Governor Phil Bredesen has officially proclaimed Imagination Library Week (sponsored by Nissan) in Tennessee September 19-25, 2010.  During this week, local Imagination Library affiliates in all 95 counties are bringing awareness to the free book program and hoping to boost enrollment across the state.

This year’s events are celebrating the 215,000 Tennessee children under the age of five who currently receive one free high quality age, appropriate book delivered to their home each month, and the fact that more than 10 million free books have been delivered to Tennessee children across the state since 2004.

“I encourage every Tennessee family with children under the age of five to enroll their children in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library during Imagination Library week,” said Governor Phil Bredesen. “During the past six years, this program has reached thousands of children and changed lives by providing them with tools to create a lifetime of learning, developing their vocabulary and school readiness. Our goal is for every child not currently enrolled to have their own library of books so that they can join the thousands of others who are growing and benefiting from this program.”

Please visit www.governorsfoundation.org to see a list of Imagination Library events happening in your area. The Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation encourage all Tennesseans to either enroll their child or give to their local county’s Imagination Library so that a child in your community can receive free books.  Donations to your county’s Imagination Libraries can also be made at www.governorsfoundation.org.

Created in 1996 by Dolly Parton as a gift to the children in her hometown of Sevierville, TN., the Imagination Library mails a new, age-appropriate, high-quality book every month to registered children, from birth until age five – at no cost to the family, regardless of income.  Just $24 annually provides for the purchase and delivery of 12 books to one child.  This cost is split evenly between a non-profit sponsoring organization in every Tennessee county and a state budgetary allocation administered by the GBBF.

Currently, 57 percent of all Tennessee children ages 0-5 are registered in the Imagination Library and are receiving free books in the mail.  More than 188,000 Tennessee five-year-olds have already “graduated” from the program.  The statewide program has helped deliver more than 10 million books to Tennessee children since the creation of the GBBF in 2004.

Less than a month after most of its students left campus for the summer, Cumberland University is making plans for a new residence hall. The facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2011.

Recognizing a desire to increase the number of students living on campus, the Board of Trust - at its summer meeting - voted unanimously to secure funding and begin the process of constructing a 150-bed residence hall.

"This hall will create a unique residential experience for our students," said Dr. Harvill Eaton, president of Cumberland University. "We feel the facility will increase the quality of life and create a greater sense of community for our students on campus."

The residence hall will be located on the southeast edge of campus on McClain Avenue and will feature four-person suites with double bedrooms, full wireless access and a learning space for instruction and group study.

The University hopes that the new residence hall will help foster better and more successful students, which will result in higher graduation rates.

"The design of the new residence hall will give the University the flexibility to better address the living-learning needs and expectations of the new generation of college students," said Kristen Gray, director of residence life. "The University strives to equip students with academic and personal skills that enable them to be successful not only in college but in their professional careers as well. This facility was intentionally designed for that purpose."

The construction of the residence hall and the renovations to the current dining facility are part of a strategic plan to provide Cumberland University students with the best in new facilities for living, learning and recreation. Long-term plans include the construction of the Cumberland Cafe for its students and the community as well as a state-of-the-art nursing/science facility and an expansion to the June & Bill Heydel Fine Arts Center.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) contributed $1,000 to Cumberland University's Science Camps held recently at the school's campus in Lebanon. The week-long camps provided an opportunity for students in sixth and seventh grades to participate in hands-on activities designed to promote critical thinking skills and spark interest in science. The camps were held from June 7 through 11 and served students from Wilson and other Middle Tennessee counties.

Speakers included Bill Hunt, environmental program administrator for TVA's Gallatin Fossil Plant. Hunt discussed TVA's power generation and environmental stewardship programs. "Science education is extremely valuable for our future," said Emily Reynolds, senior vice president of Government Relations. "We think it's important to support the communities TVA serves."

TVA's donation was used to purchase supplies to upgrade some of the science experiments during the camps. Jonathon Hawkins, executive director for Development & Alumni Relations at the University, said, "This gift helped provide a terrific opportunity for young girls and boys to experience science education in a fun and exciting way. We truly appreciate TVA's partnership with Cumberland University."

The Tennessee Valley Authority, a corporation owned by the U.S. government, provides electricity for 9 million people in parts of seven southeastern states at prices below the national average. TVA, which receives no taxpayer money and makes no profits, also provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists utilities and state and local governments with economic development.

Mt. Juliet's Dr. Sara Clariday has been named Assistant State Veterinarian, Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) Commissioner Ken Givens announced on Wednesday, July 7, 2010. The assistant state veterinarian works to protect and monitor animal health in Tennessee.

"We're excited to welcome Dr. Clariday as she brings valuable experience in both small and large animal care that will help guide our animal health programs," said Givens. "Her background in education and her knowledge of beef farming make her uniquely qualified to work with the state's livestock industry and other stakeholder groups to improve animal health in Tennessee."

Clariday graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in the first graduation class of 1979. She married a fellow classmate, Dr. David Clariday. They established Hartsville Animal Clinic, a mixed animal practice, in 1979. In 1984, they moved to Mt. Juliet and established Mt. Juliet Animal Clinic. They also run a beef operation on their family farm in Mt. Juliet.

Clariday also worked at Vanderbilt Animal Research Facility for more than 11 years. In 1996, she received a teaching certificate from Middle Tennessee State University and began teaching honors biology at Lebanon High School in Wilson County. She became department chair and was awarded "Teacher of the Year" for 2002-2003. She transferred to Metro Nashville Public Schools in 2005 and has taught at both Antioch and Cane Ridge High Schools.

As assistant state veterinarian, Clariday will serve as the field coordinator working with field staff in TDA's Animal Health Section. She is also charge with managing dog and cat dealer licensing and coordinating the disaster animal response teams across the state.

"I'm happy to join the Department of Agriculture staff," said Dr. Clariday. "I am committed to continuing their excellence of service in the state of Tennessee."

On June 15, Governor Phil Bredesen announced Safe Routes to School funding for the City of Lebanon totaling $239,639 for improvements at Walter J. Baird Middle School. The Safe Routes to School program is a statewide initiative designed to make bicycling and walking to school a safer, more appealing an healthier alternative for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

"The Safe Routes to School program is a great opportunity for schools, communities and government officials to work together to promote a healthier lifestyle for Tennessee children," Bredesen said. "The program helps create safer walking and biking environments for students and funds activities to encourage children and their parents to consider walking and biking to school for a more active lifestyle."

The City of Lebanon will utilize the Safe Routes to School funds for sidewalk construction. Funds will also be used to provide a safety educational program and promotional activities to encourage walking and biking as a safe and healthy initiative.

The grant is made possible through a federally funded program administered by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).

"The Safe Routes to School program is an innovative program that integrates health, safety, traffic relief and environmental awareness under one umbrella," TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely said. "Funds may be used for infrastructure projects and for other programs that directly support increased safety and encourage elementary and middle school children to walk and bike to school."

This year, TDOT provided more than $2.6 million in Safe Routes to School funds to 15 municipalities for projects across the state.

Senator Mae Beavers and Representatives Stratton Bone and Susan Lynn represent Wilson County in the Tennessee General Assembly and helped secure these funds.

The projects awarded through these grants are funded through $10.8 million in federal funds made available through 2009. The funds were provided specifically for this purpose through SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users), the federal surface transportation program. The Safe Routes to School program is 100% federally funded and does not require a local match.

The Safe Routes to School program is comprised of five elements referred to as the 5 E's. The selection process was driven by the following:

• Engineering - creating operational and physical improvements to the infrastructure surrounding schools that reduce speeds and potential conflicts with motor vehicle traffic, and establishing safer and fully accessible crossings, walkways, trails and bikeways.
• Education - teaching children about the broad range of transportation choices, instructing them in important lifelong bicycle and walking safety skills and launching driver safety campaigns in the vicinity of schools.
• Enforcement - partnering with local law enforcement agencies to ensure traffic laws are obeyed in the vicinity of schools (including enforcement of speeds, yielding to pedestrians in crossings, and proper walking and bicycling behaviors), and to initiate community enforcement such as crossing guard programs.
• Encouragement - events and activities to promote walking and bicycling (bike rodeos).
• Evaluation - monitoring and documenting outcomes and trends through the collection of data both before and after the intervention.

To learn more about the Safe Routes to School program at the Tennessee Department of Transportation, please visit http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/bikeped/saferoutes.htm.

Castle Heights Upper Elementary School's Debbie Vaughn is among nine finalists for the Tennessee Department of Education's 2011 Teacher of the Year Award, according to a statement released on Wednesday, June 9. The nine finalists are comprised of elementary, middle and high school educators from each of the state's three grand divisions. Grand Division winners and Teach of the Year will be chosen from the group this fall.

Vaughn teaches English As A Second Language (ESL) at CHUE and, during her 20-plus year career, has taught English As A Second Language to all ages, from adults to Kindergarten. She holds a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Florida and is also a National Boards Certified Teacher. Vaughn serves as the Lebanon Special School District's ESL Specialist and assists other ESL teachers in the district with methods, strategy and planning.

"I am very proud to have such outstanding teachers in this state," Education Commissioner Timothy Webb said. "These teachers were instrumental in implementing the Tennessee Diploma Project this year and are examples of the kind of support we will need to successfully implement our Race to the Top efforts statewide. Teacher of the Year is about just one teacher, but I want to thank all of our teachers for the tremendous work in ensuring the success of every single Tennessee student."

The nine finalists for 2011 Teacher of the Year are:

• Debbie Vaughn:  Castle Heights Upper Elementary, Lebanon Special School District
• Lisa Bell:  Camden Elementary, Benton County
• Deborah Chancellor: Minglewood Elementary, Clarksville-Montgomery County
• Cheryl Deaton: Pigeon Forge Primary, Sevier County
• Davis Falvey: Snowden School, Memphis City
• Janey Jackson: Germantown High School, Shelby County
• Karen Kelley: Pigeon Forge High School, Sevier County
• Jason Robinson: Ocoee Middle School, Bradley County
• Dianne Sawyer: Tullahoma High School, Tullahoma City

The Teacher of the Year program is sponsored by the Niswonger Foundation. A partner for nearly seven years, the foundation provides $21,000 in monetary awards to encourage professional development, graduate study, higher student outcomes and mentoring. As a show of appreciation and encouragement for teacher excellence, the foundation sponsors a banquet each fall for finalists.

The final winner will represent Tennessee in the National Teacher of the Year competition and is an ambassador for education throughout the year. To qualify, candidates must have been teaching full-time for at least five years, have a proven record of using creative, research-based teaching strategies resulting in measurable achievement and be effective school and community leaders. A panel of professional educators from across the state scored applications to identify these finalists.

The Cumberland University cycling team recently formed a volunteer partnership program with Ride for Reading, an organization that aims to improve literacy for low-income children. The 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization was formed in Nashville in early 2008 and, in two years, has already distributed over 15,000 books to needy children in the Metro Nashville area. Cumberland cycling will become the Wilson County chapter for Ride for Reading and target Lebanon, Watertown and Mt. Juliet area schools.

"We are ecstatic to have the Cumberland University cycling team on board," says the Executive Director of Ride for Reading, Matthew Portell. "Giving a child a book is giving them the opportunity to go anywhere, see anything and experience everything, and the cycling team will help provide the means to those journeys."

"It inspires me as an educator to see university students getting involved in their community," says Portell. "These experiences will not only change the outlook of their lives as students but will also prepare them for future professional experiences."

Various drop-off points for the donation of books will be announced shortly, and team members will be available to pick up those donations through the book drive campaign. All types of books are accepted regardless of the wear and tear, subject matter or age appropriateness. The cycling team's first distribution event is planned to take place in mid-April 2010, and the squad's goal is to take in several hundred books prior to that date.

"Every cyclist on the team will volunteer time to acquire book donations, cultivate relationships with local businesses and educators, as well as coordinate regular book distribution events each semester," says CU head cycling coach Tim Hall.

Ride for Reading made a unique connection by not only addressing literacy concerns but also by adding a bicycle safety element to their presentation. On the day of distribution, the cycling team will make a delivery on their bicycles with books in backpacks, and just like a Tour de France race, the kids will be outside to cheer the cyclists as they arrive on school grounds. Each child taking part in the distribution will get an opportunity to choose his or her own book to read and keep.

"Carrying books on our bikes and being greeted by kids as we arrive, we are looking forward to that moment," says Coach Hall. "This is a natural fit for us and the community; to promote literacy for children in need while also addressing bicycling safety."

If you business or organization would like to become a book donation drop-off point, or if you have books you would like to donate, please contact CU cycling coach Tim Hall at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 615-547-1207. To learn more about Ride for Reading, please visit www.rideforreading.org.

Pictured: Ride for Reading Executive Director Matthew Portell (left) and CU cycling coach Tim Hall.

Robert E. (Rob) Porter, PE, principal and founder of Nashville engineering firm Civil Site Design, PLLC, has been appointed to the Engineering Advisory Board of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Tennessee Technological University. Porter, who is a graduate of Tennessee Tech with a degree in Civil Engineering, has more than 30 years of engineering experience. He has worked on landmark projects throughout the state; among his projects in the Nashville area are the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center, Providence in Mt. Juliet, The Pinnacle at Symphony Place and Opry Mills.

Porter is very active in professional and community organizations. A member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), he is a past president of the Nashville Branch and past secretary of the Tennessee Section. He is a member and past president of the Mt. Juliet Breakfast Rotary Club and a member of the Nashville, Mt. Juliet and Lebanon Chambers of Commerce. A resident of Mt. Juliet, he served as a Commissioner on the Mt. Juliet Planning Board from 1995 until 2000. Porter was a member of the 2001-02 class of Leadership Wilson. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Mt. Juliet Little League and of the Mt. Juliet YMCA.

Civil Site Design Group, PLLC, established in 2001, is a civil engineering design firm providing Roadway, Site Planning and General Civil Engineering Services to clients throughout the southern United States. The firm provides effective and environmentally sensitive engineering solutions on projects for architects, developers and municipalities.

Renowned Southern author John Egerton will speak Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 12:30 p.m. in the K-Room at Cumberland University as part of the continuing Second Cup of Coffee lecture series. Egerton's topic for discussion will be, "Why is the first Black President not from the South?"

Born in Atlanta during the Depression, Egerton's family settled in Cadiz, Ky., where he graduated high school. He attended Western Kentucky University before spending two-plus years in the U.S. Army. Egerton received a bachelor's and master's from the University of Kentucky and worked in the Public Relations office at UK and at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

He moved to Nashville in 1965, serving as a magazine staff writer for Southern Education Report and its successor, Race Relations Reporter, for six years. He then began a career of freelance writing that has included 20 nonfiction books, dealing mostly with education, desegregation, civil rights and the American South, particularly its food. Among his best-known books are "The Americanization of Dixie," "Generations: An American Family," "Southern Food: At Home, on the Road, in History" and "Speak Now Against the Day: The Generation before the Civil Rights Movement in the South."

He has won numerous awards for his publications, including the Lillian Smith Award for nonfiction presented by the Southern Council and the W.D. Weatherford Award presented by Berea College. In addition, he has written articles for The York Times Magazine and numerous other publications.

"John Egerton is widely known for his love of the South and its uniqueness," said Monty Pope, programming director for the Second Cup of Coffee lecture series. "Many call him one of the greatest Southern writers who captures the rich feel for the South and the histories of its people."

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Cumberland University will host College Goal Sunday, Tennessee, on Feb. 14 from 2 until 4 p.m., an opportunity for high school seniors and parents to learn about applying and paying for college. The instructional sessions will take place in computer labs in Labry Hall on the CU campus. Thirty other sites in the state of Tennessee will hold similar sessions on the same day.

College Goal Sunday offers students and parents completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) expert assistance from professionals in the financial aid, admissions, secondary and higher education communities. Volunteers at each site will provide free assistance completing the FAFSA and question/answer sessions to benefit students and parents in different stages of the financial aid process.

Research shows that families often list high cost as the main barrier to college attendance, even though tens of millions of dollars in various forms of financial aid are available every year. The FAFSA form, used at colleges, universities and technical schools nationwide, should be submitted before March 1 to get the maximum aid available, even if the student has not yet selected his or her college.

Along with serving as the application for federal aid, the FAFSA form is also the application for the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship and the Tennessee Student Assistance Award programs, making it vital to the post-secondary application process in Tennessee.

For complete information on College Goal Sunday and the participating sites, visit www.tn.gov/CollegeGoalSunday. Students are encouraged to review the information on the website prior to arriving to ensure they bring all of the necessary documentation, including each individual's 2009 federal tax information, in order to fill out their FAFSA form completely. If their latest tax information is not available, they should bring last year's tax forms and come anyway.

The College Goal Sunday program was created by the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association with funding from Lilly Endowment, Inc., and with supplemental support from Lumina Foundation for Education.