Pellissippi State Community College has expanded its fall open house to include Preview events at all five campuses this fall.
These events give prospective students an opportunity to check out Pellissippi State’s campuses, learn about our career and transfer programs, and meet the support teams in place to ensure that you succeed on your path.
Those who attend will meet faculty and staff, tour campus studios and labs, learn how to enroll at the college and get help with financial aid. For example, did you know that the Tennessee Promise scholarship provides free tuition for graduating high school seniors while the Tennessee Reconnect scholarship does the same for those 23 and older who have not earned a college degree in the past?
“We are so happy to welcome students to our campuses and show them all the great programs we offer,” said Sarah Davis, manager of recruitment services for Pellissippi State.
Anyone who has considered taking classes at Pellissippi State is welcome to attend. Choose the date or campus that works for you:
Hardin Valley Campus, Saturday, Oct. 1, 9:15-11:15 a.m. Register at www.pstcc.edu/prsvp.
Division Street Campus, Thursday, Oct. 27, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
For details on which programs are offered in their entirety on each campus and a link to register for the event on that campus, visit www.pstcc.edu/open-house.
For more information about Pellissippi State, visit www.pstcc.edu or call 865.694.6400.
Efraim Zuroff, Ph.D., is best known internationally for his apprehension of World War II-era, fascist war criminal Dinko Šakić, the former commandant of Jasenovac Concentration Camp.
Efraim Zuroff, Ph.D., director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem, is coming to Pellissippi State Community College on Nov. 1, and the public is invited.
Zuroff, a renowned Nazi hunter, historian and author, will discuss his work bringing Nazi and fascist war criminals to trial in this presentation sponsored by the Tennessee Holocaust Commission. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. presentation in the Clayton Performing Arts Center, 10915 Hardin Valley Road.
“Dr. Efraim Zuroff is a friend of many of us at the Tennessee Holocaust Commission, and we are honored to bring him on a statewide tour of our three major cities: Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis,” said Alison Vick, historian for the Tennessee Holocaust Commission, who also teaches history at Pellissippi State. “We want students, faculty and the community members across Tennessee to have the opportunity to hear about and learn from his extraordinary career.”
Zuroff is the coordinator of Nazi war crimes research at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem and authors the annual “Status Report” that includes a list of most wanted Nazi war criminals. He is best known internationally for his apprehension of World War II-era, fascist war criminal Dinko Šakić, the former commandant of Jasenovac Concentration Camp.
“Dr. Zuroff actively combats global antisemitism, fascism and Holocaust distortion,” Vick said. “He is committed to upholding the rights and protections of marginalized people across the world. It is our hope that his talk will instill in our audience the importance of making individually responsible choices to protect and uphold the rights of all people.”
His presentation is free and open to the public, but tickets are required, as space is limited. To reserve a ticket, visit this link.
Pellissippi State provides a transformative environment fostering the academic, social, economic and cultural enrichment of the individual and the community. For more information on the college, visit www.pstcc.edu or call 865.694.6400.
Acclaimed Appalachian author Charles Dodd White, pictured here with his novels at the grand opening of the Appalachian Heritage Project in Pellissippi State’s Strawberry Plains Campus Library, will be the keynote speaker for the college’s 8th annual Young Creative Writer’s Workshop on Nov. 5.
Calling all creative writers! You can learn about fiction, poetry, songwriting, screenwriting and publishing at a free workshop at Pellissippi State Community College.
The 8th annual Young Creative Writer’s Workshop will be held 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, on the college’s Strawberry Plains Campus, 7201 Strawberry Plains Pike, Knoxville. Lunch will be provided.
While the free workshop is aimed at area middle school, high school and college students, the event is open to all persons interested in creative writing, regardless of age. At the end of the workshop, students will have the opportunity to perform or recite their original works for family members, friends and teachers they invite to attend the showcase.
“Our goal is to inspire and encourage those with writing talent so that they may go on to pursue their craft and share their gifts with the world,” said Patty Ireland, associate professor of English at Pellissippi State and director of the Young Creative Writer’s Workshop. “This is a wonderful opportunity for creative writers to experience a sense of camaraderie with others who share the same passion.”
Acclaimed Appalachian author Charles Dodd White, an associate professor of English at Pellissippi State, will give this year’s keynote address. White is the recipient of the Thomas and Lillie D. Chaffin Award for excellence in Appalachian Literature, the Appalachian Book of the Year award in fiction and a member of the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame for fiction.
Individual workshops offered this year include
Fiction writing
Poetry writing
Publication
Genre-specific/craft-focused writing
Songwriting
Workshops are taught by professional writers and Pellissippi State faculty, assisted by college students in the Strawberry Plains Campus Creative Writing Club. Those who attend will have the opportunity to tour the Strawberry Plains Campus and interact with Pellissippi State faculty, staff and students.
“This year’s theme, Coming Home to Community, focuses on our Appalachian roots and will feature, in addition to our workshops, Appalachian dancing, music and ‘stations’ in our new Appalachian Heritage Project space, where attendees may be part of our Myths, Monsters, Superstitions and Sayings video compilation, experience living history and become part of a ‘quilting bee,’” Ireland added.
All those who attend the workshop should bring paper and a pen or pencil. Fiction and poetry writers are encouraged to bring an original short story or poem, and songwriters may bring an original song lyric sheet, sheet music, chart or guitar. A piano will be provided.
Those who do not yet have original work to share are still welcome!
To view the complete schedule and fill out a registration form for this free event, visit our Young Creative Writer’s Workshop webpage at www.pstcc.edu/ycww.
Patricia Weaver, Ed.D., is Pellissippi State’s vice president for External Affairs.
Monroe County native and longtime educator Patricia Weaver, Ed.D., has joined Pellissippi State Community College as the school’s vice president for External Affairs.
Pellissippi State President L. Anthony Wise Jr. created the new position this summer as part of an organizational restructuring. External Affairs encompasses the college’s existing offices of Workforce and Community Development, Marketing and Communications, Event Services and Career Services, as well as the Pellissippi State Foundation, the fundraising arm of the college.
“This position appealed to me because it is the creation of a new division, and my forte is building relationships and collaboration,” said Weaver, who previously served as vice president of Workforce and Economic Development at Cleveland State Community College. “These are the offices that are out there on the front lines, telling Pellissippi State’s story – what we do for students, for the community and for the workforce. What an opportunity to bring all that together.”
Weaver also saw External Affairs as a perfect combination of her own education and experience. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Marketing Education from the University of Tennessee and taught marketing and cooperative education at the high school level early in her career. She joined Cleveland State full time in August 2006 as director of the college’s off campus sites in Athens and Vonore.
“I always wanted to teach because I love helping people reach their potential,” said Weaver, who made the shift from high school to college when she was ready for a change.
During her 16 years at Cleveland State, Weaver was promoted to assistant vice president of Academic Affairs and, ultimately, to vice president of Workforce and Economic Development, where she managed workforce development, continuing education, work-based learning, Tennessee Small Business Development Center, Advanced Technologies Institute and off campus centers in different counties of the institution’s service area.
“With an entrepreneurial mindset, I have a keen awareness and understanding of the unique role community colleges play within the education and workforce ecosystem,” Weaver said. “My experience allows me to blend and bridge our workforce development training with our academic certificates and degrees, to provide our communities with strong programming and the best opportunities to change the trajectory of lives.”
Weaver started her new role at Pellissippi State on Sept. 1, and hit the ground running – visiting area chambers of commerce, community organizations and industry partners.
“My role is to strengthen our relationships with our industry partners, K-12 partners and others within our communities,” Weaver said. “Marilyn Roddy, the director of Major Gift Development with the Foundation, put our new division’s role this way, ‘external relations for internal success,’ and I like that. I’m excited to see where we go from here.
“I look forward to working with Pellissippi State’s faculty, staff and communities as we continue to meet the needs of business and industry, individuals within our communities and economic development within our region to develop a skilled workforce,” she added.
“I am excited Dr. Weaver has joined us in this new role at Pellissippi State,” Wise said. “Her experience and expertise will serve us well on campus and in the community as we look to diversify the opportunities for learning in Knox and Blount Counties. Her leadership will be instrumental in the work of this new division and making certain Pellissippi State remains a place for transformational growth.”
For more information on the college, visit www.pstcc.edu or call 865.694.6400.
High school athletes who want to continue their sports on a collegiate level will have another option next year, as Pellissippi State Community College adds competitive athletics in fall 2023.
The National Junior College Athletic Association officially accepted Pellissippi State into the conference at their meeting Oct. 20. Pellissippi State joins 10 fellow Tennessee Board of Regents schools in the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association.
Pellissippi State will offer nine sports in fall 2023 to kick off its inaugural season:
Men’s and women’s soccer
Men’s and women’s cross country
Men’s and women’s half marathon
Men’s golf
Women’s volleyball
Esports
“When you look at our mission – to provide a transformative environment fostering the academic, social, economic and cultural enrichment of the individual – we believe that athletics can play a part in that by providing another avenue for character development to our students,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Rushton Johnson, who led the search for the college’s first athletics director.
Offering athletics also could strengthen the College’s recruitment, he added.
“We know that Pellissippi State loses students who competed in sports throughout grade school and high school that would otherwise come here,” Johnson said. “Some students walk right by us to compete at other community colleges. Our community partners are very excited to talk about the pipeline to get student athletes into Pellissippi State.”
Pellissippi State has hired Cohort Specialist Brock Evans to serve as the college’s athletics director. Evans played football for Maryville High School, during which time the team won three state championships, and continued his football career at Union College, where he was a four-year starter, a three-year captain and an All Mid-South selection. He later coached three seasons for his alma mater and has more recently coached Pellissippi State’s first disc golf team, which finished 12th in the nation in its inaugural season last year.
“College athletics taught me accountability, humility, how to compete, how to lead, how to fail, sacrifice and discipline,” Evans said. “Here at Pellissippi State, we believe in that transformative experience and the value it will bring to our campus community. The Pellissippi State Panthers will move forward with the three key pillars to success: academic excellence, equitable opportunities for all student athletes and excellence on the field of play.”
Pellissippi State is now looking for qualified coaches and hitting the recruiting trail to find student athletes for its fall 2023 teams. These student athletes will have the unique opportunity to build their programs from the ground up, Evans noted.
“We are excited to be able to offer local athletes the chance to compete close to home for championships and earn a degree and the skills necessary to build their paths to success,” he said.
For more information on athletics, including a “Recruit Me” form for those student athletes interested in learning more about playing for Pellissippi State next fall, visit Pellissippi State’s new athletics webpage at www.pstcc.edu/athletics.
James E. Cherry kicks off the James Agee Online Reading Series this fall.
The James Agee Online Reading Series returns this fall, continuing a tradition that started seven years ago as an on-campus literature conference at Pellissippi State Community College.
This year’s authors are James E. Cherry and Jane Harrington.
“By rethinking the conference as an online reading series that will be available on YouTube throughout the academic year, we can reach a wider audience,” said conference founder Charles Dodd White, an award-winning author and associate professor of English at Pellissippi State. “We are encouraging instructors to use it in their classrooms, but the reading series is free and open to the public as well.”
White, who just wrapped up a book tour for his latest book, “A Year Without Months,” created the James Agee Conference for Art and Literature to give Pellissippi State students an opportunity to attend a scholarly conference while also celebrating the literature, culture and arts of Appalachia.
The online reading series continues in the spirit of the original conference, he said, but allows Pellissippi State to expand its featured writers beyond Appalachia to the general Southeast. Their readings are recorded, not live, and will include the authors’ thoughts on writing and publishing in addition to sharing from their books.
First up is Cherry, the author of a poetry chapbook, two full collections of poetry and two novels. He has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award and a Lillian Smith Book Award and was a finalist for the Next Generation Indie Book Award for Fiction. Cherry has a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Texas at El Paso and lives in Tennessee with his wife, Tammy.
Jane Harrington will wrap up the James Agee Online Reading Series later this month.
Later this fall, White will post a reading by Harrington, who has published books for the youth market and now crafts literary fiction, creative nonfiction and lyric prose. Her writing has been short-listed for prizes both nationally and internationally, and her novel “In Circling Flight” was awarded the 2019 Brighthorse Prize. Harrington is a fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and teaches word craft and literature as a Visiting Assistant Professor of English at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.
“Each of these writers embodies what is best about writing the region,” White said. “They document the difficult and complicated truths that aren’t subject to the reductiveness of larger narratives about place. There are no easy answers offered. Instead, it’s the quality of the questions they pose that matter.”
Pellissippi State Studio Arts alumna Mera Ragsdale has gifted an original oil painting on wood panels to the College. The work, which depicts a pregnant doctor during the COVID pandemic, now hangs on the Strawberry Plains Campus, on the way up to the college’s Nursing program.
Artist Mera Ragsdale of Knoxville watched in 2020 as her best friend, Elizabeth Phillips, reported to work each day at University of Tennessee Medical Center during those first uncertain months of the coronavirus pandemic.
“She’s a physical therapist, but she was working on the COVID ward, all hours, when she had two kids at home and found out she was pregnant again,” Ragsdale remembered. “It was frustrating to me that some people couldn’t be bothered to put on a mask while she was literally risking her life and her family’s lives to care for them.”
Ragsdale, a 2018 graduate of Pellissippi State Community College with a degree in Studio Arts, was finishing her thesis at the University of Tennessee when she had the idea to capture that moment in time – the weariness and steadfastness of frontline medical workers.
She donated the painting to Pellissippi State’s Strawberry Plains Campus on Thursday, Nov. 10, in honor of the college’s Nursing program. Pellissippi State offers Nursing on its Strawberry Plains, Magnolia Avenue and Blount County campuses.
“This picture depicts the quiet determination that nurses develop through the combination of difficult situations, connections with others and being part of miracles that happen every day in health care,” said Pellissippi State interim Nursing Dean Jessica Belnap. “There is a reason that nurses do what they do – there is no greater gift that can be given than to care for someone else in their time of need.”
Ragdale’s painting, Dr. Phillips and Laura, is “larger than life,” she said. At 5 feet wide by 8 feet tall, it is Ragsdale’s largest, with her friend looking directly at the viewer.
The oil painting Dr. Phillips and Laura is 5 feet wide by 8 feet tall and depicts artist Mera Ragsdale‘s best friend, Elizabeth Phillips, when pregnant with her daughter.
“I tend to depict women and feminist views in my paintings, and I like to use my friends and family for that emotional connection,” Ragsdale explained. “This is my best friend of 20 years, and she’s confronting the viewer from the painting, asking the viewer to think about what you’re looking at.”
Although the painting was created in two panels for easier transport, the finished piece was too large for Ragsdale’s house. It needed to be displayed on a large wall, and the artist “didn’t want it to sit and gather dust,” she said.
That’s when Ragsdale decided to reach out to her former Studio Arts professors at Pellissippi State, to see if the college might be interested in the painting.
“I really appreciated my Pellissippi State professors, and I wanted to give back,” Ragsdale said.
Ragsdale was in her 30s when she started classes at Pellissippi State, with a toddler at home and another child on the way. She said she knew as soon as she took her first oil painting class, “This is it.”
“I always had loved art, and after having kids, I felt more inclined to pursue my dreams to show them that it’s never too late,” Ragsdale explained. “My oldest has memories of me going to school and coming to my shows at Pellissippi State.”
Ragsdale enjoyed the one-on-one attention she received from her Studio Arts professors, who became mentors to her, and took advantage of other life-changing opportunities at Pellissippi State, such as studying abroad in Italy one summer.
“Everyone at Pellissippi State was so knowledgeable, helpful and kind,” Ragsdale said.
Ragsdale graduated from UT in 2020 and now works primarily in painting, though she also does printing and sometimes combines the two.
“So many young artists are told, ‘You won’t make any money,’ or ‘You’ll be a starving artist,’ but there are lots of avenues for people who make art – it’s not just galleries,” Ragsdale said. “If art is something you’re passionate about and willing to work hard for, it’s worth pursuing. It’s exciting and a lot of fun, and I love the Knoxville art community.”
You can view Ragsdale’s painting on Pellissippi State’s Strawberry Plains Campus, 7201 Strawberry Plains Pike, 8-4:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. The painting, which can be viewed from the lobby, hangs prominently beside the stairwell that leads up to the Nursing program.
Faculty and students perform during Pellissippi State’s annual Holiday Spectacular in 2019.
Arrive early for Pellissippi State Community College’s hugely popular Holiday Spectacular, as seating is limited and only one show will be performed this year.
The Holiday Spectacular highlights the talents of more than 150 Pellissippi State students and employees performing classic winter tunes and carols. “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing!” “Greensleeves” and “Sleigh Ride” are among the seasonal selections on tap this year.
The annual concert featuring eight college ensembles, both vocal and instrumental, will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, in the Clayton Performing Arts Center on the Hardin Valley Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. This year’s theme is “Merry and Bright!”
“Our annual Holiday Spectacular is a rich Pellissippi State tradition that brings together students, faculty and staff in a joyous occasion to usher in the holiday season,” said Associate Professor Larry Vincent, Music program coordinator for Pellissippi State.
Tickets are free and will be issued at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. Donations are graciously accepted at the door, however, to benefit the Music Scholarship fund.
To request accommodations for a disability for this or any Pellissippi State event, call 865.539.7401 or email accommodations@pstcc.edu.
Christy Newman of Arconic Tennessee Operations, second from left, presents a $80,000 grant from the Arconic Foundation to Pellissippi State to support new Career and Technical Education dual enrollment opportunities for high school juniors and seniors in Alcoa, Maryville and Blount County. From left are Associate Professor Kristi Leach, program coordinator for Electrical Engineering Technology, Newman, Pellissippi State President L. Anthony Wise Jr. and Blount County Campus Dean Priscilla Duenkel.
Arconic Foundation has awarded Pellissippi State Community College $80,000 to help Blount County juniors and seniors explore advanced manufacturing careers while still in high school.
The Pellissippi State Credit to Credentials pilot project includes Career and Technical Education dual enrollment opportunities for students in 11th and 12th grades at Alcoa, Blount County, Maryville and other area high schools. Dual enrollment is a way for high school juniors and seniors to earn college and high school credit for the same course simultaneously, giving them a head start on college and helping them save money in the process.
As part of the Arconic Foundation-funded pilot, Pellissippi State will offer in spring 2023 a series of cohort-based Electrical Engineering Technology classes for high school students on the college’s Blount County Campus. Cohorts allow students to progress through academic programming as a group – in this case, taking classes Mondays through Thursdays with open lab time and academic support provided for them on Fridays.
“This pilot project addresses some of the most common barriers to dual enrollment participation, providing funds for tuition, fees, books and other course materials for up to four courses per participant, per semester,” explained Pellissippi State President L. Anthony Wise Jr.
Classes will be taught in Pellissippi State’s new Ruth and Steve West Workforce Development Center.
“This program is a great example of how the new Ruth and Steve West Workforce Development Center at Pellissippi State is benefiting the community,” said Ryan Kish, Arconic Foundation president and treasurer. “The additional capacity and capability at the campus provides students with more opportunities to explore new courses and find a rewarding career path that works for them.”
The Credit to Credentials courses the college is offering will allow students to acquire certificates in Electronics Technology and Industrial Automation. While certificates are awarded for short-term training, the dual enrollment courses also count as credits toward Pellissippi State’s Associate of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering Technology.
“We are delighted to provide students a pathway to begin their college coursework while still in high school,” said Vice President for Academic Affairs Kellie Toon. “This opportunity will allow them a jumpstart to prepare for high-demand, high-wage jobs in the community.”
Enrollment for spring dual enrollment courses opened Oct. 19. Those interested in the pilot program should contact Margaret Ann Jeffries, dean for Engineering and Media Technologies, at 865.694.6483 or mjeffries@pstcc.edu for more information.
For more information on Pellissippi State, visit www.pstcc.edu or call 865.694.6400.
An all-female cast carries “The Wolves,” a play about high school soccer players. Pellissippi State has partnered with the River & Rail Theatre Company for this production at Old City Performing Arts Center Dec. 2-18.
An entirely female cast carries Pellissippi State’s fall Theatre production – a joint venture with Knoxville’s River & Rail Theatre Company.
“The Wolves” by Sarah DeLappe, a play about teenage girls who have been playing competitive soccer together since they were children, will run Dec. 2-18 at Old City Performing Arts Center, 111 State Street. Tickets are now on sale here for 11 performances, with prices ranging from $4 for nonprofits that bring 10 or more students to $40 for premium seats.
A student preview will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, with tickets priced at $7.
While “The Wolves” is about nine soccer players and each scene in the 90-minute production represents one week in the team’s soccer season, the play is about much more, said Associate Professor Grechen Wingerter, who is directing the play for Pellissippi State.
“It’s really a play about what it means to be a young woman in America – whether you are an athlete, an ace student or a girl trying to hold onto her childhood,” Wingerter said. “’The Wolves is about all the pressure put on kids, especially girls and young women, to do all those things or to not do all those things. You aren’t supposed to challenge the status quo. You’re supposed to fall in line.”
The “dream cast” is a mix of former and current Pellissippi State Theatre students as well as University of Tennessee students and professional actors, Wingerter noted, and other Pellissippi State students are serving behind the scenes as assistant director, assistant stage manager and more. Professor Claude Hardy is set designer and tech director.
The timing is perfect, Wingerter added, as the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ is being played through Dec. 18, but that wasn’t her reason for selecting this show.
“’The Wolves’” has been on my list ever since I read it because it’s so well written,” Wingerter said, noting she was scheduled to direct the play in fall 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic hit. “It spoke to me because I was on my high school’s first girls’ soccer team, in 1986, and the play brings together the two things that gave me a sense of belonging in high school: theatre and soccer. I’d love to see this play get soccer people into theatre and theatre people into soccer.”
The cast has been learning soccer drills and ball handling, as they will be acting while simultaneously “warming up” for the fictional team’s games in each scene. The play will not show games, but instead focuses on the interaction between the girls before and in between games.
“The team is only as strong as the individuals, but what happens when the balance is thrown off, when life intervenes, when someone new comes in and challenges those roles?” said Wingerter, who is dedicating the show to her high school soccer coach, Howard LaBrant, who passed away Oct. 17. “These girls have played together for so long that they know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, how to poke the bear, how to support each other. They are not the same as they were when they were 6. It’s a coming-of-age tale as they learn how to both be a team and maintain their individuality.”
Wingerter recommends the play for middle school-aged children and older, as there is some strong language as well as discussion of adult themes.
River & Rail is a professional nonprofit theatre bringing together diverse communities in Knoxville to experience, develop and discuss world-class theatre arts.
