GREENEVILLE – With students arriving in a few weeks to start classes for the fall semester, Tusculum University faculty and staff members recently spent a morning completing important tasks to make the campus look even more beautiful.
Employees spread across the university to paint and clean at the residence halls, apartments and houses where students will live. They also dedicated time to various landscaping needs on the grounds, which will enhance the ambience at Tennessee’s first higher education institution.
“This is always a fun event for our faculty and staff, who provide additional hands to complete vital projects,” said Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president. “A well-kept campus makes a great first impression and sends an important message about the Tusculum experience. It also makes a statement about our campus culture that so many faculty and staff from across the university would come out to work hard and prepare our campus for our students.”
Some students have already moved onto campus due to their participation in athletics or other school-related activities, such as serving a resident assistant. More will gradually be returning in the next two weeks. The largest numbers will come Thursday, Aug. 14, when new students move into the residence halls and that weekend, when returning students come back. Classes begin Monday, Aug. 18.
Justin Chartrand, associate head men’s basketball coach, always participates in Community Work Day and enjoys what transpires.
“I think Community Work Day is a great event for so many reasons,” he said. “It allows us to give back to our facilities management crew, which is always performing excellent work to keep our campus in great condition. It’s also fantastic to help clean up campus right before the students arrive. It shows a dedication to our returning and incoming students, our campus and our mission at Tusculum.”
Rachael Barnett, director of Student Support Services, who also serves at every Community Work Day, shared Chartrand’s perspective about assisting the facilities management team. In addition, she noted that the event enables faculty and staff members to practice civic engagement, which is one element of the university’s mission, by giving back.
“Community Work Day is a great opportunity to interact with colleagues from other areas of the university that you don’t see all of the time,” Barnett said. “At this time of year, it is also nice to spend a morning out of the office and focus on completing good work on campus that is not part of your everyday routine.”
More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.
Building on a rich Presbyterian heritage and a pioneering spirit, Tusculum University provides an active and experiential education within a caring Christian environment to inspire civic engagement, enrich personal lives and equip career-ready professionals. Tusculum is the first higher education institution in Tennessee and the 28th oldest in the nation.
