Learn how Pellissippi State can help you start, stay and finish strong on your educational journey by attending the free Pellissippi Preview this Saturday on our Hardin Valley Campus.
Prospective college students of all ages are invited to the spring Pellissippi Preview this Saturday on Pellissippi State Community College’s Hardin Valley Campus.
The free event, which runs 9-11:30 a.m. April 1, includes opportunities to learn about not only the college’s academic programs, but also financial aid and scholarships, student support services, study abroad and more.
Those who attend will meet faculty and staff, tour campus studios and labs, learn how to enroll in college and get help with financial aid. High school seniors can earn TN Promise hours for attending Pellissippi Preview, and all prospective students who attend will be placed in a drawing for two $250 scholarships from the Pellissippi State Foundation.
“This is a great opportunity for prospective students to learn about our academic programs and meet the support teams Pellissippi State has in place to ensure that you succeed on your path,” said Enrollment Services Coordinator Debbie Benedict.
The Pellissippi Preview schedule for April 1 includes:
9 a.m. – Check in at the J.L. Goins Administration Building 9:15 a.m. – Welcome to the college 9:45-11 a.m. – Program Showcase (Browse our academic programs and student services) 10:15-10:45 a.m. – Presentation on academic programs, enrollment process and financial aid 10:50-11:30 a.m. – Presentation on our academic programs, enrollment process and financial aid (same presentation, second opportunity to attend)
Pellissippi State’s Hardin Valley Campus is located at 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville.
To RSVP for Pellissippi Preview in person April 1 or online at 6 p.m. April 5, visit www.pstcc.edu/prsvp/. To request accommodations for this or any campus event, call 865.694.6411 or email accommodations@pstcc.edu.
Josh Scott has joined Pellissippi State as head men’s soccer coach to build and lead the college’s first competitive soccer team this fall.
It’s not every day that a coach gets to build a program from the ground up.
Josh Scott, a native of London, England, and longtime resident of Knoxville, has just been given that opportunity.
Pellissippi State Community College has hired Scott, a former professional soccer player in England, Finland and the United States and a former NCAA Division 1 soccer coach, as its first-ever head men’s soccer coach. The college announced in November that it is adding competitive athletics starting in fall 2023, after it was accepted into the National Junior College Athletic Association in October.
“When you are building everything from scratch, you can put your own philosophy into action – stamp your own footprint, your own DNA – and that’s exciting,” said Scott, who moved from his native England to the United States in 2006 to play soccer for Hiwassee College, a historic junior college in Madisonville, Tennessee. “I feel like I’ve come full circle because Hiwassee was, at the time, the only two-year college in Tennessee with a men’s soccer team, and now Pellissippi State will be the only community college in Tennessee with a men’s soccer team. I believe in the NJCAA platform and the opportunity that community colleges provide.”
Scott captained his soccer team at Hiwassee College and later at Milligan University, where he earned his degree in Human Performance and Exercise Science while winning conference soccer championships. He has since made his career in soccer – playing professionally, fulfilling director and coaching roles at youth soccer levels and also coaching at all NCAA levels with Emory & Henry College and Longwood University, both in Virginia, Tusculum University and, most recently, East Tennessee State University.
“Pellissippi State is extremely excited to bring in someone with as much experience and passion as Coach Scott will bring to campus,” said Pellissippi State Athletics Director Brock Evans. “He brings a wealth of knowledge from his experiences coaching at East Tennessee State, Tusculum University, Longwood University and other major stops around the country. Coach Scott has played an integral part in the development of the Knoxville soccer community, and I am confident he is the right coach for this role.”
Scott’s vision is to build Pellissippi State’s men’s soccer team into one of the premier junior college programs in the country with the best local talent from East Tennessee and around the state.
“We are surrounded by competitive and successful college soccer programs from all levels, but going to a two-year school can be a good fit for student athletes both academically and financially, especially as they take advantage of Tennessee Promise,” said Scott, who has long lived in Knoxville and considers East Tennessee home. “Pellissippi State will fill a void here in the soccer community.”
Scott has been hard at work building a game schedule for fall 2023 – 75% of Pellissippi State’s opponents will be in the National Junior College Athletic Association while 25% will be four-year schools, he said – and now is recruiting student athletes. Those who are interested in playing soccer for Pellissippi State should fill out the interest form on the College’s Athletics webpage, www.pstcc.edu/athletics, or email Scott at jscott4@pstcc.edu, as he will be announcing tryouts and identification sessions soon.
“I see our driving force being Tennessee talent with an international flair mixed in,” Scott said. “We are going to give these student athletes the opportunity to embrace diversity, bringing exciting young lads together from all over. It doesn’t matter where you live or where you went to high school. We welcome all walks of life, and by bringing them together as a team, they become brothers, friends for life.”
Scott also will be serving Pellissippi State as a student success coordinator in the college’s Stay Strong Center, which helps students navigate the many transitions and challenges they may encounter during their college experience. He will specifically serve Pellissippi State’s student athletes, focusing on areas such as academic planning, study skills and cultivating a sense of belonging.
“I can’t wait to get started in playing a role with our student athletes’ development,” he said.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash will deliver the keynote address at this year’s Pellissippi Strong Luncheon, set for Wednesday, April 19.
Celebrate Pellissippi State Community College’s outstanding alumni and support current students at the college’s Pellissippi Strong Luncheon this April.
The event, presented by FirstBank and hosted by Tearsa Smith of WATE-TV, will be held 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, at the Hilton Knoxville Airport, 2001 Alcoa Highway, Alcoa. Individual tickets are $50 and include lunch. You can purchase tickets or select levels of sponsorship here. All proceeds benefit the college’s Greatest Need Fund.
“The Pellissippi Strong Luncheon provides the Foundation an opportunity to shine a light on the Pellissippi State experience, share the impact of giving and deepen our relationship with community members,” said Aneisa Rolen, executive director of the Pellissippi State Foundation, the fundraising arm of the college. “Success stories from our students and alumni inspire me every day. I always leave this event motivated to help our students start strong, stay strong and finish strong.”
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash will give the keynote address this year. Born and raised in Memphis, the son of a police officer and a cosmetologist, Cash earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from the historically Black university the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and later studied wildlife management at Oregon State University. He started his federal career with the U.S. Forest Service, where he spent 18 years in various leadership positions, and later transferred to the National Park Service. In 2015 he was selected as the first African American superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the United States.
“During Superintendent Cash’s award-winning tenure, he has led Great Smoky Mountains National Park through several notable events including the Chimney Tops 2 Fire in November 2016, the 2016 National Park Service Centennial and the 2018 completion of the ‘Missing Link’ of the Foothills Parkway,” said Britney Sink, director of Alumni and Donor Engagement for the Pellissippi State Foundation. “Superintendent Cash will share his journey with us, including how he embraced the adventure of bouncing around the country for career growth, using his connection to nature as his constant.”
Pellissippi State also will present the college’s annual alumni awards at the Pellissippi Strong Luncheon. The Distinguished Alumni Award, announced by FirstBank, highlights an outstanding graduate in recognition of significant professional achievement and service to the community, while the Peggy Wilson Volunteer Alumni Award, sponsored by Clayton, highlights an outstanding graduate in recognition of extraordinary service to the Pellissippi State community.
“We are delighted to help honor Pellissippi State’s distinguished alumni,” said Brent Ball, Knoxville president of FirstBank. “It shows both the amazing work they are accomplishing in the community and the real value of education. The time you spend in school will pay dividends your entire life.”
Sparky and Rhonda Rucker will perform at the Blount County Public Library on Thursday, April 13, as part of Pellissippi State’s Appalachian Heritage Project programming for the community. Photo credit: Pam Zappardino
Pellissippi State Community College Libraries’ Appalachian Heritage Project will host an evening of Appalachian music and storytelling with local legends Sparky and Rhonda Rucker next week.
The free Celebrate Appalachia! event will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 13, in the Blount County Public Library’s Main Gallery, 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville.
“Having the legendary Sparky and Rhonda Rucker as the featured artists for our Celebrate Appalachia! event is such an honor, and we are excited to be partnering with the Blount County Public Library for this event,” said Pellissippi State Assistant Professor Allison McKittrick, Strawberry Plains Campus Librarian. “Making these sorts of relationships with our community in order to highlight our region’s culture and history is part of the Appalachian Heritage Project’s mission, and we anticipate a fabulous performance at Blount County Public Library with Sparky and Rhonda.”
Sparky and Rhonda Rucker perform throughout the United States as well as overseas, singing songs and telling stories from the American folk tradition. Sparky Rucker has been performing over 50 years and is internationally recognized as a leading folklorist, musician, historian, storyteller and author. He accompanies himself with fingerstyle picking and bottleneck blues guitar, banjo and spoons. Rhonda Rucker is a musician, children’s author, storyteller and songwriter. Her blues-style harmonica, piano, old-time banjo and bones add musical versatility to their performances.
Pellissippi State’s Appalachian Heritage Project, housed at the college’s Strawberry Plains Campus and funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, features curated collections of materials about all aspects of the region and quarterly programming focused on the art, literature, customs and history of the area. The Appalachian Heritage Project also provides Pellissippi State with opportunities to expand partnerships in the region and enhance community outreach via exhibits, lectures and workshops.
For more information about this event or any Appalachian Heritage Project resources or programs, contact McKittrick at almckittrick@pstcc.edu.
Sample more than 100 Tennessee-made wines, meads and hard ciders at Sip TN The Foothills on Saturday, April 15.
The noon-5 p.m. event, sponsored by the Tennessee Farm Winegrowers Alliance, will be held on Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County Campus, home to the state’s only varietal research vineyard on a college campus, which gives students the opportunity to do undergraduate research on grapes growing right out their back door.
The campus is located at 2731 W. Alexander Parkway, Friendsville.
“The board of TWFA loved the layout of the campus and thought it would be an excellent site for the event,” said Professor Chris Milne, Ph.D., coordinator of undergraduate research at Pellissippi State and a Blount County native. “This also gives our Pellissippi State students a chance to shine, with our Culinary Arts students preparing gourmet snacks for the VIP ticketholders and our bluegrass ensemble, jazz band and Variations choir providing entertainment.”
More than 15 wineries will be on hand at Sip TN The Foothills, showcasing beverages made with some of the freshest fruit in the South and selling bottles of wine you can take home. Enjoy local artisans, food vendors and live music, rain or shine.
Tickets are $45 for participants and include a souvenir Tennessee Wines wine glass, a Tennessee Wines six-bottle wine bag, wine tastings from all wineries at the event and the ability to buy bottles and cases of wine directly from the wineries. A $10 ticket for designated drivers includes access to all artisan vendors, food and music, as well as unlimited nonalcoholic drinks and snacks.
Those under 21 are allowed, but will not receive an arm band and cannot taste the wines. Also, this is not a pet-friendly event, so please leave your furry friends at home.
Get your tickets at www.siptn.com/the-foothills now. Proceeds stay local, benefiting Tennessee agriculture, small businesses and education.
Kelly Elizabeth Wright, Class of 2012, is Pellissippi State’s Distinguished Alumni Award winner for 2023.
Pellissippi State Community College will celebrate two of its outstanding alumni at the Pellissippi Strong Luncheon next week.
The event, presented by FirstBank and hosted by Tearsa Smith of WATE-TV, will be held 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, at the Hilton Knoxville Airport, 2001 Alcoa Highway, Alcoa. Individual tickets are $50 and include lunch. You can purchase tickets or select levels of sponsorship here. All proceeds benefit the Pellissippi State Foundation’s Greatest Need Fund.
In addition to a keynote by Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash, the Pellissippi Strong Luncheon will feature the awarding of the college’s two highest alumni awards. The Distinguished Alumni Award, announced by FirstBank, highlights an outstanding graduate in recognition of significant professional achievement and service to the community, while the Peggy Wilson Volunteer Alumni Award, sponsored by Clayton, highlights an outstanding graduate in recognition of extraordinary service to the Pellissippi State community.
The 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award will be presented to Kelly Elizabeth Wright, Class of 2012. Wright graduated with her General Associate of Science Degree and is now a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Language Sciences at Virginia Polytechnic University, where she studies perception and is a scholar of institutionalized oppression. Wright’s research is designed to address specific policy issues by connecting with local communities, identifying the issues of institutionalized oppression they struggle with, and designing experiments to help build more informed policies to better serve them.
“Kelly has stayed connected to Pellissippi State through the relationships she built while here, and she has referred several students to Pellissippi State since then,” said Britney Sink, director of Alumni and Donor Engagement for the Pellissippi State Foundation. “Kelly has attended three other schools and received her bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate, but considers Pellissippi State to be her alma mater forever and always.”
Darris Upton, Class of 2015, has been named Pellissippi State’s Peggy Wilson Volunteer Alumni Award winner for 2023.
The 2023 Peggy Wilson Volunteer Alumni Award will be presented to Darris Upton, Class of 2015. Upton graduated with his General Associate of Science degree and went on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee College of Social Work. He now serves as the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs Manager for UCOR, which safely deactivates and demolishes former nuclear facilities. Upton has returned to Pellissippi State on numerous occasions to share his successes and struggles as an adult student, has spoken at Commencement ceremonies and has served on the Pellissippi State Foundation Board of Trustees since 2020.
“Darris is a model for excellence in alumni service for Pellissippi State,” Sink said. “His leadership as vice chair for our Board for 2023-2024 will advance the college and elevate our success for years to come.”
For more information about the Pellissippi Strong Luncheon, including sponsorship opportunities, visit www.pstcc.edu/foundation/luncheon.
Pellissippi State Community College will host Holocaust survivor Michael Berkowicz on its Blount County Campus next week as the world commemorates Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“Michael’s Holocaust story is unique in that he was born in Siberia while his family was in exile,” explained Pellissippi State Associate Professor Amanda Carr-Wilcoxson, who worked with Adjunct Instructor Alison Vick and the Tennessee Holocaust Commission to bring Berkowicz to campus. “His parents had escaped Poland by fleeing eastward to Russia, where they faced hardships. Berkowicz will speak about his experience during and after the war, focusing on the antisemitism his family faced in Poland after their return.”
You can hear Berkowicz’s story at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, in the West Chevrolet Auditorium on the Blount County Campus. His presentation will take about 45 minutes, leaving time for questions at the end. Light refreshments will be served after the event.
This free event will not be livestreamed. Because the West Chevrolet Auditorium has limited seating, please indicate how many seats you would like to reserve for this event here.
To request accommodations for this or any campus event, call 865.694.6411 or email accommodations@pstcc.edu.
The spring 2023 Hardin Valley Thunder ensemble will be one of several college bluegrass bands playing a free outdoor concert April 29. Bluegrass bands from ETSU, Roane State and UT also are scheduled to appear.
Bluegrass fans, mark your calendars! The East Tennessee Bluegrass Association is bringing you an afternoon of free bluegrass, featuring bands from four area colleges.
The College Bluegrass Showcase will be held 1-5 p.m. Saturday, April 29, in the courtyard of Pellissippi State Community College’s Hardin Valley Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville. The show, which is free and open to the public, will feature
Pellissippi State’s Hardin Valley Thunder
University of Tennessee’s Lawnmower
Roane State Community College’s Bluegrass Ensemble
East Tennessee State University’s Bluegrass Band
UT’s Sarah and the Shrimp Shack Shooters
“The East Tennessee region has such a rich tradition of bluegrass,” said Evie Andrus, president of the East Tennessee Bluegrass Association and host of “Taps and Tunes on the Corner” on WDVX. “We at the ETNBA are excited to showcase the next generations of pickers.”
The Showcase will be held on an outdoor stage and folding chairs will be provided, but feel free to bring your own chairs if you wish. Food trucks and a concession stand will be on hand, and the East Tennessee Bluegrass Association has a rain plan in place in case of inclement weather.
Pellissippi State students Pierce Torano, Josh Leslie, Caryss Johnson, Alexander Guadagno and Lux Boone, from left, work on performing and recording a radio play now available on the college’s YouTube channel.
Necessity is the mother of invention, and renovations to a performing arts space has led to a collaboration between two different groups of students.
Pellissippi State Community College presents Radio Noir: “The Attitude Caper,” a radio play available through April 30 on the college’s YouTube channel. The play stars Theatre Arts students, but was recorded, edited and mixed by Audio Production Engineering students.
Recording a radio play was a creative solution to not having use of the college’s Clayton Performing Arts Center, which is undergoing renovations.
“We took the bad situation, which is not having the CPAC for the year, and we’re trying to turn it into something good and useful for our students,” said Theatre Arts Program Coordinator Charles Miller.
Theatre Arts students and faculty teamed up with students and faculty from Audio Production Engineering to record the performance of Radio Noir: “The Attitude Caper,” a 75-year-old script by Dashiell Hammett, author of classic hard-boiled detective novels like “The Maltese Falcon” and “The Thin Man.” The story features detective Sam Spade, made famous by Humphrey Bogart in the 1941 film version of “The Maltese Falcon.”
“It’s a fun little show: Sam Spade doing a theatrically related mystery, which is kind of cool,” Miller said.
Theatre Arts students recorded the play on site in Pellissippi State’s Bagwell Center for Media and Arts on the college’s Hardin Valley Campus.
“Working with mics and only with their voices — no body language, no facial expressions — has really shown our students just how precise they need to be with their vocal acting choices,” Miller said. “It also highlights vocal technique weaknesses — things like breathiness, poor enunciation, lack of pitch choice, etc. One does not always get this with a regular production; at least, not to the same degree.”
After the recording, Audio Production Engineering students brought the performances to life with sound effects and a musical score.
“This play was super fun to work on!” said Pellissippi State Audio Production Student Alexander Guadagno, who used Radio Noir: “The Attitude Caper” as his capstone project, as he graduates in May. “Working with the Theatre Arts students and being able to lead a team through the process of producing Radio Noir was a great learning experience for me. I’ve learned a lot about the post-production process and creating a project from scratch including recording and processing of all Foley or SFX [sound effects] used in the play. I’m very proud of this and thankful for the opportunity!”
Mariana Diaz Lopez has joined Pellissippi State as head women’s soccer coach to build and lead the college’s first competitive women’s soccer team this fall.
Knoxville has given Mariana Diaz Lopez a lot of opportunities.
Now the former NCAA Division II soccer player is in a position to “give back” to the community she says has always embraced her.
Diaz, who was a five-year women’s soccer captain at Lincoln Memorial University, has been hired as Pellissippi State Community College’s first-ever head women’s soccer coach. The college announced in November that it is adding competitive athletics starting in fall 2023, after it was accepted into the National Junior College Athletic Association in October.
“I have a love for developing players by enhancing the fundamentals of the game,” said Diaz, who most recently served as an assistant women’s soccer coach at LMU and will graduate with her Master of Business Administration in May. “I bring experience in creating training plans. I believe that challenging and improving single players will ultimately lead to team success.”
Diaz was born in Mexico, but grew up in Knoxville and graduated from Halls High School in 2017. Although she has been playing soccer “ever since I can remember” and played two years for her high school team, it was her mentor Dave Goldschmidt and her time at his Inter Futbol Academy that helped Diaz turn soccer into her ticket to college.
“My mom is a single mom, so I didn’t have a father figure,” Diaz explained. “When I came to Dave at IFA at 15, he made me into a college athlete. He taught me that you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to become a good soccer player, and I want to create that environment here.”
That’s one of the things that drew Diaz to the coaching position at Pellissippi State: the opportunity to reach out to local girls who want to continue playing soccer after high school but aren’t ready to jump straight to a four-year university.
“Pellissippi State can help students academically and financially,” Diaz said. “Our in-state students can take advantage of Tennessee Promise, which saves so much money on your first two years of college, and we can focus on developing our student-athletes for their next step, wherever they want to go. Being able to provide an experience that gives players tools that go beyond the pitch will be the key to building a successful program.”
Diaz plans to add some international players to her roster as well to diversify the team.
“I was always around international students as a soccer player at LMU and having international teammates helped give me a global perspective,” she said.
“Mariana is an exciting coach with experience in NCAA Division II Soccer,” said Pellissippi State Athletics Director Brock Evans. “She will bring a passionate and distinctive brand of soccer to the pitch. Mariana has a great proficiency in coaching the technical side of the game, and she will be able to develop a high-level technical team with a drive to compete at the highest level.”
Diaz also will be serving Pellissippi State as a student success coordinator in the college’s Stay Strong Success Center, which helps students navigate the many transitions and challenges they may encounter during their college experience. She will focus on areas such as academic planning, study skills and cultivating a sense of belonging.
“This will be a big piece of connecting athletes to academics and building a Panther Nation,” she said.
Diaz already has 18 games scheduled for fall 2023 – 10 in the National Junior College Athletic Association, two against other two-year schools and six against four-year schools, she said – and now is recruiting student athletes. Those who are interested in playing soccer for Pellissippi State should fill out the interest form on the College’s Athletics webpage, www.pstcc.edu/athletics, or email Diaz at mvdiazlopez@pstcc.edu to find out more about an identification camp she is planning for Sunday, May 21.
“I’m looking for kids with great character who want to embrace the opportunity to start at Pellissippi State, who see this as a time of growth and are ready to work hard,” Diaz said. “We’re going to give them the development they can’t get anywhere else.”
