January 2023 Volume 6 Issue 6

Modernism Week, a centerpiece in the architecture, design, art, and fashion world, organized by the Palm Springs (California) Art Museum, is an annual event in February.

Pam Esposito’s graphic design students in Nashville State’s Visual Communications program were given the assignment to find a connection between typography and the spirit of the Modernism Week event.

The student-created art was presented to the Modernism Week board of directors, who were so impressed that they gift the College’s Visual Communications department funding to form an American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Student Group at Nashville State.

The artwork can be viewed on display outside of the bookstore on the White Bridge campus. President Jackson and three vice presidents recently celebrated the student work.

Nashville State Community College has a new home in Dickson for at least the next three years, while it works to find a long-term solution for a permanent campus location.

Nashville State’s Dickson campus is located at 208 West Walnut Street, the recently vacated senior citizens center in downtown Dickson. After an agreement with the City of Dickson was approved, the College made an investment to modify the building for a more collegiate environment with student support, study and lounge spaces, along with classrooms.

Nashville State has had a physical presence in the county, providing student support services and degree programs for nearly 15 years. The College moved out of The Renaissance Center, where it has been since 2008, at the end of last summer when the building was sold.

Once the College secures a permanent new home, it will be able to grow and expand programs and services to meet the growing needs of Dickson and the surrounding communities.

Season 1 of the Nashville State Fantasy Football League is in the books. The College kicked off its inaugural Fantasy Football league in September at the beginning of the 2022 NFL regular season. The interest was so high (55 teams competed) that five divisions had to be created.

Division winners: Becky Abuorf, Carly Carpenter, Howard Ivy, Ron Jackson, and Joseph Johnson.

Planning for season 2 will begin in August.  

The Darrell Freeman Fellowship at Nashville State Community College, in partnership with and financially supported by BGSF, will educate and support students who want to successfully enter the Information Technology field upon graduating with an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in programming, cyber security, networking, and data analytics.

The College and BGSF worked to form this Fellowship, with the blessing of the Freeman family, in honor of Darrell’s legacy of generosity and mentorship. BGSF is providing a one-time stipend of $1,500 for students to earn industry-focused certifications and credentials along with a technical mentor to guide students through the course.

“Darrell was an inspirational leader, whose legacy will have a lasting impact,” Nashville State President Dr. Shanna L. Jackson said. “We are honored to offer the Fellowship in his name and are grateful to BGSF for supporting our students and working with us to supply the local information technology talent pipeline for business.”

The late Darrell Freeman was a Nashville-based businessman and philanthropist who served as a mentor and benefactor for aspiring Black entrepreneurs. He sold his information technology consulting company Zycron, Inc. to BGSF, a publicly traded workforce solutions firm that connects the right talent to the right opportunities, in 2017. Darrell maintained strong relationships with several of its leaders following the acquisition.

“Darrell was a good friend of mine,” said Eric Peters, president of BGSF’s Professional Division. “We miss him dearly and we want to continue on with the legacy of what he believed in and we think that this Fellowship and partnership with Nashville State Community College is the best way to do it”.

The Fellowship prepares information technology students for an entry-level position in the fields of:

• Oracle Application Management
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure/Architecture
• ServiceNow Application Management/Administration

Courses, provided online and self-paced, in each concentration will expertly prepare students to sit for industry-accepted competency examinations. An A.A.S. degree and industry certification(s) will be helpful while pursuing a career post-graduation. BGSF provides career counseling along the way to ensure the best possibility of placement. Additionally, the College and BGSF may be able to assist fellows to secure an internship.

The salary for a graduate that holds an A.A.S. degree and a certification in one of the fields ranges from $55,000 to $65,000 annually. Paid internships range from $17 to $25 an hour.

Students interested in the Fellowship should reach out to Rob Tudor, Nashville State IT partnerships director, robert.tudor@nscc.edu, or visit: nscc.edu/darrell-freeman-fellowship.

The College is always developing corporate or individual partnership and engagement opportunities to support students and in academic programs to make sure it is meeting local industry needs. For any organization or individual looking to partner, please reach out to Nashville State Community Foundation Executive Director Cecily Freeman Stone at cecily.freeman@nscc.edu.               

Collaboration on common purpose is always good.

Local hospitality leaders have been working together to improve access to and visibility of the numerous career paths in a flexible, rewarding, creative, and teamwork-driven profession. The most recent meeting was held on Nashville State’s White Bridge campus and led by Hospitality program director Thom Druffel, who is a long-time hospitality industry professional.

New and returning students who plan to attend college in Fall 2023, Spring 2024, or Summer 2024 should complete the 2023 – 2024 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) with 2021 tax information. Nashville State and many other institutions and organizations utilize the FASFA information to determine student financial aid eligibility. In addition, based on the correct FAFSA information and student eligibility, the Federal Department of Education provides more than $112 billion in grants, loans, and work-study funding annually to help students pay for higher education. See the FAFSA process infographic.

For students to correctly complete and submit the FAFSA, the Financial Aid Office plans to have Financial Aid FAFSA events every Fall and Spring. As many of you know, we held the ‘Get Your Ducks in a Row FAFSA’ event this past October. The event was only successful with the help of my colleagues in the Financial Aid Office. I want to thank my office for contributing to this event, the Welcome Center, TSD, the Library, Communications and Marketing, Student Life, Bookstore, and the whole campus community.

The Financial Aid Office strives to be seen as the bad good guys (I think that is a future FAFSA theme – stay tuned to the development, or feel free to let me know a theme that would be fun) and will assist students in completing the FAFSA. In February, our theme is based on the show FRIENDS – ‘Financial Aid Will Be There For Our Students!’ We will be helping students complete the FAFSA in person and via Zoom during the second and third weeks of February. We will also support our extended campuses during the third week of February to help students who attend their locations complete the FAFSA.  

If the Financial Aid Office has yet to tell you before, thank you; Nashville State, for all you do in helping the Financial Aid Office in assisting our students!