Roan Scholars Program Earns Excellence Award


The Roan Scholars Leadership Program at East Tennessee State University has been recognized in the annual Excellence in Tennessee award program administered by the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE).  Awards are presented in four categories, with ETSU's Roan Scholars program honored with the Commitment Award.  TNCPE evaluates organizations using the "Criteria for Performance Excellence," which were established by the national Baldrige Performance Excellence Program.

The Commitment Awards are presented to organizations that are beginning to demonstrate commitment to and implementation of performance improvement principles.  These organizations have shown progress by "identifying and putting in place a measurement system to capture data and analyze results and some key process improvements, which are directly attributable to a fact-based improvement process," according to TNCPE.

"Tennessee is competing not just nationally but internationally for new jobs, and each award recipient contributes to the state's success at the regional, national and international levels,"  Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said.  "Tennessee is a better place to live and work because of the commitment to excellence and continuous improvement embraced by these organizations.  Strong organizations such as these bring in investment resources, playing a crucial role in making Tennessee the number one location in the Southeast for high-quality jobs."

"We are pleased and excited to receive the Commitment Award because it reflects our accomplishments in planning, tracking, analyzing and improving our organization," said Tom Krieger, steering committee chair for the Roan Scholars Leadership Program.

Brian Holloway Meets with Roan Scholars

Brian Holloway, former All-Pro football player with the Rams and Titans, who is now an inspirational speaker, spent an afternoon with the Roan Scholars on February 25.

Through his experience Brian understands how to attain optimum results, communicate it, and excels at providing transformational outcomes for organizations and companies who must break through to an extraordinary future.

Brian pushed the students into a media experience, utilizing video recordings and an overview of how Facebook and LinkedIn can be used to promote yourself for your future career. The new concept and applications of social media ignited a lively discussion on what students currently do and how they may open doors in ways they had not previously thought was possible.


New Class of Roan Scholars Selected

East Tennessee State University has announced the newest members of the Roan Scholars Leadership Program. As a result of the high level of support from donors to the Roan Scholars program, the current endowment continues to fund four new scholarships each year. However, in addition to these traditional awards, ETSU was able to award a fifth scholarship this year again, thanks in part to the generosity of Citizens Bank Tri-Cities Foundation, which served as the program’s second Roan Scholarship Sponsor.

These five outstanding high school seniors selected for the Roan Scholars Class of 2011 participated in a rigorous interview process with 45 other nominees: Sierra Alexis Galloway, a student at Science Hill High School; Victoria Ashley Howard, the first Roan Scholar from Sevier County High School; Zachary Lynn McCamey from West Greene High School; Dobyns-Bennett High School senior Michael Donald Stallard; and Alicyn Rebekah York, a senior at Daniel Boone High School.

 “We welcome and congratulate our newest Roan Scholars and their families,” Gump said. “They join our accomplished current and previous scholars in representing the highest level of talent, leadership and character traits.  Our sincere thanks and appreciation go to all area high schools and community members who make the Roan Scholars Leadership Program such a visible and vital component of East Tennessee.” 

Note: Photos of the new Roan Scholars are available at http://photolab.etsu.edu/images/RoanScholars2011/



"Who We Are Counts"

This spring semester the Roan Scholars are again participating in a series of workshops offered by the “Who We Are Counts Institute”, a new division of Stewart & Associates of Kingsport. Using a “Personal Profile System” and three accompanying workshops, the institute aims to “create an environment where human relationships are strengthened through understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of Who We Are”.

After all scholars took the DISC personality test, Mr. John Autry, the main facilitator of the program,  started, as he calls, it, their “journey of significance”. The workshop contents was split into three groups: “a journey inward” (self discovery), “a journey outward” (communication and people skills), and managing external as well as internal pressures and conflict. Students were encouraged to view their distinct personal gifts positively and learned to appreciate the validity of differing personality styles, via a combination of lectures, interactive exercises, a stress test, and other activities.

The experience has proven to be very valuable and this series is the second year that Roan Scholars are enrolled in Who We Are Counts.