Vol State

Hundreds of students, family, and well-wishers came to Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin on Saturday as the school held the fall commencement. Cesar Espinosa of Cookeville was named Outstanding Fall Graduate at the ceremony. Faculty nominators cited his dedication in tutoring fellow students in math and science as one reason for the award.  Leukemia and three subsequent bouts of serious E. coli infections has given Espinosa quite a bit of insight into the world of medicine.

Graduate Awards for Fall 2018

Congratulations to the students who received awards during the Graduate Awards Night ceremony recently. Here are the honorees:

Jenna Carter of Westmoreland has received the James C. Moore Award from Volunteer State Community College. The honor recognizes a student who has shown service to community and family.

Logistics is the process that allows things to move, whether it be sofas to Seattle or iPads to Indonesia. Parts and finished products travel around the globe in a system set by professionals in logistics and supply chain management. Volunteer State Community College is constantly pushing its logistics and supply chain management training forward to match the speed of commerce. And that speed may be increasing with the announcement of an Amazon operations center in Nashville, a facility that is expected to employ up to 5,000 people.

The Volunteer State Community College Distinguished Alumnus Award was presented recently to a former Trustee who has remained active and involved with the Volunteer State College Foundation. Hendersonville businessman Bill Sinks has donated to the Foundation for 15 years and worked on many fundraising campaigns.

Spring semester at Volunteer State Community College is another opportunity for adult students to attend classes tuition-free with TN Reconnect. TN Reconnect is a statewide program that began this fall. Hundreds of TN Reconnect students are taking classes at Vol State this semester. The primary requirement is that people can’t already have a college degree. They can have college credits and those credits could apply to a Vol State degree.

Tom and Betty Neal of Gallatin were recently awarded the Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy. The award honors those who have made great and lasting contributions to the state’s colleges and universities. The couple began funding a scholarship at Volunteer State Community College in 2000. They were involved with special fundraising events, such as the Harvest Moon Soiree and Educate a Woman luncheon. Along with being active supporters of Vol State, Mr. and Mrs.

Students at Volunteer State Community College will be celebrating the season with two nights of festive song and dance. “Christmas Dreams” will feature several groups from the Performing Arts Department. The Vol State Showstoppers will present choreographed performances, while the Vol State Singers will highlight choral music. Familiar Christmas favorites will be performed by the Commercial and Jazz Music Ensembles, and country musical renditions by Bluegrass Ablaze. The concerts are a venue for a CD release of Vol State student work.

People can make a difference on #GivingTuesday, November 27, by donating to Vol State student scholarships with the Volunteer State College Foundation. Organizers call #GivingTuesday a “global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide.” The Volunteer State College Foundation has set a goal to increase donor giving during the 24-hour #GivingTuesday event. Donations can be made online.

Commitment to bettering education is being recognized by the North Central P-16 Council. The group recently announced the 2018 BEST (Businesses Empowering Students and Teachers) Award winners. The BEST Award celebrates the accomplishments of community leaders, business owners, and entrepreneurs. It recognizes those who share knowledge and expertise, advocate, and foster student success in pre-K through postsecondary education. The P-16 Council is made up of area secondary school educators, higher education leaders and business people.