Tennessee State University is establishing a Pilot Center for Academic Excellence in Intelligence Studies. TSU has been awarded an initial grant of $750,000 to establish the new center and expects to receive an additional $750,000 for each of the next two years. This grant will strengthen TSU’s curriculum in intelligence studies and prepare students for professional careers in the U.S. intelligence community. Lenora Peters-Gant, national director of the Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence, will visit TSU March 21 to officially announce that TSU is one of only four universities in the nation awarded such a grant.
TSU President Melvin N. Johnson said, “This grant will allow the university to provide students more focused exposure to opportunities in the intelligence career field. We’re excited about this project because of its long-term implications for students in the global marketplace.”
The pilot center is a joint project of TSU’S College of Arts and Sciences and College of Business. It is already developing new courses on intelligence studies and modifying existing courses to include core competencies in this important field. The center will host a scholar-in-residence, Larry Valero, April 3-7, 2006. Valero will lecture on weapons of mass destruction to students in the honors program, deliver a lecture for the university community, and conduct a seminar for faculty on teaching intelligence.
William D. Lawson, dean, College of Arts and Sciences, and principal investigator for the pilot center grant, stated that TSU is strategically positioned to help the U.S. intelligence community enhance diversity and the intellectual talent of its workforce.
“This is an exciting new academic venture for TSU,” Lawson said. “It enhances TSU’s role in preparing students for careers in several fields that contribute to strengthening the nation’s security.”
In addition to its programs here in Nashville, TSU’s new intelligence studies center will offer exciting opportunities for students and faculty to study abroad. Arrangements made with the Envisions International Scholar Laureate Program will provide eight TSU students a fully paid, intensive three-week study-abroad experience in Australia, China, or Central/Eastern Europe. The center will also provide funding for seven students and two faculty members to travel to China to participate in a six-week study program through an established exchange arrangement with Tianjin Polytechnic University.
Another key component of the pilot center will be outreach. This summer the center will conduct a two-week Academy of Excellence in Global Intelligence Studies for 30 middle Tennessee high school students. Two professional development workshops on global intelligence studies will also be held for middle Tennessee high school teachers. Stipends will be given to students and teachers to allow them to participate in these programs.
Members of the media are invited to attend TSU’s Pilot Center for Academic Excellence in Intelligence Studies kick-off event March 21. For more information, call 615-963-2164.
Posted By: Rodney e
Thursday, April 6th 2006 at 12:49AM
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