Tusculum's Hobbie Center increases focus on college's Civic Arts mission

Tusculum College is a Civic Arts institution.

Informing the communities served by the college what this means and its long-reaching benefits are among the missions of the Warren W. Hobbie Center for the Civic Arts as well as providing resources to Tusculum faculty to enhance how they apply the Civic Arts in classroom activities.

The Hobbie Center is being revitalized, and has undertaken several activities this fall to bring a greater focus on the Civic Arts mission of Tusculum College, which is to provide students the practical wisdom, skills, and moral sensibilities to be successful citizens. The center's primary emphasis is to develop a model Civic Arts curriculum and to share that model with others.

A major effort of the Hobbie Center has been the scheduling of a symposium Dec. 3 for faculty members to discuss a biography published earlier this year of the Roman orator, philosopher, statesman and educator Cicero, according to Dr. Jim Reid, one of the interim co-directors of the Hobbie Center. (Many of the facets of the Civic Arts tradition can be found in the writings of Cicero, and the college's name comes from the town in which his villa was located.)

The revitalization of the Hobbie Center began earlier this year with the appointment of Dr. Reid, professor of political science, and Carolyn Gregg, assistant professor of research, as interim co-directors. The Hobbie Center was originally established in the early 1990s at the time Tusculum College reformed its curriculum in support of the college's Civic Arts mission.

The center is in the initial stages of planning another major event - a regional symposium that will focus on the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," according to Dr. Reid. The event is set for Jan. 20, Martin Luther King Day, with hopes of attracting people from across the region to participate in discussions about King's most important written work.

An on-going activity of the Hobbie Center is a series of "brown bag" lunch discussion sessions for faculty members, scheduled either once a week or at least once every two weeks. Interested faculty members are asked to read an article or other materials related to the Civic Arts to prepare for the lunches. The main themes of the articles are discussed in terms of how they relate to Tusculum College's Civic Arts curriculum.

The Hobbie Center has also had one gathering for faculty in a more social atmosphere to allow for extended discussion of many of the topics addressed in the luncheons and is planning another for this semester, Dr. Reid said.

Faculty for both the traditional student academic program and the Professional Studies program for working adults have been involved in Hobbie Center activities.

Training sessions about the college's Civic Arts mission have been developed for adjunct faculty for the Professional Studies program, Gregg said, and faculty members have been given a Civic Arts document developed especially to educate Professional Studies students about the college's mission.

Efforts are being made to schedule special reading and discussion sessions at Tusculum's Knoxville Regional Center and the Morristown satellite site at times convenient to faculty, according to Gregg. A survey instrument is also being developed to ascertain the effectiveness of the Civic Arts in the curriculum and to learn ways to improve its delivery.

An Advisory Council for the center is working with Gregg and Dr. Reid to help infuse the concept of the Civic Arts into all aspects of college life and to chart the future directions for the Hobbie Center.

The Advisory Council includes members of the faculty, the student body and local community. Faculty members on the council include Dr. DiAnn Casteel, Dr. Greg Church, and Zachary Jack; student members are Brandon Timms from the Residential College and Mike Cutshaw from Professional Studies; and community members are Wiley Prugh, a member of the Tusculum Board of Trustees, and Angela Rodgriguez, a supervisor in the Greeneville School System. Ex-officio members include Dr. Jonathan Franz, provost and academic vice president; Robin Fife, director of the Service-Learning Center; and Scott Mashburn, dean of students.