Jamie Rossman of Hixson is among the 26 Tusculum College students who received one of the highest honors bestowed by the school on Saturday, Nov. 17, with their induction into the Alpha Chi National Honor Society.
Ms. Rossman was inducted into Tusculum’s chapter of Alpha Chi in a ceremony before family and friends in the Chalmers Conference Center on campus.
To be eligible for membership in Alpha Chi, students must be either juniors or seniors who rank in the top 10 percent of their classes academically.
Members are admitted to the honor society from all academic disciplines. The invitation to join the honor society, extended by the college’s faculty, recognizes previous accomplishments and provides opportunity for continued growth and service.
Ms. Rossman is a junior majoring in mathematics. She is a member of the Tusculum College Marching Band’s Color Guard.
The new Alpha Chi inductees were congratulated on their achievement by Dr. Melinda Dukes, vice president of academic affairs at Tusculum. “You have excelled. You have achieved. You have succeeded, and tonight we honor you for that and encourage you to keep going, keep your standards high and your goals lofty,” Dr. Dukes told the inductees. “We often talk about our ‘best and brightest,’ and I have no doubt that we are right to expect great things from each of you.”
Alex Wiedemann of Rogersville, president of Tusculum’s Alpha Chi chapter, shared history and information about the honor society. Alpha Chi has been a respected college honor society since its beginning in 1922 and is an active member of the Association of College Honor Societies. The society’s purpose is to promote academic excellence and exemplary character among college and university students and to honor those who achieve such distinction. Its name is derived from the first letter of the Greek words meaning truth and character, and its motto is “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free,” taken from John 8:32 in the Bible. Tusculum’s chapter was the first one established in the state.
Participating in the induction ceremony were Chris Armstrong of Grandview, vice president of the chapter; Danielle Doolittle of Evansville, secretary of Alpha Chi; Cory Callahan of Bristol, treasurer of the chapter; Dr. Troy Goodale, faculty sponsor for Tusculum’s Alpha Chi chapter and assistant professor of political science, and Heather Patchett, vice president for institutional advancement.
Tusculum College, the oldest college in Tennessee and the 28th oldest in the nation, is a liberal arts institution committed to utilizing the civic arts in developing educated citizens distinguished by academic excellence, public service and qualities of Judeo-Christian character. Approximately twenty-one hundred students are enrolled on the main campus in Greeneville and three off-site locations in East Tennessee. The academic programs for both traditional-aged students and working adults served through the Graduate and Professional Studies program are delivered using focused calendars whereby students enroll in one course at a time.