Tennessee State University

"Tennessee State" redirects here. For the U.S. state, see Tennessee.

Tennessee State University
Former names
Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal School for Negroes (1912–1925)
Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal College (1925–1927)
Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College (1927–1968)
MottoThink. Work. Serve
TypePublic, historically black land-grant university
EstablishedJune 19, 1912; 112 years ago (1912-06-19)
AccreditationSACS
Academic affiliation
Endowment$91.1 million (2021)[1]
PresidentRonald A. Johnson (interim)
ProvostRobbie K. Melton (interim)
Academic staff
377 full-time & 114 part-time[2]
Students9,218 (fall 2022)[3]
Undergraduates7,678 (fall 2022)
Location
Nashville
,
Tennessee
,
United States

36°10′00″N 86°49′50″W / 36.16667°N 86.83056°W / 36.16667; -86.83056
CampusLarge city, 903 acres (365 ha)
ColorsBlue and white[4]
   
NicknameTigers and Lady Tigers
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I – OVC
Websitewww.tnstate.edu
Tennessee State University Historic District
Location3500 John A. Merritt Blvd
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
ArchitectMarr & Holman, et al.
NRHP reference No.96000677
Added to NRHPJune 14, 1996

Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.[5] Tennessee State University offers 41 bachelor's degrees, 23 master's degrees, and eight doctoral degrees.[6][7] It is classified as "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".[8]

History

The university was established as the Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal School for Negroes in 1912.[9][10] Its dedication was held on January 16, 1913.[9] It changed its name to Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal College in 1925.[9] Two years later, in 1927, it became known as Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College.[9]

In 1941, the Tennessee General Assembly directed the Board of Education to upgrade the educational program of the college. Three years later the first master's degrees were awarded and by 1946 the college was fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.[11]

Significant expansion occurred during the presidency of Walter S. Davis between 1943 and 1968. The postwar period resulted in the construction of "70 percent of the school's facilities" and the establishment of the graduate school and four other schools.[12]

In 1968, the college officially changed its name to Tennessee State University. In 1979, the University of Tennessee at Nashville merged into Tennessee State due to a court mandate.[11]

In 2022, Tennessee State University was awarded $250 million from the state legislature. The funds were intended to upgrade facilities and academic programs on campus.[13] At the time of the award, the $250 million investment was the largest single investment into a historically black institution in the history of the country.[14]

In 2023, Tennessee State's most well known graduate, Oprah Winfrey, served as the official commencement speaker for the first time.[15]

Tennessee State University is divided into eight schools and colleges and has seen steady growth since its inception. It remains the only public university in Nashville. Its health science program is the largest in the state and one of the largest in the nation.[16]

On March 28, 2024, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed legislation that removed all of the school's board of trustees and replaced them with new members, subject to legislative confirmation. Characterizing the school as a “remarkable institution” he said, “I’m pleased to appoint these highly qualified individuals who will work alongside administrators and students to further secure TSU’s place as a leading institution.”

State legislation authorizing the governor to vacate the board of trustees was prompted by the numerous instances of financial and procedural mismanagement uncovered in recent school audits. Representative Ryan Williams specifically noted that the $250 million appropriation made by the legislature in 2022 was “completely blown through” and not used for infrastructure improvements as intended.[17][18]

Campus

The 500 acres (2.0 km2) main campus has more than 65 buildings, and is located in a residential setting at 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd in Nashville, Tennessee. Tennessee State's main campus has the most acres of any college campus in Nashville. The Avon Williams campus is located downtown, near the center of the Nashville business and government district. Tennessee State offers on-campus housing to students. There are on-campus dorms and two apartment complexes for upperclassmen. On-campus facilities include dormitories Wilson Hall, Watson Hall, Eppse Hall, Boyd Hall, Rudolph Hall, Hale Hall, as well as the Ford Complex and New Residence Complex, TSU's two on-campus apartment complexes.

Academics

Academic rankings
National
U.S. News & World Report[20]29 in Historically Black Colleges and Universities; 392-434 in National Universities [19]
Washington Monthly[22]100 [21]

The university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award associate degrees, baccalaureate degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degree.[23] It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".[24]

The university is organized into the following colleges:

  • College of Agriculture, Human, and Natural Sciences[25]
  • College of Business[26]
  • College of Education[27]
  • College of Engineering[28]
  • College of Health Sciences[29]
  • College of Liberal Arts[30]
  • College of Life and Physical Sciences[31]
  • College of Public Service[32]
  • University Honors College[33]

The College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). It was the first institution in Nashville to earn the accreditation of both its undergraduate and graduate business programs in 1994. The psychology program is accredited by the American Psychological Association. Programs in the College of Engineering are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) or the National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT). The Master of Public Health program was accredited in 2015 by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).[34]

Student activities

Tennessee State University Tigers wordmark

Athletics

Main article: Tennessee State Tigers and Lady Tigers

Tennessee State University sponsors seven men's and eight women's teams in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sanctioned sports.[35] The school competes in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision and is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). As a member of the OVC, Tennessee State is one of three Division I HBCU athletic programs that are not members of either the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) or Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), whose members are primarily HBCU institutions. TSU has a rivalry with Tennessee Tech and Kentucky State University.

Student organizations

There are over 60 registered student organizations on campus including the Student Government Association, Aristocrat of Bands (AOB), and many fraternities and sororities.[36]

Notable alumni

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Aviation

Name Class year Notability References
U. L. "Rip" Gooch Commercial pilot (20,000+ hours); certified flight instructor; owner/president, Aero Services, Inc.; 1993 Kansas Governor's Aviation Honor Award; inductee, Black Aviation Hall of Fame [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45]

Civil rights

Name Class year Notability References
Xernona Clayton 1952 Civil rights activist [46]
U. L. "Rip" Gooch Civil rights activist; Commissioner, Kansas Commission on Civil Rights (also see: "Politics" below) [37][39][40][47]

Education

Name Class year Notability References
Glenda Glover 1974 Eighth president of Tennessee State University [48]
Sylvia Lyons Render 1934 English professor at two HBCUs, manuscript curator at the Library of Congress
Andrew P. Torrence 1948 Third president of Tennessee State University [49]
Arthuryne J. Welch-Taylor 1953 education professor at several HBCUs, researcher with the National Education Association

Entertainment

Name Class year Notability References
Jimmy Blanton Jazz musician [50]
Young Buck Hip hop star [citation needed]
Hank Crawford Jazz musician [51]
Moses Gunn Actor [52]
Lee Summers 1980 Broadway Original Dreamgirls, actor, writer [53]
Carla Thomas Singer [citation needed]
Leon Thomas Jazz singer (attended two years) [54]
Rufus Thomas Singer (attended one semester) [citation needed]
Key Wane 2012 Hip hop record producer [55]
Oprah Winfrey 1987 Talk show host, actress, entrepreneur [56]

Politics

Name Class year Notability References
James Clayborne, Jr. 1985 Member of the Illinois Senate [57]
Vincent Dixie Representative in the Tennessee House of Representatives [58]
Harold Ford, Sr. Member of the U.S. Congress [59]
John Ford Member of the Tennessee Senate [citation needed]
Mark Funkhouser Former mayor of Kansas City, Missouri [60]
Howard Gentry, Jr. Politician [61]
U. L. "Rip" Gooch Member, Kansas Senate (oldest serving Kansas state senator at 2004 retirement); member, City Council of Wichita, Kansas (also see: "Civil Rights" above) [37][39][40][47][62][63][64]
Thelma Harper Member of the Tennessee Senate [65]
Harvey Johnson, Jr. Former mayor of Jackson, Mississippi [66]
Ronnie Lewis Former mayor of Dolton, Illinois [67]
Dr. C. O. Simpkins, Sr. Dentist in Shreveport, civil rights activist, and member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1992 to 1996 [68]
A C Wharton Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee [69]

Science and technology

Name Class year Notability References
Leonard Jordan Acting chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture responsible for cultivating public-private partnerships that result in good land and water management practices.
Dorothy McClendon 1948 American microbiologist who developed methods to protect stored goods, notably fuel, from degradation due to biological agents. [70]
Dorothy J. Phillips 1966 American chemist and Director-at-Large at the American Chemical Society
Jesse Russell Electrical engineer and wireless communications pioneer
Carla Walker-Miller Engineer and founder and CEO of Walker-Miller Energy Services
Angie Jones Software Engineer. Holds 26 patented inventions in the United States of America and Japan. [71]

Sports

Name Class year Notability References
Joe Adams CFL football player [72]
Brent Alexander NFL football player [73]
Hubbard Alexander American football player
Bennie Anderson 1999 NFL football player [74]
Dick Barnett 1959 NBA basketball player [75]
Ralph Boston Olympic athlete; three time medal winning long jumper [76]
Sam Bowers Gridiron football player [77]
Waymond Bryant NFL football player [78]
Chandra Cheeseborough Olympic runner; gold and silver medalist
Robert Covington 2013 NBA basketball player
Dave Davis NFL football player [79]
Richard Dent NFL football player and member of Pro Football Hall of Fame [80]
Keron DeShields Basketball player in the Israeli National League
Lamar Divens NFL football player [81]
Cleveland Elam NFL football player [82]
J.J. Eubanks American basketball player; top scorer in the 1994-95 Israel Basketball Premier League
Charley Ferguson AFL football player [83]
Ryan Fann Paralympic runner [84]
Sean Foley Golf instructor to PGA Tour players [85]
Randy Fuller NFL football player [86]
Rogers Gaines NFL football player [87]
Joe Gilliam NFL football player [88]
W. C. Gorden 1952 Head football coach at Jackson State University, 1976–1991; member of College Football Hall of Fame [89][90]
Mike Hegman NFL football player [91]
Jarrick Hillery American football player [92]
Claude Humphrey NFL football player and member of Pro Football Hall of Fame [93]
Daniel Johnson NFL football player [citation needed]
Ed "Too Tall" Jones NFL football player [94]
Joe "Turkey" Jones NFL football player [95]
Larry Kinnebrew NFL football player [96]
Anthony Levine NFL football player [97]
Madeline Manning Olympic runner; gold medalist [98]
Anthony Mason NBA basketball player [99]
Edith McGuire Olympic runner; gold and two silver medals [100]
Patrick Miller American basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Melvin Mitchell 1976 NFL football player
Steve Moore NFL football player [101]
Lloyd Neal NBA basketball player [102]
Robert Porcher NFL football player [103]
Brian Ransom NFL football player [104]
Leonard "Truck" Robinson NBA basketball player [105]
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie NFL football player [106]
Carlos Rogers 1994 Former NBA basketball player [107]
Wilma Rudolph Olympic runner; first woman of color to win three gold medals in a single Olympics [108]
Simon Shanks NFL football player [109]
Nate Simpson NFL football player [110]
Ahmaad Smith American football player [111]
Ollie Smith NFL football player [112]
Larry Tharpe NFL football player [113]
Wyomia Tyus Olympic runner; first person to retain the Olympic title in the 100 m [114]
Charlie Wade NFL football player [115]
Carl Wafer NFL football player [116]
Willye White 1950s Olympic track and field athlete; two silver medals [117]
Javarris Williams NFL football player [118]

See also

References

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Further reading

  • Lovett, Bobby L. A Touch of Greatness: A History of Tennessee State University (Mercer University Press, 2012) 340 pp.
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