Tusculum College students Noah Grunzweig, B.J. Roberts, and Josh French, from left, were among the orientation leaders, staff and faculty members, and teams from local churches, and other volunteers who helped new students move into residence halls on Thursday morning (Aug. 14). (Tusculum College photo)

Tusculum College looks forward to another record enrollment as beginning of fall semester nears

August is a time of transition at Tusculum College as the relative quiet of summer is replaced with the welcome sounds of students returning to campus, and this month promises to be one of the busiest.

An enrollment of close to 900 students is expected in the traditional program, called the Residential College at Tusculum. This enrollment is the largest yet for the state's oldest college, topping the record-setting 793 students who were enrolled in the Residential College program last fall.

Of that approximate 900, 270 first-year students and 100 transfer students are expected. Six hundred students will be living on campus, and housing facilities are at capacity for the third year in a row. The student body will represent 23 states along with students from at least eight foreign countries.

Tusculum's enrollment has been steadily increasing since 2000, when 488 students were enrolled in the residential program. The college's goal is to have 1,000 students enrolled in the residential program on campus within the next two years.

"We are really excited as the new academic year approaches with continued enrollment increases and fully expect that Tusculum's growth will continue towards its goals," said George Wolf, vice president for enrollment management, noting that the enrollment increases of the past few years have made Tusculum one of the fastest growing private colleges in Tennessee and the Southeast region.

"Tusculum's continued appeal seems to be based on the college's unique academic curriculum and a wide variety of extracurricular programs and activities for students," Wolf added.

Innovative instruction provides Tusculum with a marked distinction. The college was recognized earlier this year for its citizenship-focused Civic Arts curriculum in "Educating Citizens: Preparing America's Undergraduates for Lives of Moral and Civic Responsibility," published by the prestigious Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Tusculum is also only one of three in the nation that follow a "focused calendar" course system, in which students take one course at a time in successive 3.5-week blocks; each semester consists of four blocks.

"Our commitment to providing to the best education we can for our students has created an atmosphere at Tusculum that welcomes innovative methods of instruction, which, in turn, has helped create the high quality of education we offer today," said Tusculum President Dr. Dolphus E. Henry. "We are excited about the growing number of students who see the potential in an education at Tusculum, and the opportunity to help all of our students reach their goals."

Athletes in fall sports arrived on campus the first full week of August. A final registration day for new students will be held Wednesday, Aug. 13. Orientation for all new students will be Thursday, Aug. 14, and those living on campus will be moving in that day as well. Returning students will be moving back to campus on Saturday, Aug. 16. Classes for the fall 2003 semester begin Monday, Aug. 18.

New and returning students will find some changes on campus. A new computer lab will be open 24-hours a day. In addition, a classroom for studying will available for students after 10 p.m., when evening classes of the Graduate and Professional Studies program end. This program, designed for working adults, has about 1,000 students enrolled in classes that meet in locations throughout East Tennessee. To help enhance campus security, a student patrol program has been created. Both the 24-hour computer and studying facilities and the student patrol program were enhancements made after student suggestion.

When they are not in class or studying, Tusculum students will also have some new recreational options. Two sand volleyball courts and horseshoe pits have been built in front of Katherine Hall, one of the residence halls on campus. The Pioneer Perk, the coffeehouse on campus, will have the addition of a pool table and two dartboards. A new pep band is also being created to perform at athletic home games.

Seven new faculty members will begin teaching at Tusculum this fall, and with the increase in both students and instructors, classroom and office space are at a premium on campus. Two mobiles have been located near the apartment-style residence halls to provide additional classroom and faculty office space.

The campus has not been all quiet this summer. Although the wet weather presented some challenges, the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library has a new roof, the Doak House Museum has a new floor, and the exterior of Tredway Hall has been repainted.

Work has also begun on the project to expand and renovate Tate Library. The early phase of construction is focusing on the preliminary steps of renovating the existing facility, which will remain part of the final complex. When completed, the library will be three times it current size, providing additional space not only for circulation materials, but also computer resources, classroom space, and faculty offices.