the choice of a womansays that our university is looking forwho indeed is the best candidate forthese positions."

Davenport's selection has been ener-gizing for women across the campus andthe state, drawing praise from facultymembers, former UT trustees and theonly other woman to hold a chancellorpost in the UT system, former MartinChancellor Margaret Perry.

"I had my fingers crossed," Perrysaid last week. "I thought she was, to me,the best of the candidates."

Davenport declined to comment forthis story or grant any media interviewsbefore the Dec.15 Board of Thusteesmeeting when the group is expected toformally approve her hire.

Ann Baker Furrow, the first womanappointed to UT's Board of Thustees anda golfer who was the first woman to playa men's varsity sport at the school, saidshe was thrilled to see Davenport namedchancellor.

"I'm certainly excited by it, and itsounds like she will be an exceptionalleader and I'm ready to get behind herand help," Furrow said. "My instincts,when I saw her picture and saw herwork, is that this is someone who lookslike she would fit into our culture verywell."

The best candidateUT President Joe DiPietro insisted.

shortly after her selection that Daven-port was the most experienced and qual-ified candidate for the job, regardless ofher gender.

"I think it's great," he said of the Da-venport's history-making selection. "Ithink it's a great opportunity, whetherit's a man or a woman. We picked the first

person, and a talented person, who coulddo the job.

He pointed to the pool of finalists as asign that he and the rest of the universityvalue diversity. Davenport beat out afemale provost from the University ofGeorgia and a provost for the State Uni-versity of New York system who was animmigrant from the Bahamas.

"f was so thrilled to see there was avery diverse pool - it says a lot about theunivefsity's commitment to finding thebest candidates and making sure wehave rich diversity," said Hillary Fouts,chair for the chancellor's Commissionfor Women and a professor in child andfamily studies.

"I've heard from students, particular-ly women students, who connectpd to(Davenport) so well and I've had severalof them tell me how much it means tothem to have a woman chancellornamed."

Davenport's most immediate tasks,even before she takes office on March 1,will include launching searches for twoof the most high-profile jobs on campus:an athletics director and a provost. Asthe legislative session begins in Nash-ville in January, she will also have tonavigate the tension between a campusthat champions diversity and state law-makers who have rebuked UT for featur-ing guidelines on its website on inclusiveholiday parties and use of transgenderpronouns.

Then there's the aftermath of a TitleIX lawsuit the university settled over thesummer that -alleged the school had fos-tered a "hostile sexual environment" forwomen. A commission put together byDiPietro is underway examining eachcampus' prevention, education and re-sponse to sexual assault.

For some, these are the very issuesthat could benefit from a fresh face inthe universitv's toD office.

"Certainly she will bring a differentperspective on things like sexual assault,and how we deal with that, how to putprograms in place," said Batey. "Aswomen, there are different things wehave to think about as we walk alone atnight and things like that. The nature ofthe beast is the fact that someone of a dif-ferent gender is in that office and thatparticularly brings a whole differentperspective."

Andrea Loughry, former vice chair ofthe Board of Tbustees, agreed.

"I feel having strong female prospec-tive on the leadership team will be an as-set in those areas," she said.

'We all miss out'In 1980, about 10 percent of college

presidents and chancellors were women.By 2005, that had more than doubled to23 percent.

But the growth has slowed signifi-cantly, said Catherine Hill, vice presi-dent of research for the American Asso-ciation of University Women. In the dec-ade between 2006 and 2016, the figurehas grown to 26 percent.

"The change in growth rate is verytelling, and what's interesting is that inother respects, women have made muchfaster gains," she said. "Part of the poiirtis that women have made so many gainsin so many fields - medicine, law, busi-ness - but when it comes to the top lev-els of leadership, we don't see the wom-en.

Not only are men holding long-ten-ured positions, but they are also-outpac-ing the number of newly-appointeddeans, provosts and presidents, Hill said.

"There's somewhat of a disconnectbetween women's achievements andleadership. There's something specificabout leadership and gender that's atplay."

Jackson Sun Sunday, December 11,2016

Beverly J. Davenport. interim president at the University of Cincinnati and candidate forUniversity of Tennessee chancellor, speaks to faculty and students on Nov. 7.

fhe Jackson Sun Sunday, December 11' 2016

UT-M artin graduates 680Alum tells grads: You canprosper in turbulent timesTHE JACKSON SUN

MARTIN - A University of Tennes-see at Martin alum returned to the uni-versity's graduation Saturday and re-minded the students to expect the unex-pected, embrace change and demandtruth.

J. Houston Gordon, of Covington,graduated from the university in 1968.During his commencement address Sat-

culties as opportunities for improve-ment, according to a news release fromthe university.

"Some ofyou worked hard to get here.Others, not so much. Some of you strug-gled; others, no so much. Some of Youwere encouraged; others, not so much.But guess what? You're all here. Today isyour day, and you're excited about begin-

J. Houston Gordon, a 1968 graduate ofUT-Martin, addresses the fall 2015 graduates'

ning the next stage of your life," he said.Gordon shared stories ofhis work as a

lawyer, including personal experiencesfrom one of his first high-profile cases asa trial lawyer, the release saYs.

Gordon represented Lt. William Cal-

ferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.,seeking personal direction.

"As I iat there, worrying and meditat-ing, I looked up and read what was

carved in the marble around the rotunda:the words, 'I have sworn upon the alter ofGod eternal hostility toward every formof tyranny over the minds of men,"' Gor-don said. "The deep truths found in Jef-ferson's words changed my life.'l

On Saturday, UT-Martin graduated680 students from both summer and fallcourses, the release says.

Gordon ended his speech by assuringgraduates that they would be preparedfor upcoming challenges.

"I am convinced beyond any shadowof a doubt that you, every last one of you... can not only live through your turbu-lent times, but you can prosper duringthem," he said.

Joe DiPietro, president of the Univer-sity of Tennessee system, conferred de-grees to the 680 students during the cere-mony.

"We're proud of your accomPlish-ments and your attainment of this mile-stone, and we're excited about the oppor-tunities that will be afforded to you as agraduate togained herement of youity," DiPietro said.

UT Martin breaks ground on Somerville CenterPttblished: Monday, Decenber l2th 2016. 10:32 an csfUpdated:Monday, Decenber l2th 2016, 10:32 an CSr

Written by Steve Pobst, Dilector coNNEc

(KFVS) - Danielle Ables was determined to attend college after earning her GED certificate from Fayette Literary.

The 20-year-old Somerville resident found the educational opportunity she needed close to home at the University ofTennessee at MartinSomerville Center.

Ablesjoined fellow students Courtney Burns and Elizabeth Wilburn and other officials for a ground-breaking ceremony Dec.7 that marked thebeginning of major renovations to the centefs new home at the forrner Methodist Fayette Hospital.

The new facility is expected to open in fall 2017 .

"lfs just amazing how we can actually go to school and get a better education here in our hometown," Ables said. "lt means a lot."

She also sees the centefs future location benefting both students and the area. "l think ifs going to bring more people to Somerville, hopefullymore students," she said.

Discussions about a possible Fayette County higher education center began in 2004.

The University of Tennessee and UT lvlartin became involved in 2012 when a new buildingforthe centerwas initially proposed, butthe project was

cost'proh ibitive.

Methodist Fayette Hospital closed in March 201 5, and Fayette County officials suggested Methodist Healthcare give the facility to the town.

The facility was transferred to the town in July 201 5, and Methodist Healthcare gave the city $250,000 to assist with the facilitys renovation.

On.July 25, the State Building Commission approved a lease between the University of Tennessee and the city of Somervilleto housethe UT MartinSomerville Center in the former hospital building.

Earlier this year, the Tennessee General Assembly approved $250,000 in recurring funding for the center in the state's 201 6-1 7 budget.

Also approved was $875,000 in one time funding to support the hospital's renovation.

Gov. Bill Haslam visited Somerville on July 26 to formally present UT lvlartin with the total $1.125 million in funding from the state to establish thenew center.

Also participating in the ceremony were N4arlin Mosby, higher education committee membe nd donor; Bob T for the town ofSomerville; Kara Tapp, UT lvlartin Somerville Center director; Dr. Bob Smith, UT lvlartin interi chancellor; Dr. B m executivedirector, UT Martin Ciffice of Educational Outreach; Skip Taylor, Fayette County mayor; Ronn Neill, Somerville , architect,Fleming Architects; state Sen. Dolores Gresham (R District 26); and Charley Deal, UT Martin associate vice chancellor for alumni relations andannual giving.

Learn more about the UT l\4artin Somerville Center at utm.edu/departments/somerville/ or call the center at 901-465-7313.

http : //www.kfvs 1 2. com

http : //www.thunderboltradio. com/

Alumni Pleased With tlT-MartinPosted on December 13,2016 by Charles Choate in Local News

A recent study conclucted by the partnership of UT-Martin and Gallup lncorporated, shows that the

school's alumni are pleased wrth their college experlence

Gallup received 2,623 survey responses with UT-Martin consistently scoring higherthan the national

average for alumni wrth a hrgh attachment to thetr school

The report showed half of the respondents strongly agreeing with the statement that UTM was the

perfect school for me" which was 16 percentage points htgher than the national average

ln the poll Gallup focused on six factors that affect the college experience with three of those being

relationships with students and professors. and three addressing experiential learning opportunities

The survey also showed that UT-Martin students had a higherthan average parttctpation in

extracurricular activities and organizations during their college years

UT MARTIN STUDENTS COMPLETE TVA IIMESTMENT CHALLENGE - A gToup ofgeniors from the University of Tennessee at Martin's College of Business and Global Affairs has com-irleted the annual Tennessee Valley Authority's Investment Challenge. TVAs Investment Challenge is apartnership between TVA and 25 universities in its sewice territory that provides a real-world learningtxperience in portfolio management by allowing students to manage actual stock portfolios. Participat-rng students also select classmates to recqive the Kelly W Murray Excellence in Pp4folio Manage-inent Award. This award, created in honor of the late son of Dr. Sandra and Bill Murray, recognizesoutstanding effort and dedication in managing the UT Martin TVA stock portfolio in conjunction withihe investment challenge. This year's recipients are Andrew Terrell, of Union City, and Emily McCart-ney, of Glencoe, Ala. Pictured after the TVA presentations are (l-r) Dr. Mahmoud Haddad, professor offinance; Terrell; Morgan Grisham, of Union City; Dallas Hunter, of Milan; Bill Murray, father of theiate Kelly Murray; Tyler Stephenson, of Medina; Ryan Stevenson, of Milan; Reagan Brock, of Martin;Chris Hutcherson, of Martin; McCartney; McKenzie Bonetti, of Martin; Dr. Ross Dickens, dean, UT.&Iartin College of Business and GlobalAffairs; and MohammedAlamro, an international student livingin Marlin.

THEWEAKLEYCOUNTYPRESS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13,2016

FIRST-PLACE HONORS - University of Tennes-see at Martin students (from left) Cody Robertson ofCornersville, Jeremy Greenburg of Cordova and BrooksBecton of Milan recently claimed first-place honors in a

local branch of the Association for Computing Machinerylnternational Collegiate Programming Contest hosted atUT Martin.

UTM hosts programming contestThe University of Ten-

nessee at Marlin Depart-ment of Computer Sciencerecently hosted a localbranch of the Associationfor Computing MachineryIntenrational CollegiateProgramming Contest. Thisis the flrst time in competi-tion history that UT Maninhas hosted the event.

"We are pleased to beable to provide this ex-perience both for our stu-

dents and for others in theregion," said Dr. JoshuaCuerin. associate professorof computer science. "Thefeedback we received fromour students and the otherteams confirmed that ourfacilities provided a bettercompetition environmentthan they had experiencedin the past."

The local UT Martin com-petition was one of eightsites in the association's

mid-central region and onemore than 480 around theworld. Seven teams fromUT Martin, Murray StateUniversity and TennesseeState University competedin the flve-hour program-ming competition simul-taneously with other mid-central region participants.Brooks Becton of Milan,Jeremy Greenburg of Cor-dova and Cody Roberlsonof Cornersville claimedfirst-place honors in the lo-cal event.

UT Martin studentsCharles Clayton, of Henry,and Cafter Crews and Mi-cheal Singleton, both ofDyersburg, were awardedthird place locally. AlexMolberl, of Jackson; ChloeWalker, of Bartlett; andGarrett Walker, of New-bern, earned fourth placeduring the UT Martin com-petition.

"Many in our disciplinewould agree that competi-tive programming is a spe-ciahzed skill- set somewhatdistinct from other areas

of computing and softwareengineering. In our pro-gram! we focus on a widerange of computing toolsand techniques that serve asa necessary foundation forbuilding a competitive pro-gramming skill-set," saidDr. Kathleen Ericson, assis-tant professor of computersclence.

"Weto focucationslem-solving techniques,and we are happy to see ourstudents reflect the strengthof the program,"

The three UT Maftincompetrtron teams werecoached by Guerin. Eric-son, and Dr. XiangdongAn, assistant professor ofcomputer science.

The UT Martin Depart-ment of Computer Scienceis housed within the Col-lege of Engineering andNatural Sciences.

F'or more information,contact Guerin at 73 l-881-1246 or email jguerin@utm.edu.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2016

Graduates receiveMeek leadership award

Habiba "Bibi" Solimanand Carra Smith. both ofNashville, received Pauland Marlha Meek Lead-ership Awards during theUniversity of Tennessee atMarlin's fall commence-ment exercises Dec. 10.

Dr. Paul Meek served theUT Martin campus as exec-utive officer, dean, UT vicepresident or chancel lor from1934 to 1967. This awardis given to two graduatingseniors each semester whohave demonstrated out-standing leadership quali-ties during their time at UTMartin, and was originallyestablished and funded bythe three Meek children tohonor their parents.

Soliman transferred toUT Martin after two yearsat Nashville State Com-munity College. During hertime at UT Martin, she wasactive as a student ambas-sador and orientation leaderfor the UT Martin Office ofUndergraduate Admissionsand as a resident assistantfor the Office of Housing.She was an active mem-ber of the Zeta Tau Alphasorority and held positionsas both risk manager, andnew member educator andcoordinator for the organi-zation. Soliman is also thefounding president of theUT M ter of theNXi'6',1 of Leader-ship and Success.

"I was extremely im-pressed with Habiba lromthe moment she transferredto UT Martin. She em-braced all that it means tobe a Skyhawk. She immedi-ately wanted to be involvedin everything there wasto offer here and, not onlythat, she wanted to be activein leadership roles in thoseorganizations," said RyanMarlin, assistant directorof housing, in Soliman'snomination letter. "She hasa drive and ambition thatyou do not see in many stu-dents."

Soliman walked the UTMartin commencement

stage Dec. 10 and receiveda Bachelor of Arts degreewith a major in communi-cations.

Smith was an activemember of the Peer En-abling Program for incom-ing freshman students andhelped counsel students inthe nursing, biology andpre-health science areas.She was also a member ofthe Phi Eta Sigma HonorSociety, Tri Beta NationalHonor Society, Mu EpsilonDelta Fraternity for Pre-Health Students and the PhiKappa Phi Honor Society.

She has spent' severalyears volunteering at St.Thomas Hospital and Sec-ond Harvest Food Bank inNashville and participatedin a variety of communityservice activities throughcampus organrzatronsthroughout her time at UTMartin.

"Carra is an excellentPEP Leader and role modelfor entering students andPEP Leaders," said Dr.George Daniel, coordinatorfor the First Year InitiativeProgram. in Smith's nomi-nation letter. "She has anexcellent heart for helpingstudents."

Smith received a bachelorof science degree with a ma-jor in biology during com-

. exercrses . Dec,i I nds to bec<imii a

physician's assistant.UT Martin is a four-

year university within theUniversity of TennesseeSystem, located in upperNorthwest Tennessee. Formore information, visit utm.edu/advantage.

LEADERSHIP AWARDS - Habiba Soliman (left),and Carra Smith (right), both of Nashville, received Paul

and Martha Meek Leadership Awards during the Univer-sity rtin's spr r-

cise pictured n,

UT lor for st

'E*pect the unexpectediGordon tells UTM graduates

J. Houston Gordon ofCovington urged graduatesof the University of Ten-nessee at Martin to expectthe unexpected, embracechange and demand truthduring his commencementaddress Dec. l0 in the Kath-leen and Tom Elam Center.

Gordon. a 1968 UT Mar-tin alum, encouraged thegraduating class by assur-ing them that their gradepoint averages do not deter-mlne or guarantee successin the future. and he chal-lenged them to use futurediffi culties as opporlunitiesto improve themselves andtheir society.

"Some of you workedhard to get here. Others, notso much. Some of you strug-gled; others, not so much.Some of you were encour-aged; others, not so much.But guess what? You're allhere. Today is your day, andyou're excited about begin-ning the next stage of yourlife," he said.

"Some of you may be un-certain about your future,concerned about studentdebt, careers, employment,and even where and howyou will live. Let me sug-gest, however, that suchchallenges present oppor-tunities for you to grow,to overcome, to developself-discipline and tenacity,(and) to learn to stand whenothers flee."

He then shared a personalexperience from one of hisfirst high-profile cases as atrial lawyer. Gordon repre-sented Lt. William Calley,the only soldier convicted ofcrimes during the 1968 MyLai Massacre in Vetnam.The experience changed hislife and shaped his careerof more than four decadesas a trial lawyer. While rep-resenting Calley, Gordonwould often spend time atthe Jefferson Memorial inWashington. D.C.. seekingpersonal direction. Jeffer-son, himself, offered wordsof wisdom.

"As I sat there. wonyingand meditating, I looked upand read what was carvedin the marble around therotunda: the words. 'I have

sworn upon the alter of Godeternal hostility toward ev-ery form of tyranny overthe minds of men.'The deeptruths found in Jefferson'swords changed my life,"said Gordon.

"I urge you (graduates)to reJect tyranny over yourminds. ... When we allowothers to control what wethink, when we condoneand participate in anger anddivision, when we refuse tobe accountable for our ownlives and our own destinies.when we refuse to acceptothers. when we refuseto be accountable for ourmistakes, when we allowourselves to be seduced byfalse claims of easy flxes,we accept the lie and suc-cumb to tyranny," he con-tinued.

Gordon acknowledgedthat the current graduatingclass is entering an uncer-tain world beyond the com-mencement stage, and as-sured them the challengesthey will face are not un-known to our society.

"When I graduated in1968, America was deeplydivided along racial linesand about the Vietnam War.We were incurring a hugenational debt; 500,000American soldiers werefighting in Vietnam; andthere were protests and flagburnings at home," he said.Martin Luther King Jr. andSen. Robert Kennedy wereboth assassinated that year,while the Cold War, MiddleEastern tension and thethreat of nuclear annihila-tion prevailed.

"Today, in this, your newseason, America is deeplydivided as well. There areflag burnings, protests andriots in the streets. [Thereare] racial and economicdivisions, frustrations andanger. American troopsare still fighting on foreignsoils," he added. "The simi-larities between your time[now-] and our time thenare obvious. ... I urge you,graduates, to demand thetruth first from yourselfand then in every facet ofyour lives. Expect the un-expected, embrace change,

demand truth."Gordon concluded his

remarks by assuring.gradu-ates they are well-preparedfor the challenges that mayIie ahead.

"Congratulations. I amconvinced beyond anyshadow of a doubt that you,every last one of you ... cannot only live through yourturbulent times, but you canprosper during them," hesaid.

"I pray that you will bringabout change that is good. Ipray that you will seek anddemand truth, and as youdo, the world will be all thebetter for it."

Dr. Joe DiPietro, UT Sys-tem President, was presentto confer degrees duringthe ceremony and also con-gratulated the assembledgraduates on behalf of theUT System

"We're proud of your ac-complishments and your at-tainment of this milestone,and we're excited about theopportunities that will beafforded to you as a gradu-ate to use the knowledgeyou've gained here at UTMartin for the betterment ofyour families and all of hu-manity," he said. "You'vemade sacrifices. Lovedones have believed in you.Be sure you enjoy this day;take a moment to savor itbecause you deserve it."

DiPietro also took a mo-ment to thank UT MartinInterim Chancellor BobSmith and his wife, Ramo-na, for their dedication dur-ing the university's transi-tion period over the past 20months. "We have definite-ly benefitted from (Smith's)gifted leadership, and dur-ing his tenure many thingshave changed here at UTMartin," he said. "We wishBob and Ramona well, andwe want to thank them forall they've done to improvethis place. ... We owe thema thanks we can never, evertruly repay."

Approximately 680 stu-dents from the summerand fall 2016 classes wereeligible to receive degreesduring the commencementceremony.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS

TUESDAY. DECEMBER 13, 2016

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2016

'TODAY lS YOUR DAY' - J. Houston Gordon, a nationally-acclaimed trial lawyerfrom Covington and 1968 graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin, is shownaddressing the fall 20 l6 graduating class during the university's commencement exercisesDec. 10.

Morel's story is featuredin episode 112: "The Am-bush of April 7th." Theseries is composed of first-person accounts combinedwith cinematic sequencesand real images and footagefrom actual Middle Easternoperatrons.

"The Warfi ghters," direct-ed by Peter Berg, aims togive viewers an inside lookat the global war on terrorby chronicling recent U.S.Special Operations Forcesmissions. Each hour-longepisode highlights the cour-age, dedication and sacriliceof the Army Rangers, GreenBerets, Marines and NavySEALS in what is now thelongest ongoing conflict inAmerican history.

Four additional ePisodesare saheduled to air on TheHistory Channel in JanuarY2011.

-History Channel now

offers UTM gradePisodeMarine Capt. Brent Mo-

rel, a 1999 graduate of the

University of Tennessee at

Marlin. was killed in com-bat near Fallujah, Iraq, onApril 7, 2004. The HistorYChannel launched a seriescalled "The Warfighters"on Nov. 1l in honor of Vet-erans Day, an ePisode ofwhich featured the insur-sent attack in which Moreldied defending his fellowMarines.

Those who were unableto view the episode as itaired can download a coPY

of the footage for a limitedtime. All eight ePisodes of"The Warfighters" shown todate are available lor view-ing at

htt p://b it.ly/2 gyC5 b Mfor a lew weeks. Those in-terested are encouraged tosave a copy before the web-site becomes inactive.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2016

Martin commits to providingfiber optic broadband serviceByLINDA THURSTONPress Editor

The City of Martin's al-dermen and mayor votedunanimously Monday nightto provide fiber optic Inter-net connectivity to everybusiness and resident thatwants rt.

ln Martin, West Ken-tucky-Tennessee Telecom-munications Cooperativewill lay about 150 miles offiber optic line during theplanned 12- to l8-monthbuildout. The new fiberoptic system will providean immediate benefit to thecity by allowing the mu-niiipal water- de'partmentto obtain more accuratereadings more efficientlyby transmitting signals di-rectly from the meters backto the office, according tocompany officials.

As the fiber network isbeing built lor the meteringsystem, WK&T will be ableto connect local residentsand businesses to high-bandwidth Internet access.

"The city will see imme-diate benefits from a muchmore efficient way to readmeters," said WK&T CEOTrevor Bonnstetter. "Butthe most visible benefit toresidents and small busi-nesses will be the possibilityof bring reliable broadbandto their neighborhoods. In-creasingly. communitieslike Martin need broadbandto avoid being left behindin economic development,education, healthcare andimprovements in the over-all quality of life."

Because WK&T is a co-operative, every customerwho signs on to the ser.rice

will become a member ofthe cooperative and sharein its potential growth.

The service is expectedto cost the city $338,000a year, plus $150,000 in taxcredits and the cost of tele-vision franchise fees, whichare unknown at this point.Payments will be made for30 years.

Alderman Rex Pate de-scribed the decision as a"win/win situation." Hesaid it would provide anavenue for more businessesand jobs to come into thecity, and that he knew sev-eral businesses had beenwaiting for fiber optic to beavailable before locating inMartin.

City offlcials also badea formal farewell to Bob

Snn MARTIN,PLcn 4

MARTIN,Fnorrr PLcr rSmith, interim chancellor atthe University of Tennesseeat Martin.

Smith commended thecity for all its effons to im-prove the quality of life inMartin, including a new firestation, a new library, anda new conventron centerwhich he described as "notonly ambitious, but bold."

He said his opporrunityto return to Martin allowedhim to learn that many of

his old acquaintances were"friends for life."

He also thanked MayorRandy Brundige for beinga friend during his tenure."You trusted me, and ...you had my back," Smithsaid.

Newly elected AldermenDanney Nanney. MarvinFlatt and Randy Edwardswere also sworn in by JudgeLang Unger.

In other business theboard:

.Accepted the low bidder

of NSite for the multimod-al project at the universityat a cost of $400,732.

.Passed ordinances an-nexing and providing ser-vices to property at theintersection of CourtrightRoad and Highway 43 forthe construction of a rec-reational facility for UTMand eventually a conven-tron center.

.Appointed committeemembers and elected Dan-ny Nanney vice mayor.

TIIE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2016

RECENT GRADUATE - Kory Green of Dresden is pictured with his wife, Laurie,

and children, (from left) Abbie, Emma and Jonathan. He graduated from UT Martin on

Saturday with his bachelor's degree.

Dresden firefighter achieveshis career goal with degree

Kory Green of Dresdenbecame a firefighter to con-tribute to his communityand teach those around himhow to prevent fire-relatedcatastrophes. Now, as a

new college graduate, hecan move closer to his goalto become a leading profes-sional within the field.

"I wanted to help and ed-ucate others about the dan-gers and safety precautionsrelated to fire. I have al-ways been intrigued by thedynamics of fire. which iswhy I enjoy teaching safetymeasures and fire preven-tion," said Grcen. "I lovemy job, and I feel that I amblessed to be able to makea difference within ourcommunity while workingalongside a gteat group offirefighters."

In the fall of 2013, Greenbegan coursework for abachelor's degree in inter-disciplinary studies at theUniversity of Tennessee atMartin. He completed hisclasses this past summerand officially crossed the

UT Matin commencementstage Saturday with his fel-low summer- and fall-se-mester graduates.

Green chose the UTMartin program becausehe could use previous aca-demic credits in fire sciencefrom John Woods Commu-nity College and combinethem with other coursechoices tb create a programto suit his career needs.

"I feel that a well-round-ed leader within the fireservice needs to be educat-ed in flre science, businessand teaching subjects. Theinterdisciplinary degree al-lowed me to focus on allof these areas, which I feelmakes me a stronger lead-er," he said.

Green is currently a train-ing and safety officer withthe Martin Fire Department,where he develops train-ing programs and coordi-nates state certifications forhis fellow firefighters. Heis also a part-time deputychief with the Dresden FireDepartment. Both positions

involve assisting at thescene of a fire and helpingto ensure fire personnel re-main safe during the event.

While he knew a bach-elor's degree would be re-quired to further his career,returrring to school wasn'talways an easy option.However, Green pushedthrough his own doubts andencourages other non-tra-ditional students to do thesame.

"My advice is to pushthrough the initial discour-agement and self-doubtwhen starting somethingnew and choose not to giveup when times get tough.You will then be able to see

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS

TUESDAY DECEMBER 13,2016

your own self-worth and iunlock your full potential.":he said.

Green and his wife, Lau-rie, have three children: Ab-bie, Emma and Jonathan.

For more informationabout the bachelor of inter-disciplinary studies degreeprogram, contact the BethEdwards, program coordi-nator, at 7 3l-881-7701.

COUPLE GRADUATES TOGETHER - Julia and Kevin Kelley, both of Martin,graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin during commencement exercisesDec. l0 in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. Both received bachelor of interdisciplinarystudies degrees.Approximately 680 students from the summer and fall 20 l6 classes wereeligible toleceive degrees during the ceremony. Dr.Joe DiPietro, UT System President,was Present to confer degrees.

I

THE WEAKTEY COTINTY PRESS TTIESDAY, DECEMBER

Ground is brokenon Somerville Center

Danielle Ables was determined to attendcollege after certificatefrom Fayette O-Year-old

Somervilie re ducational

pital. The new facility is expected to openin fall 2017.

Ables works parl-time at night for FedExand is a full-time student as she pursues

academic interests in both agriculture and

to work so hard on it."about FaYetteeduca egan inersitY and UTinvol when a

Somerville on July 26 to formally present

UT Martin with the total $1.125 million infunding from the state to establish the new

center.

TIIE WEAKTEY COUNTY PRESS

appointment will end in early January, and

iarver will begin his role as the universi-ty's l0th chancellor Jan. 3.-

Ronnie Neill once again took the podiumto announce that the building's future com-munity room will be named the ChickasawElectric Community Room in honor of a

recent donation by the Chickasaw ElectricCo lso Presented a Plaqueof Smith from the townof the citizens of FaYette

Danielle Ables already has career op-tions in mind after she earns her degree. Inthe meantime, she is taking advantage ofeducational opportunities at the SomervilleCenter that will benefit future generations.

ville Center at utm.edu/departments/somer-ville/ or call the center at 901-465-'7313'

BREAKING GROUND -A ground-

The Tennessee General Assembly aP-

oroved $250,000 in recurring funding forlh" ."nt"t in the state's 2016-17 budget'

hisher education committee member and

dJnor; Bob Turner, administrator for thetown of Somerville; Kara Tapp, UT MartinSomerville Center director; Dr. Bob Smith'

UT Martin interim chancellor; Dr. Brian

Donavant, interim executive director, UTMartin Office of Educational Outreach;

for alumni relations and annual giving'

IHE PARI5 P05T-INTELLIGENCER TU6SDAy, DtCtMBER j3,2016

L NIVEf, lII i OF TENNE55EI AT [IARIII1 PI

Grove students attend writer's conference

A group of students from E.W. Grove School attended theUniversity of Tennessee at Martin's Young Writers' Confer-ence, Nov. 18, hosted bythe Department of English andModern Foreiqn Languaqes. Pictured are, from left (front

row) Carson Nelson, Paige King, Tiffany Mead, Jack Foster,M. Nelson Denman, (middle row) Jordan Counts, Abby Webb,Rebecka Fields, Abigail Littrell, Clayton Caudill, (top r6w)

nn, Maddie Parks'

Kylee LaGrange and Xylan Harris. Tiana Clark (not pictured),winner of the 2016 Academy of American Poets Prize andauthor of the poetry chapbook "Equilibrium," served as con-ference keynote speaker.

TIIE MYETTE FALCON Wednesda5 December 14, 2016

Udi

ining home is within reach, thanks to the centerschool and get a better education here in our h

She also sees the center's future location benefitting both students and the area. "I think it'sgoing to to Somerville, hopefully more students," she said. ,'ftopefuUy, it,sgoing to ity..together, just the uuitaing irseli beiause everybody has cometogether it."

Discussions about a possible FayetteUniversity of Tennessee and UT Martinter wasclosed ifacilityHealthc

_ On July 25-, lhe State Building Commission ap-proved a lease between the University ofTennessee and the city of Somerville to house the Ul Martin Somer-ville Center in the forrnerhospital building.

Earlier thistbr the center $ndingto supporr the i:*'lfly present UT the newcenter.

Attendees,were greeted Dec. 7 by overcast, cold and windy conditions as they arrived at theground-breaking event held at the facility's mainon site, and a neat pile of dirt placed in front oflogo signaled that renovation work was imminenwe finally made the final leap here," said Bobopened the event.

lject took many tums through the years, andstate Rep. Jamie Jenkins, state Sen. Dolores

e project direction. "We tried a bunch of dif_y here today, and a lot folks who aren't here

alderman, the higher education committee, the county commission, city mayors and others whosupported the center. "This center will be much more than a place to obtain college credit. Itwlll be a place that will d11rqg pegplels lives. It will be a locil opportunity to imirov" yoor-self for the workforce. ... " Neill said. "We will be supporting the ririga-site just 13 miles north9{he1e' and we'll be supporting the governor's Drivelo 55. So all of ihose things will occur onthis site. "

I-IT Martin Interim Chancellor Bob Smith helped to create the University of Tennessee's firsthigher education center in McNairy County thai opened in 1998. He sees tff fr4artin's fifth ;ff-campus center we "I think you're going to look back five years fromnow, 10 years for , what have we iccofrplished here?' because it willbe extlaordinary," interim _chancellor's appointment will end ln eariyJanuary, added on behalf of incoming UT Martin Chancellor Keiih Carver: "The best days arLahead for this center. "

Gr Breaking Signals Start ofSo ille CenteF nenbvationsBy: Bud Grimes

UT Office ofUniversity Relations

Danielle Ables was deter-mined to attend college afterearning her GED.certificatefrom Fayette Literacy. The

20-year-old Somerville resi-dent found the educationalopportunity she needed closeto home at the UT MartinSomerville Center. Ablesjoined fellow students Court-ney Bums and Elizabeth

Wilbum and other officialsfor a ground-breaking cere-mony Dec. 7 that marked thebeginning of major renova-tions to the center's newhome at the former Metho-

Continued on Page 9

TI{E FAYETTE FALCON Wednesday, December

Ronnie Neill once again took the podium to announce that the building's future communityroom will be named the Chickasaw Electric Community Room in honor of a recent donationby the Chickasaw Electric Cooperative. He also presented a plaque of appreciation to Smithfrom the town of Somerville and the citizens of Fayette County for his support of the center.

Kara Tapp, center director, closed the event by thanking both the Oakland and Fayette Countychambers for their support. She also recognized the three center students who'helped with theevent. ''I'm proud of them, and they wouldn't have had the opportunity to go off to college,because they might not have had the means to go," she said. "And this gives them the opportu-nity to drive 10. l5 minutes from their home and come here."

Eanielle Ables already has career options in mind after she earns her degree. In the mean-time, she is taking advantage of educational opportunities at the Somer-ville Center that willbenefit future generations. "It's great what everybody's doing, coming together as a communi-ty to better everything," she said. "It's just really amazing."

Leam more about the UT Martin Somerville Center at orcall the center at 90l-465-7313.

Somerville board officials participating in the groundbreaking were, left to right,City Administrator Robert Turner, Alderpersons Sandra Myers and Judy Accardi,Mayor Ronnie Neill, and Aldermen Mike French and Jason Hamilton. (Photos byJim Larkin)

THE FAYETTE FALCON Wednesday, December 14' 2016

s

TnrNroN Gazqtrp, Wednesday, December 14, 2016

UTM online programs receive honorsAffordableColl egeCom-

munity.org ranked UT Mar-tin's online programs numberseven on the website's list ofthe "Best Online Colleges inTennessee for 2016-l'7 ."

UT Martin comes in aboveihe University 'of TennesSee,Knoxville and the Univer-sity of Tennessee at Chatta-nooga, ranked l3th and 14th

respectively.UT Martin offers six un-

dergraduate programs com-pletely online, as well as anonline degree-completionprogram for veterinary tech-nlclans.

Four master's degrees are

also available to distangeleamers, including threeMaster of Science degreesand the Master of BusinessAdministration with eithera business or an agriculturalfocus.

UT Martin:s online mds--ter's degree in agricultureand nafural resources, focus-ing on agribusiness and riskmanagement, was recentlynamed one of the "Top 20Most Affordable OnlineMaster's in AgricultureBusiness/Agribusiness" for2016-17 by GradSchool-Hub.com.

The program is ranked

number eight on the list,making it the highest-rankedTennessee school in the list-mg.

Placements in this rankingwere determined by compar-ing infonnation on gradpatetuition and fees ftom the Na-tional Center lor EducationStatistics College Navigatorfor accredited colleges anduniversities offering onlinemaster's degrees in agri-cultural business or relatedfie1ds.

For more information ononline programs, contact UTMartin Online at 73 1-881-7080.

DRESDEN ENTERPRISE o DEGEMBER 14,2016

local tireman Grosses UIIUIGommenoement Stage

Kory Green, of Dresden,became a firefighter to con-tribute to his community andteach those around him howto prevent fire-related catas-trophes. Now, as a new collegegraduate, he can move closerto his goal to become a leadingprofessional within the field.

"I wanted to help and edu-cate others about the dangersand safety precautions relatedto fire. I have always been in-trigued by the dynamics of fire,which is why I enjoy teachingsafety measures and fire pre-vention," said Green. "I lovemy job, and I feel that I amblessed to be able to make adifference within our commu-nity while working alongsidea great group of firefighters."

In the fall of 2013, Greenbegan coursework for a bach-elor's degree in interdisciplin-ary studies at the Universityof Tennessee at Martin. Hecompleted his classes this pastsummer and officially crossedthe UT Marlin commencementstage Dec. 10 with his fel-low summer and fall-semestergraduates.

"I feel that a well-roundedleader within the fire serviceneeds to be educated in firescience, business and teachingsubjects. The interdisciplinary

degree allowed me to focus onall of these areas, which I feelmakes me a stronger leader,"he said.

Green is currently a train-ing and safety officer with theMartin Fire Department, wherehe develops training programsand coordinates state certifica-tions for his fellow firefighters.He is also a part-time deputychief with the Dresden FireDepartment. Both positionsinvolve assisting at the sceneof a fire and helping to ensurefire personnel remain safe dur-ing the event.

While he knew a bachelor'sdegree would be required tofurther his career, returningto school wasn't always aneasy option. However, Greenpushed through his own doubtsand encourages other non-traditional students to do thesame.

"My advice is to pushthrough the initial discour-agement and self-doubt whenstarting something new andchoose not to give up whentimes get tough. You will thenbe able to see your own self-worth and unlock your fullpotential," he said.

Green and his wife, Laurie,have three children: Abbie,Emma and Jonathan.

Kory Green, of Dresden, is pictured with his wife, Laurie,and children, (l-r) Abbie, Emma and Jonathan at UTM Com-menecement Geremony on December 10.

Manin Boaril muoues Bruail[anil $eruicelieu oftaxes, as well as a 5.0 percent franchise fee fromusers who subscribe to the high-speed intemet service.

Trevor Bonnstetter, CEO ofWest Kentucky and Ten-

transmitting .=; 'nals from the meters back to the office.It will also re-uce the City's labor expenses, encowage

conservation by allqwing customers to monitor usageand detect leaks and theft, and increase the City's rev-enue from utility services by reducing the amount ofunbilled usirge.

Mayor Brun{ige stated the City has been retrofittingwater and gas meters writs f,orthe past four years an ing thernuntil the entire City has the new meters that can beread remotely. He notes approximately 40-50 percentofthe meters have been replaced, thus far, at a cost ofapproximately $130-$140 each.

"We'll have to install about five to seven land gate-

See MARTIN, Page 2

DAVID FISHERWriter

Martin City fathers rmanimously approved a broad-band service'irgrbembirt to proVide rerifrite ieading dfCity water 4nd gas meters, dwing Monday night'sMartin Board meeting.

The cost to the City of Martin is approximately$328,000 annually for the next 30 years. Howeveq ac-cording to Mayor Randy Brundige, there are sufficientfunds in the budget to covu the cost of installing thehigh-speed fiber optics without borrowing any money.He added that Martin will receive $150,000 amually in

MARTINfrorn page 1

ways (radio relay boxes) placedaround the City to catch thesignal and relay it to the fiber,"Mayor Brundige explained.

As the fiber network is beingbuilt for the metering system,WK&T will have the capabilityof connecting Martin residentsand businesses that wish to sub-scribe to the service with high-bandwidth internet aucess. Thiswill allow them to upgrade theirinternet services to the fastestspeed available by using fiber.

Mayor Brundige stated severallocal businesses have come tohim requesting access to high-speed fiber optics, which theyargue is needed to keep up withtoday's technology requirements.He added that the fiber opticswill enhance industnal and busi-ness recruitment opportunitiesfor the city of Martin, while atthe same time provide altema-tives for those who wish fasterupload and download speeds fortheir home and business com-puters.

Bonnstetter says WK&T canprovide high speed internet,telephone and TV service usingapproximately 50 MB, but the$ystem is capable of up to $1GB if requested.

The terms of the contractstipulate that WK&T will bearthe cost of installing, maintain-ing and operating the broadbandnetwork and related equipment,including network terminationdevices.

The City of Martin willbear the expense of installing,maintaining and operating theadvanced metering infrastruc-ture (for the water and gas me-ters) and the cost of accessingWK&T's broadband networkthrough the network terminationdevices and/or the data collec-tors.

Druirrg discussion, AldermanRex Pate said, "I think it's awin-win that will benefit thepeople here and cause more jobsand businesses to come rnto theCity."

Another important item on theagenda was approval ofa bid fora multi-modal project.

DRESDEN ENTERPRISE o DECEMBER 14,2016

After reviewing the bids sub-mitted by three constructioncompanies for a multi-modalconstruction project, the Mar-tin Board awarded the contractto Nsite, Inc. of Milan, whichsubmitted the lowest bid to-taling $400,731. The scope ofwork includes constructing amulti-purpose sidewalk and abicycle lane on Skyhawk Park-way from the Hampton Inn tothe University Street, and then,west to the Wal-Mart red lighton University Street. Accordingto Mayor Brundige, TDOT iscovering 95 percent per cent ofthe cost ofthe project through astate grant, while the city's por-tion is approximately $30,000with engineering and other fees.

Under new business, Martinboard members unanimouslyapproved the second and finalreading of an ordinance to pro-vide a municipal zoning des-ignation of "U" (University)for 72 acres adjacent to at theintersection of Courtwright Roadand Highway 43, to be used asan agricultural center. The an-nexation request carne from UTMartin interim chancellor Dr.Bob Smith and includes plans toconstruct a new $32 million ag-riculfure convention center andstalling bams. The project onUniversity property and insidethe city is tully funded by thenon profit 501-C -3. The Univer-sity will now move forward withits plan for conskuction whichmay begin in the Spring.

The first reading of a reso-lution to annex certain terri-tory and to incorporate the samewithin the cor?orate boundariesof the City of Martin, located onCourtwright Road and Highway43, passed unanimously. Theproperty is adjacent to the cor-porate limits and which can befurther described as the entiretyofparcel 52.00, Weakley CountyTax Map 5l and a Portion ofParcel 55.00, Weakley CountyTax Map 57.

A Resolutiol adopting a planof service for trXi annexation ofthe above-mentioned propertywas also approved on first read-mg.

Additionally, board membersapproved the second and finalreading of amendments to the

Cross Connection Ordinance forthe City of Martin to bring it upto date with all state and federalregulations. The ordinance setsforth ruriform requirements forthe protection of the public watersystem for the City of Martinfrom possible contamination,and enable the City of MartinWater Department to complywith all applicable local, Stateand Federal laws, regulations,standards or requirements, in-cluding the Safe Drinking WaterAct of 1996, TCA68-22I-70I ro68-22I-720 and the Rules andRegulations for Public WaterSystems and Drinking WaterQuality issued by the TennesseeDepartment of Environment andConservation, Division of WaterSupply.

There was no discussion con-cerning any of these resolutionsduring a public hearing.

As the meeting opened, JudgeLang Unger swore in three new-ly elected Martin aldermen, in-cluding: incumbents - RandyEdwalds and Danny Nanney,and newcomer - Marvin Flatt,who defeated David Sudberryin the November 8th Generaland Municipal Elections to winthe post.

UT Martin Interim Chancel-lor Robert Smith addressedthe Board, saying that he wassurprised how quickly he wasaccepted back into the Martincommunity after being gonefor 16 years. He expressed hisappreciation to the board forthe support they have given theUniversity and its students. Hedescribed fiber optics as thenew information highway ofthe future, which is essential forbusinesses to compete in the 2lstCentury.

Mayor Brundige gave Dr.Smith a wooden plaque en-graved with Martin's zip code,which was symbolic of him be-ing accepted back into the com-munity and that Martin is hishome now

In announcements, MayorBrundige stated the next in-formal Ciry Board meeting isTuesday, January 3, and thenext formal meeting is Monday,January 9, with both meetingsstarting at 5:15 p.m. in the CityCourtroom.

The News Leader,December 14, 2016

Survey The University of Ten-nessee at Martin partneredwith Gallup Inc. in recentmonths to survey universityalumni and discover howtheir UT Martin experi-ences irnpacted their livesafter graduation. The re-sults of an online survey,distributed in August andSeptember of this year,show intense alumni pride,as well as areas that needimprovement.

Gallup Inc. received2,623 survey responses, andLJ'I Martin consistentlyscored higher than the na-tional average for percent-age of alumni respondentswho indicate a high attach-ment to their alma mater.Questions such as "UTMwas the perfect school forpeople like me" scoredwell,with half of respondentsstrongly agreeing with thatstatement. This result is 16percentage points higherthan the national averagefor college graduates whoanswered the same state-ment about their own insti-tution.

According to Gallup Inc.,there are six factors thatdeeply affect the quality of acollege experience and thepreparedness of a collegegraduate to enter the work-force. Three of these dealwith relationships betweensfudents and professors,and three address experien-tial learning opportunitiesas they relate to post-gtadu-ation careers.

UT Martin alumnistrongly agreed with state-ments such as "My profes-sors at UTM cared about meas a persort'' and "While at-tending UTM,I had a men-tor who encouraged me topursue my goals anddreams." These results reaf-firm UT Martin's long-standing reputation ofcaring faculty and a stu-dent-centered approach.Surveyed alumni can attestthat UT Martin faculty andstaff care about the long-term accomplishments oftheir students and want tohelp them succeed howeverpossible.

UT Martin respondentsalso showed higher-than-average participation in ex-tracurricular activities andorganizations during theircollege years, although re-sponses regarding long-term project experiencesand internships orjobs re-lated to post-graduate ca-reer goals were low.

shows UTMartinalumnisatisfiedwith eoll.experienee

UTftl-P can driveThe students ofLIIM Parsons Centei conducted a can food drive during the week offrnals to benefit The De'catur CountyBackpackProgram.The backpackprogram curently provides food fo-r-the weekend for around-

6nffre backpack program opCrates solely offof local donations like the_dolation made byents, as well-as miny Decatur County churches, businesseg and individuals.

Survey shows UTM alumnihighly satisfied with college

The University ofTennessee at Martin parl-nered with Gallup Inc. inrecent months to surveyuniversity alumni and dis-cover how their UT Martinexperiences impacted theirlives after graduation.

The results of an onlines urvey, distributed inAu gustand September of this year,show intense alumni pride,as well as areas that needrmprovement.

Gallup Inc. received2,623 survey responsesand UT Martin consistent-ly scored higher.than thenational average for per-centage of alumni respon-dents who indicate a highattachment to their almamater. Statements suchas "UTM was the perfectschool for people like me"scored well, with half ofrespondents strongly agree-ing with that statement.This result is I 6 percent-age points higher than thenational average for collegegraduates who answeredthe same statement abouttheir own institution.

According to Gallup Inc.,there are six factors thatdeeply affect the quality ofa college experience and thepreparedness of a collegegraduate to enter the work-force. Three of these dealwith relationships between

students and professors,and three address experien-tial learning opporrunitiesas they relate to post-gradu-atton careers..

UT Martin alumni strong-ly agreed with statementssuch as "My professors atUTM cared about me as aperson" and "While attend-ing UTM, I had a mentorwho encouraged me to pur-sue my goals and dreams."These results reaffirm UTMartin's long-standingreputation of caring fac-ulty and a student-centeredapproach. Surveyed alumnican attest that UT Marlinfaculty and staff care aboutthe long-term accomplish-ments of their students andwant to help them succeed,however possible.

UT Martin respondentsalso showed higher-than-average participation inextracurricular activitiesand organizations dur-ing their college years,although responses regard-ing long-term project expe-riences and internships orjobs related to post-gradu-ate career goals were low.

The university seeks toaddress this area with therecent establishment of theUT Martin Office of CareerPlanning and Development,funded through the Soarin Four program, which

encourages students tograduate in four years. Thisoffice is designed to helpstudents make educatedcareer decisions, gain rel-evant experience throughinternships and learn skillssuch as interview tactics.salary negotiation and job-search strategies.

Gallup lnc. maintainsthat these college experi-ence and preparedness fac-tors influence workplaceengagement and overallwell-being later in life, andUT Martin alumni respons-es are positive in theseareas.

UT Martin alumni indi-cated higher-than-aver-age engagement with theircareers, which includes asense of teamwork. clearexpectations in the work-place, growth opportunitiesand individual recognitionand sense of accomplish-ment on the job.

UT Martin respondentsalso consider themselvesto be thriving in all fiveof Gallup Inc.'s well-beingareas. with all categoriesscoring higher than thenational average for col-lege graduates. These areasfocus on a sense of per-sonal purpose and commu-nity belonging, social andphysical health and finan-cial management.

Featured Faculty Scholar selectedDr. Nancy Buschhaus,

professor of biology at theUniversity of Tennessee atMartin, has been selectedas the university's FeaturedFaculty Scholar for the fall2016 semester.

A selection of her profes-sional work is on display inthe Paul Meek Library.

The Featured FacultyScholar award, institutedduring the 1996-91 aca-demic year by the UTMartin Academic Council,is designed to recognizefaculty members whoseresearch and creative worksare judged to be among themost prestigious of thoseproduced by individuals atUT Martin.

Dr. Buschhaus startedher career with UT Marrinin 1997 as an assistant pro-fessor in the Department ofBiological Sciences. She isnow a full professor withtenure status and has givenmore than 25 professionalpresentations since 2007, a

majority of those with theassistance of undergraduateresearch students.

She received both bach-

elor's and master's degreesin zoology from MiamiUniversity in Oxford, Ohio,and a doctoral degree fromOhio State University.

Her current research Pri-marily focuses on bat popu-Iations and variations andshe is a member of BatConservation International,the Southeast Bat WorkingGroup and the Midwest BatWorking Group.

The Department of Bio-Iogical Sciences recentlYreceived a grant from BatConservation Internationalto study wildlife usage oflivestock troughs and Dr.Buschhaus will serve as

project director.The grant will be used

to examine whether wild-life, including small non-game wildlife such as birds,bats and other small mam-mals, are using steep-sidedlivestock water troughs as

watef sources.The study will include

farms across several stateseast ol the MississiPPiRiver and involves gath-ering data through fieldobservations and surveYs

of agency personnel andlivestock producers.

STUDENTS CHALLENGED Asrouo of seniors from the University oli.nn.rr.. at Martin's College of Businessand Global Affairs completed the annual

Grisham of Union City; Dallas Hunter oflate KellYfor excel-ina; Ryan

Stevenson of Milan; Reagan Brock ofMartin; Chris Hutcherson ofMcCartney of Glencoe, AlBonetti of Martin; Dr. Rossof the UT Marlin College of Business and

Global Affairs; and Mohammed Alamro,an international student living in Martin.Pafiicipating students also selected class-mates to receive the Kelly W. MurrayExcellence in Portfolio ManagementAward, which recognizes outstandingeffort and dedication in managing the UTMartin TVA stock portfolio in conjunc-tion with the investment challenge. Thisyear's recipients were Terrell and Ms.McCartney.

cfr,uiry

ISeveral McNairy County

i residents were among studentsrwho rbceived degrees fromt

fiIril

Massengill,Mitchell fr.;

.FingerHemby;

'Michie -Horton;

/effery Dee

Drew Dylan

China Lynn

'Ramer - Bradley M.Chism, fulie Renee Smith;

'Selmer . Bryanna MabHuggins, Christopher AllenLambert, Ca.rianna SteelyMorris.

; campus.; The students receivingu undergraduate degrees were:

1 Adamsville - Heather- Renee Bryant, I(amala O'Neal'Dalton, David DwaynelGrisham, facob Aaroni I(ee, Madison B. Pickens,I Benjainin f. Sinclair, Brandyi Nicole Willingham;r 'Bethel SpringsI Courtney Lobb Barnes,

lElizabeth P. Beene, Bryan

Bradley Chism, of Ramer, graduated from the Universltyof Tennessee at Martin during commencement exercls-es Dec. lO ln the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. Dr.Bob Smlth, UT Martin interim chancellor, introducedhlm to hls classmates as the newest mOmber of theUnfted States Army after Chism was commlssioned asa second lleutenant eadls in the week. Chism receiveda bachelor's degree in criminal justice. Approximately68O students fiom the summer and fall 2Ot6 classeswere ellglble to receive degrees during the ceremony.Dr. loe DiPietro, UT System President, was present toconfel degrees.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2016

KEY TO THE CITY - The UniversitYof Tennessee at Martin Town and GownAssociation met in the UT Martin Duna-

Center During theof Marti andY Brun-

Presente tin lntdrim'Bob Sm ceremonial

key to thhis serviduring hibegan hi

lune 20 l5 and will end his time in that po-'sition Dec. 3 l. He leaves behind a legacy of

ts, including the navigationacademic Probation Periodern Association of Colleges

and Schools Commission on Colleges, the

Tennessee.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, DECEMBER

FOND FAREWELL - Martin MayorRandy Brundige (left) made a special pre-sentation to Bob Smith, outgoing UTM ln-terim Chancellor, Monday night. Smith was

given a ceramic plate with the Martin zip-code inscribed to remind him of his roots.

Photo by LindaThurston

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15. 2016

Locals graduate from UT MartinSeveral Weakley County

residents were among stu-dents who received degreesfiom the University of Ten-nessee at Maftin during fallcommencement held Sat-urday in the Kathleen andTom Elam Center on theUT Martin campus.

The students receiv-ing undergraduate degreeswere:

.Dresden - Monica Ra-ven Bell, Jaqueiynn DianeBlackmon, Crystal EliseBrowning, Melissa TaylorBurkeen, Wynter LaconCrowell, Danielle NicoleGallimore. Kory Jay Green.Jason A. Hansen, MatthewT. Henderson, Sydney B.Kincer, Elizabeth AnneMcCalester, Holly Michelle

GRADUATES,Fnou PacE rDrew H. Stigall, Amber G.Taylor, Dixie L. Timmons,Jonathan Michael Travis,Dawn Turner, Katelyn Ni-cole Veteto, Aaron MatthewWhite, Abigail ElizabethWilliams, Rachel ElizabethWomack;

.Sharon - Andrew Wil-liamAllen, Cody D. Hogan,Alexander Gray Roberts,

Morris, Cayce Drew Wain-scott, Sherry A. Whaley,Amber Nicole Woods;

.Dukedom - ZackaryShane Roberts;

.Gleason - Ryan Mar-shall Bomar, Nicole Mor-gan Garrett, Jonathan Rus-sell Riley;

.Greenfield - KarsenNicole Cook, JonathanMicheal Crawford. AngieJohnielen Land, Adam PaulMitchell, Andrea ShannonSmith;

.Martin - Ava MaureenAbad. Zackary Paul A ustin.William Andrew Austin,Mark Logan Bane, Aii-drew Blake Barnes. DinahChristie Batchelor. MaggieElaine Blackwell, ChantiaBreon Brown, Brooklyn E.

Houston G. Taylor.The students receiving

graduate degrees were:.Dresden - Laurie Lynn

Green;.Gleason - Preston D.

Frazier;.Greenfield - Jonathan

Cole Shepherd:.Martin- Derek Riley Barner, Wil-liam Patrick Bishop, LaurenB. Dowdy, Martha NicoleHarrell.

Burress, Abigail Rae Butler,Stephanie Lee Butler, Ame-lia Sue Coalter, Thomas B.Davis, Tevin Evans, Yvan-nah Mae Garcia, Jeff A.Gearin, Tranequa ShantalHarrell, Kala Marie Hayes,Terri M. Hernon, Christo-pher Drake Hutcherson,Max Andrew Johrson,Brentera Marie Jones, JuliaC. Kelley, Kevin Kelley,Sydney Elaine McClure,Jeffery Dylan McDaniel,Zachary Samuel Merwirr,Kristy Marie Milan, MattScott Milhorn. Mary Eliza-beth Parish, Sarah M. Rog-ers, Steplien Cooper Ross,LaTessia LouCenda Shane.Megan Brooke Spellings,

Snn GRADUATES,Pacn 7

THE LAUDERDALE COUNTY ENTERPRISE

DECEMBER 1 5, 201 6

UT Craduates

GRADUATES, Bran-di DriverJones, left,

in upper photo, andLaQuinta Davis, right,both of Ripley, and Ash-ley Vaughan, in lowerphoto, of Cates, gradu-ated from the Universityof Tennessee at Martinduring commencementexercises December1Oth in the Kathleenand Tom Elam Center.DriverJones receiveda bachelor's degree ininterdisciplinary stud-ies; Davis received a

degree in agriculture;and Vaughan receiveda bachelor of interdisci-pl inary studies degree.

Houston Gordon honored by UT MartinJeff lreland jireland@covingtonleader.com 1211912016 http ://www. covingtonleader. com/

UT Maftin photo

The University of Tennessee at Martin presented J. Houston Gordon (left), of Covington,

with a personalized lamppost plaque Dec. ro in appreciation of his longtime support of the

university. Dr. Bob Smith, UT Martin interim chancellor, made the presentation before the

fall zo16 commencement ceremony, during which Gordon appeared as the keynote

speaker. The named lamppost will be commemorated in honor of Gordon and his wife,

Debbie,later in the spring semester.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS TUESDAY, DECEMBER

OlpifrnO ACCEPTS BID - Current chapter members Austin Brewer of Ruth-erford and Chase Kizer of Sweetwater are pictured with Dr.Joe DiPietro and chapteradviser Marvin Flatt.

Internationalstudents graduatefrom UT Martin

Several international resi-dents were among studentswho received degrees fromthe University of Tennesseeat Martin during fall com-mencement held Dec. 10 inthe Kathleen and Tom ElamCenter on the UT Marrincampus.

The students receiving un-dergraduate degrees were:

.Beijing, China - QiyueAn, Manlin Li, Ran Li,Xiang Li, Zesheng Wen, LuYang, Yao Ylu, Fanyi Zeng;

.Xi'an, China - WenfeiMa;

.Zhengzhot, China - ZiyaGao;

.Ondo State, Nigeria -Samson Olaunji Lanade;

.Altaif, Saudi Arabia- Awaad Alzhrani;

.Dharan, Saudi Arabia -Adnan Alameer;

.Qatif, Saudi Arabia - AliAlmajid;

.Riyadh, Saudi Ara-bia - Faisal Alabdullatif,Abdullah Alanazi, KhalidAlanez| Saleh Alasghah,Ahmad Almaloogi, KhatidAlmousa, Faiyz Alotaibi,Naif Sultan Alotaibi, TurkyAlqahtani, Salman Alqa-rni, Naif Alsayara, AbdullahAlshammari, MohammedAlyousef;

.Saihat, Saudi Arabia -Mohsin Aleir ani, Zain ab Al-ghuryafi, Zainab Almasha-ma,Zahra Alrashed;

.Seoul, South Korea -Hyeryeong Oh;

.New Taipei, Taiwan- Yu-Hsuan Chien.

The students receivinggraduate degrees were:

.Beijing, China - YicongSun;

.New Taipei, Taiwan- Chao Jung Chen.

DiPietro inducted into fraternityDr. Joe DiPietro, presr-

dent of the University ofTennessee System, ac-cepted an honorary bid tobecome a member of theUniversity of Tennesseeat Marlin chapter of AlphaGamma Rho national fra-ternity belore UT Martincommencement exerclsesDec. 10. UT Martin's A1-pha Upsilon chapter will beconsidered his home chap-ter after he is initiated dur-ing the fraternity's nationalleadership conlerence inFebruNy 2017.

DiPietro joins other hon-orary members such as Dr.Jim Byford, dean emeritusof the UT Martin Collegeof Agriculture and AppliedSciences; former Tennes-see govemor Ned Ray Mc-

Wherter; former congress-man Ed Jones; former staterepresentative Larry Bates;and Dr. Harold Smith, pro-fessor emeritus of animalscience and dean emeritusof the UT Martin Collegeof Agriculture and AppliedSciences.

"I am very pleased toaccept this bid," said DiPi-etro. "It makes good sensefor me because, and I'vesaid this over and over,my hometown [in Illinois]is a lot like Martin. Theydon't have an agricultureprogram at Eastem IllinoisUniversity, so this is thenext best thing."

DiPietro expressed inter-est in becoming an honor-ary member of the chapterearlier this year, and the

brothers of Alpha GammaRho were happy to accepthim." ."It shows that what we'vebeen doing is right, and itstands out on campus," saidAustin Brewer of Ruther-ford. "I take it as an honorthat somebody of Dr. DiPi-etro's status would want tojoin [our chapter]," addedChase Kizer of Sweetwa-ter. Both members were onhand to present DiPietrowith his official bid card.

Marvin Flatt (UT Martin.'76), director of career edu-cation for Weakley CountySchools, and Dr. Todd Win-ters, dean of the UT MafiinCollege of Agriculture andApplied Sciences, serve asco-advisers for the AlphaUpsilon chapter

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS

ALUMNI REUNION -The University ofTennessee at Martin'sWestStar Leadership

.P-r9gl ?r hosted an alumni reunion Dec. I'in Memphis.Amon! tnot" in attendance werLWea(ley County residents (from left) Charley Deal, executive'director,WestStar Leader-ship Programi

.Bob-by and Susie German, of Dresden, both retired; and virginia Grimes,coord inator: WestStar Leadership Program.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2016

THEWEAKLEYCOUNTYPRESS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20,2016

Martin student discovers new path

while attending UTMour years after beginning her jour-ney as a 16-year-old undergraduatestudent at the University of Ten-nessee at Martin, Amelia Coalter

crossed the commencement stage Dec. 10with a bachelor of science degree at the ageof 20.

Although she graduated at a younger agethan most, for Coalter, she's only continu-ing a family tradition set by her father andolder sister, who also graduated from highschool at age 16.

"It's not new really in my family, so tome it doesn't seem as big of a deal. I guessit just depends on your perspective," shesaid.

Coalter originally came to UT Martin asa chemistry major, but after taking an in-troductory geology course, she realized shehad passion for geology that surpassed anyfeelings she had for chemistry.

"I remember on that first day of class,Dr. (Stan) Dunagan (professor of geology)said, 'My goal is to get you to be driving inyour car and to look out and see the rocksand just annoy your family talking aboutthem.'I remember so specifically thinkinghow great that was because I do that all thetime," she said.

During her time in the geosciences pro-gram, Coalter gained hands-on experiencethrough field trips that benefited her bothas a student and as a future professional.Geology field trips allowed Coalter tobuild relationships with her classmates andgrasp key concepts through travels to theGulf Coast, East Tennessee and Missouri.

"You sit in the class and (professors) tellyou about all these things and to try andpicture them in your head. It's a lot easier

to figure out what is actually go-ing on (during fleld work)," shesaid.

Coalter's age isn't the onlything that sets her apart fromother geology students, however.Her faith continues to play a rolein how she approaches the sci-ence-based field.

"[My faith has] been a bigdeal, partly because it's a part ofme and affects everything I do,"she said. Growing up in a smallChristian school, she was taughta certain perspective about thetheory of evolution.

"To them, evolution was a cellturned into a monkey turned intoyou,. which is very limited inscope," she said.

The theory of evolution is a

large parl of geology, and it wasthrough her classes that Coalterdiscovered what it really means."People who grow up in tinyChristian schools like I did, theydon't have someone to explain tothem, 'This is creation, and thisis evolution, and this is how they _

two years taught her how to teach and pre-pared her for her future.

Although she enjoyed her time at UTMartin, Coalter looked forward to graduat-ing with anticipation. "Part of me [was] re-

ally just ready to be done with school, butthen there's also that parl of me that [was]like, 'I accomplished something,' and I'mreally excited about that," she said.

overlap or how they're different.'I want to help other people seewhat I didn't see," said Coalter.

Coalter will participate in onelast field trip to Florida beforebeginning graduate school in thefall of 201 7. She hopes to spendtime in the field as a geologist and somedayteach others her love of geology. Lookingback on her experience at UT Martin, shesays being a supplemental instructor for

ROCK ON - Amelia Coalter of Martin is shown crossing the UT Martin commencement,stateDec. 10. Coalter received a bachelor's degree in geology at the age of 20.

The McKenzie Banner . McKenzie, Tennessee . Tuesday, December 20, 2016

local Residents Receive Degrees From UT ilartinMARTIN - Several Carroll

County residstudents whofrom the Unnessee at Martin during fallcommencement held Saturday,December 10 in the Kathleenand Tom Elam Center on theUT Martin campus.

The students receiving under-graduate degrees were:

Bruceton - Kayla Darlene

Cooper, Morgan Taylor Dunlap;Clarksburg - Taylor L. Hays;Hollow Rock - Jan Marie

Brotherton;Huntingdon - Kayla Nichole

Boyd, Kelsey L. Brown, Kather-ine G. Carter, Daryl Oliver Haw-kins, Taylor L. Hilliard, LaurenDenise H ennedyMaddox, Miles,Colton L. Smith,Tyler S. Warbritton, Ashley

Carol Webb, Desiree NicoleWheeler;

Lavinia - Alexandria NicoleGilley;

McKenzie - Jesse Lee For-sythe, Damon William Hardy,Larry James Lee, Rocio Mejo-rado, Lucas Keith Robertson;

Trezevant - Jacob RyanPeevyhouse, Brittney LeighWilson;

Westport - Brett A. Hampton.

MILAN GRAD GRADU-ATES FROM UT MARTIN

- Beth Anne Brady, of Milan,graduated from the UniversitY

of Tennessee at Martin during

commencement exercises Dec.

10 in the Kathleen and Tom

Elam Center. BradY received a

bachelor's degree in agriculture.Approximately 680 students

from the summer and fall 2016

classes were eligible to receive

degrees during the ceremonY..Dr. Joe DiPietro, UT SYstem

President, was present to confer

degrees.

Conwright earns degree at UT Martin

Specialto the Sun Dl2|l20l6 http : //www. edmondsun. colrtr

EY(2+in@@

MARTIN, TENN. - An Edmond resident was among students who received degrees fromthe University of Tennessee at Martin during fall commencement Dec. 10 in the Kathleenand Tom Elam Center on the UT Martin campus.

Shelton Dejuan Conwright was listed among students earning degrees at the University ofTennessee.

UT Martin is a primary campus in the University of Tennessee System and is known forexcellence and outstanding value in undergraduate education.

INDEPENDENT APPEAL WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 21, 2016

Martin students from all academicareas to pitch business concepts andproduct ideas to a panel of judges.Winners will receive cash prizes tofund their business ideas and have anopportunity to advance to the state-wide University Venture Challenge,sponsored by LaunchTN.

The university expanded thecompetition program during the tall2016 semester to include an optionalsix-week entrepreneurial workshop,which covered a broad range of top-ics related to new business start-ups.

Special topics courses stemmingftom these workshops will soon betaught by Dr. Ioey Mehlhorn, UT

Martin Gil Parker Chair of Excellence,and Dr. Tommy Cates, UT MartinTom E. Hendrix Chair of Excellencein Free Enterprise.

The Skyhawkventure Challenge issponsored by the UT Martin Collegeof Agriculture and Applied Scienc-es, UT Martin's Parker and Hendrixchairs of excellence, the NorthwestTennessee E Center andthe Northwdbt In.vestment G

(For more information, contact Dr"

Todd Winters, dean, UT Martin Col-Iege of Agriculture and Applied Sci-ences, at 731-881-7251 or by email atwinters@utm.eda.)

LaunchTN partners with UTMFor the lndependent Appeal

MARTIN - The University of Ten-nessee at Martin, in partnership withthe Northwest Tennessee Entrepre-neur Center, has received a $4,000grant from LaunchTN to encouragestudent entrepreneurship.

This is the second year for the uni-versity to be chosen as a LaunchTNUniversity Venture Challenge Part-nel and the grant will be used to sup-port the SkyhawkVenture Challenge,previously known as the UT MartinBusiness Innovation Pitch Contest.

The fourth annual contest, sched-uled for March30,2017, will allowUT

STATE GAZETTE I WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 21, 2016

Local residents receive degrees from UT Martin

Several Dyer County residents were among students who received degrees fromthe University of Tennessee at Martin during fall commencement held Dec. 10 inthe Kathleen and Tom Elam Center on the UT Martin carnpus.

Haley Kimbrell, Ashten ElizabettlMcCormach, I(yle Edward Paschal,Da\rid Stallings, Lauren F,IizabethWesley Webb, Whitrey Lain Young

* Finley - Dylan Michael* Newbern - Ann Ashlea Lee lValker* Trimble - BrittanyMichelle Sluver

'Smart Fridge,'mobile games win awardsJorUT Martin computer science students

Students from the University of Tennessee at Martin Department of ComputerScience received third place and honorable mention accolades at the 2016Association for Computing Machinery Mid-Southeast Regional Conference heldNov. 10-11 in Gaflinburg. UT Martin students were also recognized for their workat the first annual VOLSHACK event held at the University of Tbnnessee,Knoxville, earlier this semester.

Seniors Chase Breeden, of Martin; Justin James, of Rives;and Carter Crews, ofDyersburg; received third place in the ACM conference's undergraduate researchcompetition for their "Smart FYidge" project.

The students used a small computer known as a "Raspberry Pi" to turn a regu-lar refrigerator into a self-monitoring device capable of sending and receivingdata via an Internet connection. This smart fridge uses Amazon Web Services tomonitor its internal temperature in real time and alert owners of problems, suchas unsafe temperature changes, through mobile alerts.

Seniors Adam F\rqua, of Martin, and Trevor Dych, of Covington, received anhonorable mention in the same category for their mobile game "Dungeon Dive4,"which uses tfie Android operating system. This game creates a different playerenvironment each time it is opened and introduces levels and enemies that adaptto player difficulty over time.

Five UT Martin students also participated in the VOLSHACK eventhosted atIIIKnoxville earlier this semester. This type of event, referred to as a "hackathon,"takes place over several days and requires students to work around-the-clock frominitial idea to project completion.

UT Martin students Dych and Brooks Becton, of Milan, worked alongsideChristopher Ostrouchov a graduate student at UT Knoxville, and Tyler Whitten,a student at East Tennessee State University to create the City Trail Project. Thismobile game uses real map data and demographic information to create a real-lifeversion of the classic Oregon Trail computer game.

The team won a prize from ESRI, one of the event's corporate sponsors, for thebest use of the company's programming interface.

These accomplishments come on the heels of UT Martin success at the localbranch of the Association for Computing Machinery International CollegiateProgramming Contest in November. Student teams from UT Martin took first,third and fourth-place honors in that competition.

For more information on the UT Martin Department of Computer Science, con-tact Dr. Joshua Guerin, associate professor of computer science, at73l-8&l-72l6oremail j guerin@utm.edu.

Local residents reeeivedegrees from UT Martin

Several Decatur Countyresidents were among stu-dents who received degreesfrom the University of Ten-nessee at Martin during fallcommencement held Dec.10 in the I(athleen and TomElam Center on the UT Mar-tin campus,

The students receivingundergraduate degreeswere:. Decaturville: BrookeHaley Barnett, SavannahLcigh Walker and Eli Garrett\ /right

. Parsons: Daniel ClayBarnes, Jami MichaelBrownyard, Abby Jo Hays,Dustin W Menzies, I(andiMichelle Montgomery and

Humhioldt Chrofiicle, Wednesday, December 21 ,2016

9rrrfr,' o Vil,tg" Crlrh"f* E 2nn Eoo*r,Organizers of the 32nd

Annual Santa's Village, heldat the Ned R. McWherlerAgricultural Pavilion on thecampus of the University ofTennessee at Martin, werewell pleased with the numberofvisitors and donations to theless fortunate during the four-day event.

According to Martin Parks& Recreation Director BrianMoore, there were 17,l3lvisitors, which is the fourthlargest crowd ever to attendSanta's Village. He stated thenumber of canned goods andother non-perishable fooditems, as well as toys, have notyet been counted.

The donations of food andtoys will benefit deservingfamilies this Christmas,providing holiday meals. and

gifts for the children.In addition to helping

others, visitors experienceda vidual winter wonderland.The best example of this isthe enchanted forest, whichconsists of thousands ofcolorful lights and mechanizedChristmas characters that neverfail to generate exclamationsof wonder from childrenand adults alike. Youngstersalso enjoyed visiting withSanta, thei petting farm andamusement rides.

Many adults were seenshopping at the various arts& crafts booths, while otherswere seated listening to thelive entertainment.

Santa's Village is co-sponsored by the City ofMartin and UT Martin.

Local sildents UT Martin degreesSeveral Gibson Courity

residents were urmongstudents who receiveddegrees from the Universityof Tennessee at Martinduring fall commencementheld December 10 in theKathleen and Tom Elam

Center on the UT Martincampus.

The students receivingundergraduate degrees are:

Humboldt - Luke HarrisBrittain, Emily Lynece Fly,Gawi Kamlesh Patel, TreyO'Ryan Patrick, Donovan

Jajuan ThomasMedina - Tyler Austin

Lowery Elizabeth P.

Riddle, Tyler J. StephensonThe students receiving

graduate degrees were:Medina - Brian G.

Kozlowski

Let's lookfor the good andpraise itDaveBratcherCON4MENTARY

This past week was a culmination ofmany things around our city, county, andpart of the state. I was able to see good-ness and blessings all around and wantedto highlight three specific examples tomake sure the story is told. During thisseason, we should find the good and

The Jackson Sun Wednesday, December 21,201G

praise it. As we wake up to another terrorattack in Ttrrkey and Berlin, we must notbury our heads, but good does win overevil. Let's take a look at a few things thatmake our part of the country special.

I had the opportunity to attend theLeadership Jackson graduation lastThursday. For over thirty years, theJackson Chamber has been trainingleaders and building up the capacity ofleadership across our county. One ofthenuances to the program involves estab-lishing things done by classmates, whichtrigger them having to pay a fine. Thiscould be arriving late, forgetting to si-

lence their cell phone and several otherthings. The fines are collected over thecourse of the four months and the classdecides where the money should go. Thisyear, the class made the decision to do-nate the money to Rico Bryon's family(Leadership Jackson 2015 graduate), ashis wife is fighting breast cancer.Through FaceTime, Rico spoke to the au-dience and current class, saying "thankyou." This was an amazing moment.

Another component to the LeadershipJackson curriculum involves a group

See Bratcher, Page 5A

TnerroN GezerrE

Wednesday, December 2I, 2016

Bradford: Kristen LynneAllen, Hannah K. McDade,Catrina T. White;

Dyer: Chelsea K. Joyce,Jonna Lynn Simms;

Rutherford: Katherine D.Utter;

Yorkville: Brandy LeeMoore.

Kerry L. Smith, ofTrenton, received a graduatedegree.

Local residents receivedegrees from UT Martin

Several Gibson Countyresidents were amongsfudents who receiveddegrees from the Universityof Tennessee at Martinduring fall commencementheld Dec. 10 in the Kathleenand Tom Elam Center on theUT Martin campus.

The students receivingundergraduate degreeswere:

Trenton: Micajah AaronBames, Taylor P. Coomer,Logan Farley, KarlynPaulena Hayes, Chante L.Jackson, Deidre RochelleJackson, Kayla ClareMathenia, Deedrick A.Ramsey, Amber NicoleWallsmith;

BratcherContinued from Page 5A

project. The clas syearone ofthe group STARCenter as the re orkedwith our STAR team to develop a plan to renovate one ofour therapy rooms. This room will be used by musictherapy, speech, and orientation/mobility for thoseages 0-4. It is now an age appropriate space and one thatwill enable us to live out our mission to help any personwith any disability to realize their potential.

Ironically, one of the people who helped Iaunch andspread local leadership development programs pre-sides over his final commencement ceremony as in-terim chancellor at The University of Tennessee atMartin. Dr. Bob Smith came into a tumultuous situationat UT Martin and hit it with everything he had. The uni-versity was placed on probation and is now back to fullaccreditation. This was only possible because of theIeadership and great team at UT Martin. I'm gratefulfor what Dr. Smith has done over the years for WestTennessee and his most recent assignment to my almamater.

Christmas is coming and the examples of goodnessare all around us. We must peel back the negative beingthrown at us from every angle and clearlyfocus on thegood. This will enable us to cling to our family, hide inthe shadow of the manger, and spread good tidings tothose around us. It is up to us to be the hands and feet ofthe one whose birthday we are about to celebrate. Mer-ry Christmas!

Dave Bratcher is thefounder of www.davebratcher-.com, speaker, teacher and trainer in the area of leader-ship and organizational development. He serves aspresident of the STAR Center. He can be contacted atdav e@ dav eb r at cher. c o m.

UT-Martin Associate Professor Speaks AboutManheim

http : / / www. thunderboltradio. com/Posted on December 21,2016 by Charles Choate in Local News

One of the nation's longesttouring Christmas orchestra's performed a concert rn Paducah this month,

with a UT-Martin professor part of the show

Dr Doug Owens, who is an associate professor of music. was part of the group Manheim Steamrollerduring their show on December 7th

Dr Owens talked about the hrstory of the famous holtday group

Owens said he received his second chance to perform with Manheim this year, thanks to his affiliationwith the Paducah Symphony Orchestra

Owens sard the groups spectacular musical performance came after only one practice before the concert

D1 Owens plays English Horn and Obo, and teaches saxophone and doLible reed at the college

THs FuLroN Lneorry DBcnvrsrn 27,2016

Local residents UTM gradsSeveral Obion County resi-

dents were among students whoreceived degrees from the Uni-versity of Tennessee at Martinduring fall commencement heldDec. 10 in the Kathleen and

Tom Elam Center on the UTMartin campus.

The students receiving under-graduate degrees from SouthFulton were Alexandra Eliza-beth Burrow, Tenna G. Bynum,

Sarah Rachel Dodd, SaralynnEaves, Mikaela Margaret Hardy,and Clare McConnell.

The student receiving a grad-uate degree from South Fultonwas Erin Laine Vicary.

Rives senior a member of team

UTM students earn honorsfor'smart fridge' proiect

Students from the Uni-versity of Tennessee atMartin Department ofComputer Science receivedthird place and honor-able mention accolades atthe 2016 Association forComputing MachineryMid-Southeast RegionalConference last month inGatlinburg.

UT Martin studentswere also recognized fortheir work at the first-everVOLSHACK event held atthe University of Tennesseeat Knoxville earlier in thesemester.

Seniors Chase Breedenof Martin, Justin James ofRives and Carter Crews ofDyersburg received thirdplace in the ACM con-ference's undergraduateresearch competition fortheir "smart fridge" proj-ect.

The students used asmall computer knownas a "Raspberry Pi" toturn a regular refrigera-tor into a self-monitoringdevice capable of sendingand receiving data via an

Internet connection.This smart fridge uses

Amazon Web Services tomonitor its internal tem-perature in real time andalert owners of problems,such as unsafe temperaturechanges, through mobilealerts.

Seniors Adam Fuqua ofMartin and Trevor Dych ofCovington received an hon-orable mention in the samecategory for their mobilegame "Dungeon Diver,"which uses the Androidoperating system.

This game creates a dif-ferent player environmenteach time it is opened andintroduces levels and ene-mies that adapt to playerdifficulty over time.

Five UT Martin stu-dents also participated inthe VOLSHACK eventhosted at UT Knoxvilleearlier this semester. Thistype of event, referred toas a "hackathon," takesplace over several days andrequires students to workaround-the-clock from ini-tial idea to project comple-

tlon.UT Martin students

Dych and Brooks Bectonof Milan worked alongsideChristopher Ostrouchov,a graduate student atUT Knoxville, and TylerWhitten, a student at EastTennessee State University,to create the City TrailProject.

This mobile game usesreal map data and demo-graphic information to cre-ate a real-life version of theclassic Oregon Trail com-puter game.

The team won a prizefrom ESRI, one of theevent's corporate spon-sors, for the best use of thecompany's programminginterface.

These accomplishmentscome on the heels of UTMaltin's success at the localbranch ol the Associationfor Computing MachineryInternational CollegiateProgramming Contest inNovember. Student teamsfrom UT Martin took first,third and fourth-place hon-ors in that comPetition.

At the college levelSeveral Obion County

residents were among stu-dents who received degreesfrom the University ofTennessee at Martin dur-ing recent fall commence-ment.

The event was held inthe Kathleen and Tom ElamCenter on the UT Martincampus.

Students who receivedundergraduate degreeswefe:

. Hornbeak - RebeccaAnn Bloodworth;

. Rives - Alyssa LynnCulver and Garrett DanielEllison;

. South FultonAlexandra ElizabethBunow, Tenna G. Bynum,Sarah Rachel Dodd,Saralynn Eaves, MikaelaMargaret Hardy and ClareMcConnell;

. Troy - Macy BethAllison, Tyler J. Barber,Trevor Louis Bolton,Jonathan Spencer Kelly andMorgan Chase Quinton;. Union City - VictoriaPaige Abrigo, TerrenceL. Bishop, Laribeth A.Bondurant, Stephanie LynnBunch, Ashlyn N. Chism,Maghen Sarah Clancy,Carly Anne Coleman,Chris D. Collins. MaryHelen Driver, Douglas DonDurkee. Taylor MackenzieEdwards, Tiffany JoGammons, Nichlaus KeithGilliam, Brandon W.Griffin, Christopher DaleHendon, Holly S. Pollock,Cameron Shaw Powers,Nancy Sanchez, WhitneyDenise Smith, SavannahNoel Snead, WilliamTyler Tankersley, LeshiaEvone Taylor, Trent Jim-ETheriac, Chase S. Wallace,Andrew L. Wamer, KaceeAlexis Warren and ColtonAllen Woodward.

Among those awardedgraduate degrees were:

. Kenton - Brittany JillSmith Simmons,

. South Fulton - ErinLaine Vicary;

. Union City - TracyeFreeman Valentine.

EARNS DEGREE - Carly Coleman ofUnion City graduated from the Universityof Tennessee at Martin during commence-ment exercises recently in the Kathleenand Tom Elam Center. She received a

tfrom the summer and fall 2016 classes whowere eligible to receive degrees.

GRADUATES UTM - Mikaela Hardy ofSouth Fulton graduated from the Universityof Tennessee at Martin during recent com-mencement in the Kathleen and Tom ElamCenter.'She received a bachelor's degree

in biology. About 680 students from thesummer and fall 2016 classes were eligibleto receive degrees during the ceremony.Dr. Joe DiPietro, UT System president,conferred the degrees.

Husband, wife and son graduatetogether from UT Martin;daughter to follow next year

"We have a built-in au-dience for speeches andpresentations, editors forpapers and study buddiesto ask us review questions,"she said. "Even though weare all from different ma-jors, we have all had at leastone class with each other,which was a lot of fun."

Angie received her bach-elor's degree in interdisci-plinary studies and plansto earn a master's degreein education focused onstudent affairs and collegecounseling. Robert earned

a degree in criminal scienceand, as a veteran himself,hopes to help future stu-dent-veterans navigate theirway through the collegeprocess. Jonathan studiedbusiness administralionwith a focus in informationsystems, and Hannah is setto graduate next year with adegree in veterinary healthtechnology.

Jonathan says having hisfamily in school with himhas helped him choose thebest professors and classesto benefit his career goals.Hannah says the differencein academic perspectiveshas helped her in her stud-ies as well.

THE yEAKLEY C9UNTY PRESS THURSDAT DECEMBER 22,2016

Angie Gertsch of Martinhas been looking forward tograduation day for 20 years.After two decades of hardwork and perseverance, shereceived her bachelor's de-gree during fhe Universityof Tennessee at Martin'scommencement exercrsesDec. 10 alongside her hus-band, Robert Gertsch, andher son, Jonathan Craw-ford, who also receivedbachelor's degrees. Herdaughter, Hannah Craw-ford, is scheduled to gradu-ate in December 2017 .

Angie took her first UTMartin classes in 1996while juggling a full-timejob and the responsibilitiesof a single mother of two.After withdrawing severaltimes, she began the finalleg of her journey in 2010with her children along-side her. Jonathan beganhis own college experiencethat same year, and Robertand Hannah enrolled a fewygars later.

"Having our whole fam-ily in school at the sametime has been a wonder-ful, chaotic experience.We have spent the past fewyears having classes to-gether and trying to alrangeschedules so we can haveIunch together," said An-gie. "We have spent manynights at the library study-ing together and helpingeach other out."

With four family mem-bers juggling courses infour different academicareas, the struggle to stayconnected was real. How-ever. Angie says it was niceto have a support systemregardless of the subjectafea.

"With my studies (in vet-erinary health technology),it helps that mom knows agood deal about medicalterminology ... even thoughshe took the human classwhile I am taking the ani-mal class," she said. "Whileour fields are so different.we do try to help each otherwhenever possible. My roleis mainly that of an editorand proofreader. ... It isdefinitely hectic at timesand can be very stressful (tohave everyone in school).While it is difficult to keepfour schedules straight, it isalso something to be proudof. It involves a lot of duedates, late nights and lots ofcoffee."

Angie and Robert hopetheir academic persever-ance teaches Jonathan andHannah a lesson about thevalue of hard work anddedication.

"I hope that (my chil-dren) can take a sense ofpride from seeing me fin-ish this degree. They havegiven me a lot of love andhope through these years,which has inspired me andkept me going. I hope that Ican be an example to themto always keep dreaming.to never stop trying, and tonever lose their sense of selfin the crowd." said Angie.

Hannah says she is in-spired by the dedicationher mother, stepfather andbrother have shown to fur-ther their education. "Theyhave all taught me to pushfor the goal and give it myall. I have seen all of the,

hard work. determinationand perseverance that ittakes to finish, and it hassiven me the motivation tohnish my last year. this finalstretch."

Coming to the end of theroad is a bittersweet mo-ment for the Gertsch/Craw-lord family. After sharingso many college exPerienc-es together, theY have allfound a deeper love notonly for each other, but forthe campus they call home.

"sharing this chaotic andadventurous exPeriencewith my family has beenone of the most pivotal mo-ments in my life," said Rob-ert. "There have been manYlate nights spenl at the uni-versity waiting on each oth-er and chasing each other inour crazy class schedules,but I cannot imagine mYcollege experience withoutsharing it with my family. Ithas been the bond that hasbrought us all together. UTMarlin is not just a Place weall met or that we share andhave in cofilmon. UTM isour family's university. Wetake great pride in trulY be-ing a Skyhawk familY."

"This has truly been a

wonderful experience tohave as an individual, butto be able to share this withmy family is overwhelm-ing," said Angie. "Thesehave been some of the haP-piest of years. UT Martinwill always be special tome.t'

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY DECEMBER 22,2016

For other nontraditionalstudents who may be con-templating finishing or be-ginning a college degree,Angie passes on a few words

her by an't keepback to

school," she said. "I havebeen in classes where Iwas the oldest person in theclass, including the profes-sor. I have also been in classwith a wonderful lady whowas 83 years old, and her

Just keep on going, howev-er long it takes. You shouldcompare yourself to no one;you are only competing

A FAMILY AFFAIR - Pictured before the commencement ceremony are familvmembers. (from left) Hannah crawford,'Robert Geftsch, Angie Gertsct

"ha lonrir,uiCrawford. Robert,Angie and Jonathan all graduated together dec. 10.

THE LAUDERDALE COUNTY ENTERPRISE, RIPLEY, TENNESSEE, DECEMBER 2?,2O16

DOTTIE ANN HURT, A

member in the honor so-

ciety of Phi Kappa Phi,

Sraduated cLtm laudeDecember 1Oth fromthe University of Ten-nessee at Martin with abachelor of interdisci-plinary studies degree.

She is the daughter ofDottie West, of Halls,and the late Jimmie L.

Thompson, of Cates,and the granddaughterof Annie Thompson, ofHalls, and the late KatieM. Liggeons, of Cates.Dottie is currently em-ployed at Care Rite,PLLC in Halls, and shealso lt4orks part;|i.t0,p*.;,

at Mid-South Conve-nient Care in Ripley.The mother of four, hasplans to continue hereducation to receiveher master's degree inclinical mental healthcounseling at ArgosyU n iversity.

Sch ol ar

THE LAUDERDALE COUNTY ENTERPRISE, RIPLEY, TENNESSEE, DECEMBER 2?., 2016

Area StudentsEarn Degrees

Several Lauderdale

County students received

degrees from the UniversitYof Tennessee at Martin dur-

ing fall commencement held

December 10th in the Kath-leen and Tom Elam Center

on the UT Martin campus.

The students receiv-ing undergraduate degtees

include, from Gates, Eu-

nice Louise Delph, Dot-tie A. Hurt, and AshleY E'

Vaughan; Halls, JosePh

Wa1'ne Agee, Ashlyn Mi-chelle Barnes, Kelly Alease

Blackwood, LindseY Jo

Bowie, Kirby ElizabethCherry, Erin Elizabeth Cri-hfield, Jamye Spence Free-

man, Jason Klutts, Ebone

Monique Pearson, and Te-

resa Irene Tidwell; Hen-ning, Kenja C, MosbY;

and Ripley, Jeanetta Bates,

Dana Tr. Beard, ChristinaRenae Buckner, Douglas

Keith Buckner, LaquintaS. Davis, Brandi L. Driver-Jones, Kiah James Ewer,

Edward Maurice Gaines,

Pamela Carol Hastings,

Betty M. Henderson, MaryBeth Latham, Wendi R. Lu-cas, Stacy Neicole Maclin,Jeffery R. Manns, AmY J.

Medford, Lauren ElizabethRushing, Summer DianneScott,' Brittany T'KeYah

Simmons, Crystal VictoriaSmith, Kristy G. Sprague,

Patricia Temple, and Brit-ney Breann Watkins.

Caitlyn Clendenin, ofHalls, received a graduate

degree.

Posted Dec25,2016 at 1:01 AM

Glencoe nativeil;; il;;;; http://www.chiplevpaper.corn http://www.dailycomet.corn http://www.timesdaily.com

Emily McCartney, Glencoe, recently received one of two Kelly W. Murray Excellence inPortfolio Management Awards from the University of Tennessee at Martin.

This award, created in honor of the late son of Dr. Sandra and Bill Murray, recognizesoutstanding effort and dedication in managing the UT Martin stock portfolio in conjunction withthe Tennessee Valley Authority Investment Challenge, which gives students real-world leamingexperience in portfolio management.

McCartney received a bachelor's degree with a major in accounting during the university'scommencement ceremony Dec. 10.

Andrew Terrell was the recipient of the second award.

Local resident receives degree from UT Martin

STAFF- REPORTS

December 25, zot6http : //hendersonvill e standard. com

A Sumner County resident was among students who received degrees from the

University of Tennessee at Martin during fall commencement held Dec. ro in the

Kathleen and Tom Elam Center on the UT Martin campus. The student receiving

undergraduate degrees was Devon B. Gaddes of Hendersonville. Congratulations!

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27 2016

Students from the Uni-versity of Tennessee atMartin Department of Com-puter Science received thirdplace and honorable men-tion accolades at the 2016Association for ComputingMachinery Mid-SoutheastRegional Conference heldNov. 10-11 in Gatlinburg.UT Martin students werealso recognized for theirwork at the first annualVOLSHACK event held atthe University of Tennes-see, Knoxville, earlier thissemester.

Seniors Chase Breedenof Martin, Justin James ofRives and Carter Crews ofDyersburg received thirdplace in the ACM confer-ence's undergraduate re-search competition for their" Smart Fridge" project.

UTM computer

small computer known as

turn ainto a

ice ca-

pable of sendining data via annection. Thisuses Amazon Web Servicesto monitor its internal tem-Derature in real time and

il.rt o*n.tt of problems.such as unsafe temPeraturechanges, through mobilealerts.

Seniors Adam Fuqua ofMartin and Trevor DYch ofCovington received an hon-orable mention in the samecatesory for their mobilegu.". "'Dung.on Diver"'i'vhich uses the Android oP-

erating system. This game

creates a different PlaYerenvironment each time it isooened and introduces lev-eis and enemies that adaPtto player difficultY over

tlme.Five UT Martin students

also participated in theVOLSHACK event hostedat UT Knoxville earlier thissemester. This tYPe of event,referred to as a "hackathon,"takes place over severaldays and requires studentsto' work around-the-clockfrom initial idea to Projectcompletion.

UT Martin studentsDych and Brooks Bectonof Milan worked alongside

Ostrouchov,student at UTnd TYler Whit-

ten, a student at East Ten-nessee State UniversitY, tocreate the City Trail Project.This mobile game uses realmap data and demograPhicinformation to create a

real-life version of the clas-sic Oregon Trail comPutergame.

Tne team won a Prizefrom ESRI, one of theevent's corPorate sPon-sors. for the best use of the

company's progralnmmginterface.

These accomPlishmentscome on the heels of UTMartin success at the localbranch of the Associationfor Computing MachineryInternational CollegiateProgramming Contest inNovember.

Student teams from UTMartin took first-, third-and fourth-Place honors inthat competition.

For more informationon the UT Martin DePart-ment of ComPuter Science,contact Dr. Joshua Guerin.associate professor of com-outer science, at 731-881-1246 or email jguerin@utm.edu.

students win awards

Tht sttilents useila

The Jackson Sun Tuesday, December 27,2016

Groundbreaking

A ground-breaking ceremony Dec. 7 at the former Methodist Fayette Hospital in Somerville signaled the start of renovations th"a}lf '"'ocreate a new home for the University of Tennessee at Martin Somerville Center. Participating in the ceremony were (from left) MarlinMosby, higher education committee member and donor; Bob Turner; administrator foi the t-own of Somervilie; Kara Tapp, UtMartinSomerville Center director; Dr. Bob Smith, UT Martin interim chancellor; Dr. Brian Donavant, interim executive directori i,lt wtartin Office ofEducational Outreach; Skip Taylol Fayette County mayor; Ronnie Neill, Somerville mayor; Ellen Wadley, architect. Fleming Architects; stateSen' Dolores Gresham (R-District 26); and Charley Deal, UT Maftin associate vice chancellor for alumni ielations and annuil giving.

The lackson Sun Tuesday, December 27'2016

I.]T MSomeruille revampEarning acollege degree without theexpense of leaving home within reachTHE JACKSON 5UN

Danielle Ables was determined toattend college after earning her GEDcertificate from Fayette Literacy. The2O-year-old Somthe educationaled close to homTennessee at Martin Somerville Cen-ter.

Ables joined fellow students Court-ney Burns and Elizabeth Wilburn andofficials for a groundbreaking cere-mony earlier this month that markedthe beginning of major renovations tothe center's new home at the formerMethodist Fayette Hospital. The newfacility is expected to open in fall 2017,according to a press release from UTMartin.

Ables, a full-time student, workspart-time at night for FedEx as she pur-sues academic interests in both agri-

culture and business. Earning a col-expense ofher reach,

just amazinghow we can actuallY go to school andget a ionhomet "It

Dis ut

'liin-

volved in2012when a new building forthe center was initially proposed, but

Meth-sed iny offi-

lease between the University of Ten-nessee and the city of Somerville tohouse the UT Martin Somerville Cen-ter in the former hospital building.

Earlier this Year, the TennesseeGeneral Assembly approved $250,000in recurring funding for the center inthe state's 2016-t7 budget. Also ap-

opv

ville on July 26 to formally present UTMartin with the total $1.125 million infunding from the state to establish thenew center.

Attendees were greeted bY over-cast, cold and windy conditions as theyarrived at the groundbreaking eventheld at the facility's main entrance'Construction workers were already onsite, and renovation work was immi-nent.

Fayette County Mayor SkiP TaYlorsaid the turnsthrough t ited re-tired UT former

See UTM, Page 5A

rytrlvgContinued from Page 54

state Rep. Jamie Jenkins, state Sen Do-lores Gresham (R-District 26) ald othersfor giving the project direction. "Wetried abunch of different ways (to createthe center), and everybody here today,and a lot folks who aren't here todaymy thanks go out to them, becausethere's no way any of us could have donethis by ourselves," he told the audience

Gresham acknowledged the workthat made the center a reality for Somer-

ville, Fayette County andthe region. "I am so happy.,. as I had said before, thisis truly a game-changirgevent," she said.

"It's a game-changerfor each of us who arehere personally, and it's a

. game-changerforthestu-dents who will attend school here. Thankyou, Jesus, for this great daY "

Newly elected Somerville MaYorRonnie Neill added his thanks for thosewho supported the center. "This centerwill be much more than a place to obtaincollege credit.

" It will be a place that will change

people's lives," Neill said."We will be supporting the mega-site

just L3 miles north of here, and we'Il besupporting the governor's Drive to 55. SoaII ofthose things wili occur on this site."

UT Martin Interim Chancellor BobSmith helped create UT's first highereducation center in McNairy County,which opened in 1998. He sees UT Mar-tin's fifth off-campus center well posi-tioned to succeed.

"I think you're going to look back fiveyears from now,10 years for sure, andsay, 'My word, what have we accom-plished here?' because it will be extraor-dinary," he said

"The best days are ahead for this cen-

ter," Smith Added on behalf of incomingUT Martin Chancellor Keith Carver.

Smith's interim charcellor's appoint-ment will end in early January, and Carv-er will begin his role as the university's10th chancellor Jan 3

Danielle Ables already has career op-tions in mind after she earns her degree."It's great what everybody's doing, com-ing together as a community to better ev-erything," she said. "It's just reallyamazing."

Le am mor e ab out the U T M artin S om-erville Center at utm edu/ departmentslsomervillel or callthe center at (901) 465-7313.

Gresham

UT Martin online programsrise nationally, r€gionally

The University of Ten-nessee at Marlin's onlinemaster's-level programshave again proven theirvalue in several recentrankings.

The online masterof busi-ness administration programis included in three listingsfrom OnlineMBAReport.com.

The program is rankedl0th in the South, 22ndamong public schools and2lthnationally in the 2016lists.

This is an increase fromthe website's 2015 rankings,which put the UT Marrinprogram in 15th,33rd and39th places, respectively.

UT Martin is the highest-ranked Tennessee institu-tion in all three categories.

According to the online

ranking page, the UT Martinprogram placed in the top14 percent of Southernschools considered, thetop 15 percent of publicschools considered and thetop 8 percent of schoolsincluded nationally.

Criteria considered forthese rankings includedacademic reputation, tuitionvalue, program enrollment,admissions selectivityand program quality andrigor. UT Martin's onlineMBA is a 33-credit-hourprogram that can be com-pleted entirely online in 20months.

The UT Martin MBAprogram is indepen-dently accredited by theAssociation to AdvanceCollegiate Schools ofBusiness.

UT Martin's onhnemaster's degree in agri-culture and naturalresources was also recog-nized as a great value byBestMastersDegrees.com.The university is rankedninth in the website's listof the most affordable mas-ter's degrees for 2O16-17.This degree program offersconcentrations in agribusi-ness and risk management,natural resources systemsmanagement and systemsscience in agriculture.

UT Martin is the highest-ranked Tennqssee institu-tion in this listing, as well.

For more informationon UT Martin's onlinedegree offerings, contactUT Martin Online at (731)881-7021 or visit utm.eduionlinestudies.

The Lauderdale Voice, Wednesday, December 28,2016

Gates residentgraduatesfrom UTMAshley Vaughan ofGates graduated lromthe University ofTennessee at Martinduring commencementexercises Dec. 10 in theKathleen and Tom ElamCenter. Vaughanreceived a Bachelor oflnterdisciplinaryStudies degree.

Pair from Ripley graduate from UTMBrandi Driver-Jones, left, and LaQuinta Davis,right, both of Ripley, graduated from theUniversity of Tennessee at Martin during com-mencement exercises Dec. 10 in the Kathleen andTom Elam Center. Driver-Jones received a bache-lor's degree in interdisciplinary studies, and Davisreceived a degree in agriculture. Approximately680 students from the summer and fall 2016 class-es were eligible to receive degrees during the cer-emony. Dr. Joe DiPietro, UT System President,was present to confer degrees.

THE FAYET{IE FALCON

Wednesday, December 2g, 2016

UT Martin Interim Chancellor Bob Smith (left) addresses a university-wide meeting offaculty and stalf Jan. 13, 2016, to discuss the university's accreditation. The universitytook major steps to address accreditation issues, and today the Southern ^A,ssociation ofColleges and Schools Commission on Colleges has officially removed the university fromprobationary status. The announcement came during the final day of the 2016 SAC-SCOC Annual Meeting held Dec. 3-6 in Atlanta, GA.

UT Maftin Removed from AccreditationProbation Status

By: Bud Grimes-Office ofUniversity Relations

The Southern Associationof Colleges and SchoolsCommission on Colleges hasofficially removed the Uni-versity of Tennessee atMartin from probationarystatus. The announcementcame during the final day ofthe 2016 SACSCOC AnnualMeeting held Dec. 3-6 inAtlanta, Ga.

UT Martin received noticeof the commission's decisionto place the university on al2-month academic proba-tion in December 2015. Thedecision was based on theuniversity's "failure to com-ply" with five of the 92accreditation standards. Theuniversity remained fullyaccredited by the commis-sion throughout the proba-tion period, and program-specific acereditations alsoremained in place and con-tinue.

"While I must congratulateUT Martin on successfullyaddressing the matters raisedby the Southern Associationof Colleges and SchoolsCommission on Colleges, Inever for a moment doubtedthat success would be theoutcome," said Dr. Joe Di-Pieffo, University of Tennes-see president. "The UT

Martin faculty, staff, studentsand administration, under theexceptional leadership ofInterim Chancellor BobSmith, committed them-selves tirelessly with aHerculean effort and anincredible sense of teamworkto ensure all concems wereresolved, and their hard workhas paid off with the returnof their full accreditation sta-tus. No doubt, I am veryproud of their accomplish-ment."

Since the commission'sdecision, UT Martin facultymembers, administrators andsupport staff have made sig-nificant changes in the cam-pus atmosphere and docu-mentation surroundingassessment and student out-comes. A long-term plan is inplaqe !o ensure thg issue doesnot recur.

A SACSCOC team made asite visit to the UT Martinmain campus Oct. 4-6, whichincluded a series of meetingsand the team's follow-upreport to the commission.The visiting team made norecommendations for furtheraction.

"I'm grateful to our UTMartin faculty and staff fortheir hard work and persist-ence in successfully address-ing this critical challenge,"

said Dr. Bob Smith, whoguided the universitythrough the yearlong processleading to SACSCOC's deci-sion. "Our students, alumniand friends showed tremen-dous conlidence in us duringthe past year, and I'm espe-cially pleased that they arerewarded for standing behindtheir university."

Dr. Keith Carver was elect-ed the university's lOth chan-cellor in October by the UTBoard of Trustees and willbegin his duties Jan. 3. Hesaid the accreditation newsoffers the university a posi-tive foundation for the yearahead.

"This news reflects thegreat work of the UT Martinteam over the past year. Thiswas a tremendous effort bythe entire carnpus gommuni-ty," said Carver. "I'm excitedby the momentum this hascreated, and I look forwardto our continued work toeducate the region's best andbrightest students."

UT Martin is a primarycampus in the University ofTennessee System and offersl7 undergraduate degreeswith more than 100 special-ized concentrations and fivegraduate degrees with 17specialized concentrations.

THE FAYETTE FALCON Wednesday December 28, 2A16

, Dedra Shepard-Bailey Jovontio Shepard-Bailey

Brother and Sister Receive DegreesRandy (stepfather) and Veronica Shepard-Moore and Wayne Bailey, the parents of JovontioShepard-Bailey and Dedra Shepard-Bailey, would like to announce that both siblings gradu-

ated from UT Martin on December 10th, 2016 with a BS degree in Health and HumanPerformance. They both graduated from Fayette Ware High School.

Tsr FurroN Lnaorn, Dscs\,{ssn 28,2016

UT MARTIN STUDENTS COMPLETE TVA INVESTMENT CHALLENGE - A group of seniors from the University of Tennessee at Martin'sCollege of Business and Global Affairs has completed the annual Tennessee Valley Authority's lnvestment Challenge. TVA's lnvestmentChallenge is a partnership between TVA and 25 universities in its service territory that provides a real-world learning experience in portfoliomanagement by allowing students to manage actual stock portfolios. Participating students also select classmates to receive the Kelly W.Murray Excellence in Portfolio Management Award. This award, created in honor of the late son of Dr. Sandra and Bill Murray, recognizesoutstanding effort and dedication in managing the UT Martin TVA stock portfolio in conjunction with the investment challenge. This year'srecipients are Andrew Terrell, of Union City, and Emily McCartney, formerly of South Fulton and of Glencoe, Ala. Pictured after the TVApresentations are, left to right, Dr. Mahmoud Haddad, professor of finance;Terrell; Morgan Grisham, of Union City; Dallas Hunter, of Milan;Bill Munay, father of the late Kelly Murray; Tyler Stephenson, of Medina; Ryan Stevenson, of Milan; Reagan Brock, of Martin; Chris Hutch-erson, of Martin; McCartney; McKenzie Bonetti, of Maftin; Dr. Ross Dickens, dean, UT Martin College of Business and Global Affairs; andMohammed Alamro, an international student living in Martin. (Photo submitted)

UTM online programs rankhigh nationally

The University of Tennessee atMartin's online course offeringshave recently received nationalattention at both the graduate andundergraduate levels.

AffordableColle ge Commu-nity.org ranked UTM's onlineprograms number seven on thewebsite's list of the "Best OnlineColleges in Tennessee for 2016-17". UTM comes in above theUT Knoxville and the UT Chat-tanooga, which ranked numbers13 and 14 respectively.

Institutions must be fully-ac-credited and offer at least threeonline degree programs to beconsidered for this listing. Theranking considered a variety offactors,-including tuition andfees, types of available programs,graduate rates, scholarship avail-ability, and job-placement ser-

vices.Additionally, UTM's online

master's degree in agricultureand natural resources was re-cently named one of the "Top20Most Affordable Online Master'sin Agriculture Business/Agri-business" for 2016-l'7 by Grad-SchoolHub.com. The programis ranked number eight on thelist, making it the highest-rankedTennessee school in the listing.

The Princeton Review includ-ed UTM's Master of BusinessAdministration program in its2017 list of the "Best BusinessSchools". Included programs aresimply listed alphabetically, notranked. Approximately 25,000students from business programsacross the country rated theirinstitutions, and the top 294schools made the list.

The UTM MBA programis offered in a hybrid format,which allows students to com-plete a combination of onlineand on-campus courses. A fullyonline option is also available.UTM's publishedprofile calls theuniversity "a friendly, flexible,low-key place to get a qualitybusiness education".

UTM offers six undergraduateprograms completely online,as well as an online programfor veterinary technicians. Fourmaster's degrees are available todistance learners, including threeMaster of Science degrees andthe Master of Business Adminis-tration. For more information ononline programs, contact UTMOnline at 731-881-7080.

http : /idailyj oumalonline. com/r

Students in the News Dec 30,2016

U niversity of Ten nessee

Samantha Rae Davis of De Soto was among students who received degrees from the

University of Tennessee at Martin during fall commencement held Dec' 10'