The Doak House Museum at Tusculum College was presented a "2004 Award of Excellence" during a recent meeting of the Tennessee Association of Museums.

The award, presented during the Tennessee Association of Museums' annual meeting, recognized a classroom poster created last year to inform educators about the programs at the museum on the Tusculum College campus.

The poster received the award in the "Flat Paper Publications" category for small museums. The Tennessee Association of Museums awards program was formed to recognize excellence within the activities of the state's museum community.

Five thousand teachers, librarians, principals, and educators in Northeast Tennessee received the classroom poster, which served as both a resource of information about the Doak House Museum's educational programs and a remainder of the museum as an educational outlet for students.

The educational programming at the Doak House Museum focuses on various aspects of education and life during the 19th century at the site, which was the home of the Rev. Samuel Witherspoon Doak, co-founder of the college. These programs served about 10,000 school children from East Tennessee last year.

The poster raised awareness of the museum as indicated by a 40 percent increase in phone calls inquiring about the educational programs, a 12 percent increase in museum visitation, and a 57 percent increase in gift shop sales.

The museum staff is appreciative of this recognition by their professional peers across the state for their outstanding accomplishments and services offered to the Tennessee community.

The Department of Museum Program and Studies administers the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library and the Doak House Museum on the Tusculum campus under the direction of George Collins, director of Museum Program and Studies, and Cindy Lucas, associate director of the Doak House Museum and the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library.

The department also offers one of the few undergraduate degree programs in museum studies in the country. The Andrew Johnson Museum houses a collection of books, papers, and memorabilia of the 17th president of the United States. The museum also houses the Charles Coffin Collection from the original college library and the College archives containing documents related to the history of Tusculum. The Doak House Museum, which was the home of the Rev. Samuel Witherspoon Doak, co-founder of the college, hosted about 10,000 school children from East Tennessee last year for a variety of educational programs related to the 19th century and Character Counts.

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