Berea College Spring 2023 Dean’s List

More than 420 Berea College students were named to the Spring 2023 Dean’s List. A student is named to the Dean’s List who achieves a GPA of 3.4 or higher while passing at least four total credits, a course load equivalent to 16 semester hours.

• Chesnie Barnes of Newport

• Jacob Yeary of Tazewell

Berea, the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, focuses on learning, labor, and service. Supported by Berea’s No-Tuition Promise, Berea College admits only academically promising students with limited economic resources, primarily from Appalachia.

All students must work 10 hours or more weekly, earning money for books, room and board. The College’s motto “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth,” speaks to its inclusive character, and the quality of its programs ensures that graduates from Berea go on to distinguish themselves and the College in many fields.

Eccles named a Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society Fellow

Lauren Eccles, a 2019 graduate of both Jefferson County High School and Walters State Community College and a 2022 graduate of the University of Tennessee, has been selected as a Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society Fellow. As a second year chemical engineering Ph.D. student at the University of Florida, her research focuses on natural silk biopolymer characterization and biomaterial applications in healthcare and medicine. Additionally, Lauren has been named as a Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering Dean’s fellow and a Southeastern Conference Engineering Dean’s fellow at UF. Lauren is the daughter of Brad and Lisa Eccles of Jefferson City

Leake Selected to be Inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing

The University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMC) is pleased to announce that Sandy Leake, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, has been selected to be a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (Academy). Leake is Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at UTMC. Induction into the Academy is a significant milestone in a nurse leader’s career in which their accomplishments are honored by their colleagues within and outside the profession.

Fellows are selected based on their contributions and impact to advance the public’s health.

The Academy is a policy organization and an honorific society that recognizes nursing’s most accomplished leaders in policy, research, practice, administration, and academia to advance equitable solutions to the nation’s most complex healthcare challenges. Academy Fellows, from over 40 countries, hold a wide variety of influential roles in health care. Induction into the Fellowship represents more than recognition of one’s accomplishments within the nursing profession. Fellows contribute their collective expertise to the Academy, engaging with health leaders nationally and globally to improve health and achieve health equity by impacting policy through nursing leadership, innovation, and science.

Dr. Leake’s career focus has been increasing underserved population’s access to quality healthcare through the creation of innovative academic-practice partnerships, leadership development, and mentoring nurses and other healthcare leaders at all levels nationally and regionally.

As a CNO in one of the largest, most complex healthcare systems in the Department of Veterans Affairs for over two decades, Dr. Leake held numerous national leadership roles; served two interim assignments leading national program offices; and twice led her health system to Magnet designation.

ETSU launches hospitality and tourism concentration

For those who enjoy facilitating unforgettable experiences and who hope to shape the future of a vibrant and evolving industry, East Tennessee State University is launching a hospitality and tourism concentration.

The new concentration starts this fall.

“The hospitality and tourism concentration opens doors to a multitude of career opportunities for tomorrow’s industry leaders,” said Dr. Dana Harrison, chair of the Department of Management, Marketing and Supply Chain. “Regardless of students’ diverse passions and interests, this concentration will provide a premiere unparalleled education and immersive experiences with organizations in the region.”

It is available within the Bachelor of Business Administration in Management concentration offered by ETSU’s College of Business and Technology. The specialized degree prepares students for a wide range of management positions in hospitality and tourism.

The concertation presents a comprehensive understanding of the industry, covering key aspects of hotel and resort management, event planning, travel and tourism consulting, destination marketing and hospitality operations. Courses cover many topics, including organizational theory and development, planning and staffing and customer relationship management.

Across a range of concentrations, ETSU aims to help students shift seamlessly from enrollment to employment. Students who complete this new concentration, university leaders said, will have the opportunity to launch a career in hospitality and tourism management, be that working in a world-class hotel or resort; for a restaurant, travel agency or event venue; or in tourism.