Tusculum University recognizes the importance of a well-rounded University experience to each student’s life. The Office of Student Affairs is primarily concerned with programs and services that create an environment conducive to personal and group development. As a result, the Student Affairs staff supports and encourages varied co-curricular programs for students that, when combined with the academic program, provide an enriched University environment.
Students’ Rights and Responsibilities
Each student possesses individual rights and responsibilities in the context of the University community. Tusculum encourages an atmosphere that promotes mutual respect and consideration for the rights of others. Tusculum University is a distinctive educational community whose members are committed to the cultivation of the Civic Arts and institutional core values.
Academic Resource Center
The Academic Resource Center (ARC) exists to meet the academic needs of both daytime, Greeneville campus University students and Adult and Online Studies University students. The ARC houses the offices of Academic Advising, as well as the University’s two Student Support Services TRIO Programs. ARC provides services to help students reach their full academic potential.
Academic Advising provides academic counseling regarding course scheduling and selection of majors. Advising personnel also monitor academically at-risk students to ensure they are accessing services to improve academic performance. Other services provided by the ARC include assistance with time management, problem solving, and coordination for tutoring services.
The Academic Resource Center is located on the top floor of the Niswonger Commons building on our Greeneville campus. Academic Resources Center services are provided by staff members located at the Knoxville Regional Center and Morristown Center to students enrolled in the Adult and Online Studies’ programs.
Athletics
Athletic activities at Tusculum University are provided at both the intercollegiate and intramural levels. A wide range of intramural sports are offered throughout the year for competition among Tusculum students, while 24 men’s and women’s varsity teams compete with teams from other colleges and universities.
Tusculum University is a member of the South Atlantic Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Varsity sports for men are baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer tennis, track and volleyball. Varsity sports for women are basketball, cheerleading squad & dance team, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track, indoor volleyball and beach volleyball. Athletes who participate in these teams may earn varsity letters. Athletic scholarships are available to varsity athletes who qualify.
Pioneer Launch
Pioneer Launch is a program for those students who feel as if they are not quite prepared for the academic rigors of collegiate courses. This program provides participants with a unique experience designed to jumpstart their academic success.
Campus Activities
The campus calendar of events boasts films, dances, seminars, plays and many other types of events. The University sponsors these functions to enhance the educational experiences of Tusculum students. Students have the opportunity to attend events and performances such as bands, speakers, comedians, magicians and a variety of novelty acts that visit campus throughout the year.
Career Readiness
The cornerstone of career readiness is Tusculum’s QEP (quality enhancement plan) which fully integrates career readiness into curriculum.
Students are encouraged to begin career development upon entering Tusculum and continue throughout their University experience. Career exploration begins with freshman orientation. In capstone courses, students are taught how to make a successful resume or CV, and networking/interviewing skills. Throughout the curriculum, the QEP focuses on assisting our students in developing strong collaboration techniques, a highly necessary skill to be successful in the work force.
Career Readiness coordinates internship, experiential learning, and job shadowing through collaboration with the colleges and provides multiple online career resources through the Tusculum website, including information about standardized examinations and graduate programs. Students are encouraged to reach out to their advisor, dean of their college, and the career services coordinator for assistance with any aspect of career readiness.
Counseling and ADA Services
Counseling and ADA Services provides mental health counseling and disability services at no cost for currently enrolled students of the University. Counseling and ADA Services offers secular and Christian-Integrated services in a timely manner within a safe, respectful, nonjudgmental, and confidential environment. Services are available at a level of professional care that promotes emotional well-being, spiritual growth, academic success, diversity and healthy interpersonal relationships.
Students seeking, either, or both, counseling services and accommodations due to a documented disability should contact the Counselor/ADA Coordinator located in the Library.
Students may also request an appointment using the online Request for Services Form.
ADA Services (Support Services for Individuals with Disabilities)
Tusculum University affirms its intent to comply with federal regulations regarding persons with disabilities, specifically with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The University does not discriminate on the basis of disability in employment or admission. Tusculum University makes available to qualified students with disabilities those reasonable accommodations or services as are necessary to provide such students with unrestricted access to the learning environment and the opportunity to demonstrate academic achievement. In order to procure services or classroom accommodations, the qualified student is responsible for self- identifying and directing all requests for accommodations or services to the Counselor/ADA Coordinator. Upon review of the documentation, provided by the student, Counseling and ADA Services will assist the student in working with the faculty to secure appropriate classroom accommodations.
Students seeking accommodations due to a documented disability should contact the should contact the Counselor/ADA Coordinator located in the Library.
Counseling Services
Counseling Services are available to assist students with issues that interfere with academic progress and personal growth. Services comply with Health Information Protection Portability Act (HIPPA) and state laws that govern mental health services. Counseling services may include individual and group counseling, mental health and personal and social adjustment assessments, crisis intervention, expressive arts and educational programs, and referrals to community providers. Students and counselors collaborate to identify services and supports to aid students to achieve their academic and personal goals.
Students in the Adult and Online Studies program living in Tennessee and taking classes entirely online may receive ongoing counseling services from the university using the Counseling and ADA Services virtual office. The office is available by appointment only. Those living outside of Tennessee must seek counseling services from a professional licensed in the state, territory, or country of residence.
Student Support Services
Student Support Services (SSS) is a federally grant-funded program sponsored by the TRIO Programs division of the United States Department of Education that serves first-generation (neither parent/guardian has a four-year Bachelor’s degree) and low-income students, as well as students with disabilities.
Eligible students are required to submit an application and income verification to be considered for these programs. SSS offers participants assistance with academic development through a variety of enrichment activities. Specific services include tutoring, financial literacy counseling, mentoring, academic advisement, facilitation of graduate school enrollment, grant aid, and cultural enrichment activities.
Center for Academic Success and Tutoring
The Tusculum University Center for Academic Success and Tutoring is a cooperative venture between the University and the Student Support Services TRIO program.
The mission of the center is to help students hone academic skills to ensure success in their scholarly pursuits. The center offers a variety of free services including course-specific tutoring in mathematics, writing, laboratory sciences, humanities and social sciences. To deliver high quality services, the center employs degreed and peer tutors who are nationally certified by the National Tutoring Association to provide high quality individualized and group tutoring sessions.
The center’s staff collaborates with faculty members to ensure that services address specific academic challenges so that students successfully master course content. Additionally, the center offers a variety of academic workshops and schedules DSST testing for Tusculum University.
The Center for Academic Success and Tutoring is located on the bottom level of the Meen Center, Room 002, and the hours of operation for drop-in sessions are Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Evening tutoring sessions take place Monday- Thursday from 7p.m.-9 p.m. In addition, virtual tutoring is available to students through the TutorOcean platform, which can be accessed through Tusculum University’s main tutoring page, https://web.tusculum.edu/tutoring/. Students can access tutor schedules and book appointments through the TutorOcean platform.
Adult and Online Studies students are also served by degreed tutors that are available by appointment, both face-to-face and virtual.
Veteran Services
The Veteran Services Office provides student veterans at all Tusculum sites guidance and assistance in all issues related to their veteran status. This includes providing assistance on their Veterans Administration (VA) education benefits to assisting with campus, local, state, and federal resources to providing veteran programs and initiatives to assist student veterans succeed during their University experience.
The office goal is to reach, recruit, retain, and reengage student veterans. Community outreach to veterans, veteran organizations, and military units to ensure veterans (and in some cases their dependents) understand their education benefits/opportunities; recruiting veterans when their goals match the program offerings of Tusculum; retain them throughout their University programs with veteran-friendly activities, events, and programs; and reengage them post-graduation through internships and employment opportunities. Mentoring, encouraging campus and community participation, and involvement in leadership roles are also objectives of the Veteran Services Office. The Veteran Services Office will also assist dependents of veterans who are attending Tusculum using dependent or survivor’s VA education benefits.
Tusculum University proudly participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program. If you are receiving 100% entitlement to the Post 911 GI Bill ® (GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)) and if your tuition exceeds the VA cap, there would be no out-of-pocket expenses to the student.
Prior Learning Credits for Military Experience and Training
Military service members and veterans may receive additional transfer credits for their experiences and training while serving in the military. These credits are awarded through military education transcripts and an evaluation of their military skills and training (as verified by their DD Form 214). Tusculum University will award all credits that the American Council of Education recommends provided there is/are equivalent courses at Tusculum and those credits will apply to the students chosen degree program.
Tusculum University’s support for currently serving military students complies with all Department of Defense requirements, policies, and guidelines for institutions of higher learning. Guidelines affecting military students are addressed throughout this catalog. These include, but are not limited to the following.
Tusculum University:
1) Provides each student with a clear and complete explanation of available financial aid, including Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.
2) Bans employees from receiving bonuses, gifts and/or gratuities for the purpose of securing enrollments of Service members or obtaining access to tuition assistance funds.
3) Refrains from high-pressure recruitment tactics for the purpose of securing Service member enrollments.
4) Will disclose basic information about the educational institution’s programs and costs, including tuition and other charges to the Service member when requested.
Military students should speak to their military service Education Services Officer (ESO) or counselor prior to enrollment at Tusculum University to understand military service requirements.
There is a dedicated veteran student lounge at the Knoxville Regional Center where our Adult and Online Studies student-veterans can study, relax, work on group projects, etc.
For more information, contact the Veteran Services Office at 423.636.7371 or visit https://web.tusculum.edu/veterans/.
Cultural Activities
The “Acts, Arts, Academia” program series sponsors events on campus throughout the academic year. A series of art exhibits are displayed throughout the year in the J. Clement Allison Gallery in the Shulman Center. A variety of music, theatre and dance events-including presentations from Theatre-at-Tusculum, Tusculum Arts Outreach, the Tusculum Band Program and Tusculum University Community Chorus-take place in the Annie Hogan Byrd Auditorium and the David F. Behan Arena Theatre.
Dining Service
The University cafeteria, located in the Niswonger Commons, and the snack bar facilities located there and in the lower level of the Garland Library, as well as the Meen Center, serve a variety of well- balanced, enjoyable meals and on-the-go dining options.
All resident students are required to participate in one of the University’s meal plans. Commuting students who wish to eat in the cafeteria may pay as they go or purchase meal plans providing discounted rates in the Business Office. Dining dollars may be applied to purchases made at the snack bar locations and from the full-service Chick-fil-A located on campus in the Niswonger Commons.
Health Services
Tusculum University provides students with general first aid support and guidance in accessing community medical services.
Two fully-equipped hospitals are within easy access of the campus. Both hospitals are approved as Class A by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Each student is encouraged to select a personal physician upon arrival in Greeneville.
Locations and Facilities
Adult and Online Studies programs are offered at four locations: the main Greeneville campus and sites in Knoxville, Morristown, and online. All locations provide instructional support and educational services that meet the needs of adult students. All locations are approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and meet federal guidelines. In addition to the services and resources provided at each location, students have access to all resources (e.g. library, career counseling, tutoring) via the Internet or by phone.
Computers with Internet access are available at each location to ensure access to these resources. All sites have computer labs that are available to students. An extension of the Thomas J. Garland Library on the Greeneville campus is housed at the Knoxville Regional Center.
Motor Vehicle Regulations
Any student wishing to maintain a motor vehicle on campus may do so by registering the vehicle with the Office of Campus Safety. More details regarding Motor Vehicle Registration and parking policies are available in the Office of Campus Safety.
Non-Academic Code of Student Conduct
Conduct which embodies these values and further identifies the rights and responsibilities of community membership is provided in the Student Handbook. For more information about the code of conduct and how to register a student concern, please refer to the Student Handbook online.
Organizations
Students, faculty and staff have formed a variety of campus-based organizations in support of special interests and needs.
The University encourages the formation of clubs and organizations for social interaction, the exploration of interests, and as an effective method of developing leadership and other skills. Check with the Office of Student Affairs for a complete organization listing or information regarding the formation of a new campus group.
Organizations include honorary and professional groups, a literary magazine, service organizations, special interest groups and sports clubs. An annual activities fair is held at the beginning of each semester. Contact the Office of Student Affairs for specific dates and times.
Click here for up to date listing of clubs and organizations.
Orientation
Orientation for Adult and Online Studies (AOS) Programs
New AOS students are invited to participate in an online self-paced orientation prior to the beginning of each semester. This orientation provides information beneficial to the adult student, taking face to face or online courses. Resources include helpful and informational videos from key Tusculum University faculty and staff members.
Orientation and Welcome Week for Daytime Programs Offered on Greeneville Campus
All new daytime, on-campus students are required to attend an Orientation session in the summer prior to arriving at Tusculum for classes. During Orientation there are sessions dedicated for families so they can better support their students throughout college. New students are also required to attend Welcome Weekend, which is the weekend prior to the start of the academic year. New students check into their residence halls at this time. In addition to the full-group sessions, resident, commuting, transfer and international students meet to discuss issues that are unique to their respective groups.
Pioneer Peers
All new students entering one of our daytime Greeneville campus programs will be paired with a mentor, who is an upperclassman at the University. This mentor will help students transition to Tusculum as well as navigate through the different aspects of university life. Pioneer Peers will also attend Tusculum Experience classes with their groups, thus continuing the mentorship throughout the first semester.
Residence Life
Because Tusculum is a small University, the style of life on campus is that of a community, a group of people-students, faculty and staff-working, learning and living together. Attention is given to individual and community growth both in and out of the classroom.
Living on campus increases the level of involvement in both academic and co-curricular activities and, therefore, heightens the impact of the total University experience. Programs in residence halls are designed to encourage students’ intellectual growth while developing healthy social and interpersonal skills. Each hall has its own elected council to provide leadership in activities, student conduct and the general living environment. In addition, resident assistants are students carefully selected and trained as staff members to provide peer counseling, Programming and policy support. The Office of Student Affairs staff provides supervision and support of all housing operations and programs.
Students are housed in Katherine Hall, Haynes Hall, Welty-Craig Hall, the Charles Oliver Gray complex, apartment buildings and campus houses. Room and roommate assignments for new students are made by the Coordinator of Student Housing after the returning students have made their room selections.
All Tusculum students enrolled in any of our daytime Greeneville campus programs are required to live on campus with the exception of married students, single students with a court-recognized dependent, students living at the primary residence of their parents or guardians in Greene County or a contiguous county, students over 23 years of age, military veterans with more than one-year active duty service or students granted an exception by the Housing Committee.
Rooms are furnished with single beds (twin, extra-long), mattresses, dressers, desks and chairs. Room license agreements are for the full academic year unless other arrangements are approved in advance. Laundry facilities are conveniently located in each residential area and operate free of charge to residents.
Student Complaint Policy
For the most up to date information regarding the student complaint policy, please visit https://site.tusculum.edu/student-success/feedback/.
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