CLEVELAND, Tennessee, June 1 -- Lee University issued the following letter by President Charles Paul Conn: Few things have shocked and sobered Americans like the video of George Floyd, dying on the pavement of a Minneapolis street, with a police officer's knee on his neck. That tragedy came so soon after the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery in a quiet residential neighborhood in Georgia, and in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic in which black Americans have been twice as likely to be among the 1  more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, June 3 -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news: Alumni of East Tennessee State University, current students curious about what the university was like in yesteryear, and other interested folks can now access several years' worth of yearbooks thanks to the Archives of Appalachia in ETSU's Center for Appalachian Studies and Services. The Archives is in the ongoing process of digitizing all of the university's yearbooks and making them available onlin  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, June 2 -- Christian Brothers University issued the following statement: President Jack Shannon shared the following message with the Christian Brothers University community as to how the tragic death of George Floyd compels us to confront how we, as a nation, continue to fall far too short of the goal of a fair, equitable, and inclusive society in America: * * * "As a Lasallian community, we have witnessed countless occasions these past several months where the COVID-19 cr  more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, June 4 -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news: East Tennessee State University's Future Operations Workgroup, which was tasked with developing a plan for academics and services to return to campus, released its recommendations for a phased return beginning this month. The report includes a series of operational stages, 1-4, designed to address the need for loosening or restricting physical distancing measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.   more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, June 2 -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news: The six-week Medical Student Summer Research program, which is conducted from early May until late June, has become an integral part of the training of many Quillen College of Medicine students. The major goal of the research program is to provide opportunities and support for medical students to participate in research. Initially, when it became clear that the COVID-19 pandemic would impact ETSU an  more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, June 5 -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news: The Gray Fossil Site of East Tennessee preserves the remains of mastodons, rhinos, rodents, trees and many more organisms that made their homes in this part of the world between 4.5 and 4.9 million years ago. But was this a safe and stable habitat or a dangerous place of mass mortality? A new study published in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica suggests the former is more likely. To answer this q  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 4 -- Endeavor Business Media issued the following news: Endeavor Business Media announces several key new hires to strengthen its position in the markets it serves. Glenn Scheithauer joins as VP Technology. Reporting to CTO Eric Kammerzelt, Scheithauer will be responsible for all aspects of technology, cybersecurity, development and IT areas of the business, and also work closely with newly promoted CRO/CMO June Griffin and operating teams to optimize the Endeavor Ma  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 5 -- Endeavor Business Media issued the following news: Endeavor Business Media announces several key new hires to strengthen its position in the markets it serves. Glenn Scheithauer joins as VP Technology. Reporting to CTO Eric Kammerzelt, Scheithauer will be responsible for all aspects of technology, cybersecurity, development and IT areas of the business, and also work closely with newly promoted CRO/CMO June Griffin and operating teams to optimize the Endeavor Ma  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 5 -- Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tennessee, issued the following news: Tennessee's Economic Recovery Group continues to advance the state's reopening plan, issuing updated guidelines for close contact service businesses, exercise facilities and recreation activities under the Tennessee Pledge. In addition, the ERG added recommendations for large community events to the previously issued guidance for attractions and large venues. Events like fairs, festivals, expos and parades ma  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 2 -- Lipscomb University issued the following news: Fueled by a desire to fight a current trend within today's younger generation to water down Christian faith into generally moral wishful thinking, Lipscomb University Associate Professor Josh Strahan ('04) has written a new book, The Basics of Christian Belief: Bible, Theology, and Life's Big Questions, that will be incorporated into the freshman Bible curriculum at the university this fall. Having taught courses in  more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, June 3 -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news: East Tennessee State University has named Michael Meit, a nationally respected leader in rural health, as the director of research and programs at the ETSU Center for Rural Health Research. Meit will step down as co-director of the Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis at the non-partisan and objective research organization NORC at the University of Chicago, but he will retain his senior fellow role   more

MILLIGAN, Tennessee, June 6 -- Milligan College issued the following statement on June 4 by President Bill Greer: This has been a week of reflection and sorrow for the tragic injustices that black people and all people of color continue to face. As Milligan faculty, staff, and students gathered in prayer Sunday evening on the Mary Sword Commons, we prayed that Milligan can and will do better to equip our community to listen to others, to empathize, to walk with, and to stand up and speak up for  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 4 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: People with cancer sickened by COVID-19 have a crude death rate of 13%, according to the largest series of data released thus far from a multinational perspective. The data on more than 900 patients, published May 28 in The Lancet and simultaneously presented at ASCO20 Virtual, also revealed cancer-specific factors associated with increased mortality. The information is the first report from an ongoing internation  more

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee, June 3 -- The University of Tennessee's Chattanooga Campus issued the following news release: The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's Gary W. Rollins College of Business has established a tuition relief fund to help business students who have been financially affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The Gary W. Rollins Tuition Relief Fund is designed to assist business students impacted by the crisis with the cost of tuition, maintenance and fees. Approximately $1 million   more

COOKEVILLE, Tennessee, June 3 -- Tennessee Technological University issued the following news release: The Upper Cumberland office of the Tennessee Small Business Development Center has a new location and a new director. The SBDC is now a partnership between Tennessee Tech and the Upper Cumberland Development District and will be located at the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency's office at 580 S. Jefferson Ave. Tyler Asher, a 2014 graduate of Tennessee Tech's business management program,   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 3 -- Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tennessee, issued the following news: Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, and the Financial Stimulus Accountability Group announced a new relief program for Tennessee businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tennessee Business Relief Program will direct approximately $200 million in federal Coronavirus Relief Funds through the Department of Revenue directly to small businesses that qualify.   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 1 -- Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tennessee, issued the following news: Following incidents of violence in downtown Nashville, Governor Bill Lee announced that the Tennessee National Guard will remain mobilized across the state and that the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, in coordination with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement authorities, will launch an investigation into unlawful incidents that occurred overnight. "The right to peaceful  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 4 -- Tennessee State University issued the following news: Tennessee State University has exceeded its research awards' goal with more than $54 million from various funding agencies and sponsors. TSU officials say the amount is even more impressive considering faculty are continuing to receive awards despite financial hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic. With a month still to go in the fiscal year, the university has so far received $54.2 million, which excee  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 3 -- Trevecca Nazarene University issued the following news: Traditional undergraduate students at Trevecca will start the Fall 2020 semester early and wrap up classes before Thanksgiving, officials announced in a letter to current and prospective students. Classes are now set to begin on Monday, Aug. 17 and end on Tuesday, Nov. 24, just prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, with no fall break. Originally, traditional undergraduate classes were scheduled to start Sept.  more

JACKSON, Tennessee, June 6 -- Union University issued the following statement by Todd E. Brady, vice president for university ministries: The atrocious killing of George Floyd and subsequent events throughout the last week and a half have produced three primary emotions in my wife and me -- grief, outrage, and angst. First, we are grieving. The senseless loss of life in Minneapolis evidences tension and injustice which is a reminder of the fact that we live in a broken world standing in need o  more

AKRON, Ohio, June 2 -- The University of Akron issued the following news release: Dr. David B. Cohen has been named interim director of The University of Akron's Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics, effective July 1, 2020. The appointment is pending Board of Trustees approval. Cohen, a professor of political science who joined UA in 2000, has been serving as assistant director of the Bliss Institute since 2017. He earned a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations at the Uni  more

DENTON, Texas, June 3 -- The University of North Texas issued the following news release: University of North Texas professor and computational chemist G. Andres Cisneros, along with his research group, are running computer simulations using four U.S. supercomputers, including the world's most powerful, Summit, at the Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee, to investigate inhibitor mechanisms of existing drugs and provide insights that could serve to improve treatment options for COVID-19. Cisner  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, June 3 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news: UTHSC's Chair of Radiation Oncology David Schwartz, MD, is leading a national study for the American Society for Radiation Oncology looking at how COVID-19 has affected radiation oncology treatment levels across the country. Dr. Schwartz and his co-author, Daniel Wakefield, MD, chief resident in the Department of Radiation Oncology at UTHSC, found that radiation oncology visits were down   more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, June 6 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news: A team of University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) researchers in the College of Medicine recently received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) award to study how genetic differences may explain why some people are more susceptible to opioid addiction than others. Hao Chen, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Addiction Science, and Toxicology, and Me  more

MARTIN, Tennessee, June 5 -- The University of Tennessee's Martin Campus issued the following news release: Dr. Timothy Smith, lecturer of history at the University of Tennessee at Martin, was featured in a three-night miniseries on The History Channel titled "Grant" as an expert historian on Civil War General and 18th President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant. Smith, who has authored numerous Civil War books, focused predominantly on Grant's strategy and success at the Battle of Shiloh  more

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee, June 6 -- The University of Tennessee's Chattanooga Campus issued the following news release: Lucien Ellington describes his first encounter with Asia as "an epiphany of sorts." Having taught world history at three high schools, he believed he was well-versed in the subject. Then he attended a seminar that focused on teaching about Japan. "I left the meeting with a distinct change in self-perception: I was a Western civilization, but not a world history teacher," says   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 5 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: As the U.S. mourns the tragic number of lives lost due to the mindless COVID-19 virus it has also dramatically revealed how greatly institutionalized inequality and structural racism - social, economic and systemic - shapes the inability of low wealth and minoritized populations to get through this pandemic alive as well as others, according to Jonathan Metzl, Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and M  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 1 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following statement by Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente: Over the past days, as a university community and across the country, we are grieving for George Floyd and all the violent deaths our country has witnessed as evidence of racism and injustice. In Nashville yesterday, a large peaceful protest attended by thousands gave way by evening to a much smaller collection of violent protestors. From this smaller group, we   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 4 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente announced the appointment of William H. Robinson as Vanderbilt's vice provost for academic advancement and executive director of the Provost's Office for Inclusive Excellence. Robinson, who most recently served as interim vice provost for strategic initiatives, will continue leading the university's efforts to build and sustain a culture of inclusion, belonging and res  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 4 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Dawn Turton, associate provost for academic planning and operations, has been named chief of staff in the Office of the Chancellor, effective June 8, Incoming Chancellor Daniel Diermeier has announced. "Time and again, when the university's leadership has needed to solve complex problems, lead innovative initiatives and drive change, they have turned to Dawn. As chief of staff, she will lead strategic initiatives   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 2 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: A new virtual self-screening tool (http://www.virtualcovidscreen.com/) developed by Vanderbilt University professors will help individuals assess their risk of being infected with COVID-19. The app also offers capabilities for expediting test screening for providers and ultimately giving public health officials real-time anonymized data to identify, map and target interventions where they're needed most. This web   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 5 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Helping Vanderbilt University's budding scientists develop the best tools to communicate their discoveries to diverse audiences is the focus of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant awarded this spring to the College of Arts and Science. The Humanities Connection planning grant supports work toward a significant revision of the curriculum in the Communication of Science and Technology program. "We want to  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 5 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: A team of scientists at Vanderbilt has discovered the first known instance of a hybrid fungal species causing aspergillosis, an ensemble of different types of lung infections that often impacts immune-compromised people. Aspergillosis has long been causally connected to Aspergillus fungi, a group of more than 300 species of filamentous fungi that includes the fungus that produces penicillin. However, this new disc  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 2 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: The Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Life will offer its Pursuing Respect, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity training program on Thursday, June 11, via Zoom. The program (https://vanderbilt.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUkcumhrj4uHNF5AKE-FTt9MIHEkGYb2EOS), which is three hours, will be split into two 90-minutes halves: 10 to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 2 p.m. Participants should expect to at  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 5 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: The role of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) in cancer progression is still not fully understood due its context-dependent biology. For a number of years, the laboratory of Sergey Novitskiy, MD, PhD, has studied how the nucleoside adenosine, which is essential for many cellular functions, contributes to actions of TGF-beta, including its tumor-driving effects. This is important as small molecule inhibit  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 5 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: The proximal tubule -- part of the kidney's nephron -- is a target of acute kidney injury (AKI), and its response to injury determines whether the kidney undergoes repair or progresses to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Studies have suggested that Wnt/beta-catenin signaling, which increases after kidney injury, promotes fibrosis and CKD. Now, Leslie Gewin, MD, and colleagues have turned that conventional dogma on  more

GALLATIN, Tennessee, June 4 -- Volunteer State Community College issued the following news release: The new Medical Assisting program at Volunteer State Community College can prepare students for the fastest growing health care profession in the nation. Students train to work in a doctor's office or a healthcare clinic. That can eventually lead to a career in management and administration. Duties of the medical assistant include, but are not limited to: recording case histories, taking vital   more