CONNECT . MOTIVATE . INSPIRE .
on the South Lawn during the first Juneteenth Concert, and the band took the nation by surprise when it became the only college to win Grammy Awards in February. Dr. Glover says the recognition of the band, in addition to bringing notable alumni, newsmakers and VIPs to the school–like Vice President Kamala Harris, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Rev. Jesse Jackson–increased TSU’s local and national visibility which is now attracting more students, faculty, partnerships and donors. One of her major wins was inviting another TSU daughter, Oprah Winfrey, to return to campus. She said TSU had not formally connected with the media mogul in 30 years, but Dr. Glover didn’t take no for an answer and Winfrey delivered May’s commencement speech. A now-popular accelerated pre-med program unveiled in 2018 pays homage to a TSU alumnus and cardiologist who, in 1980, conducted the first surgery to implant an automated cardioverter-
defibrillator in a human patient. The program allows students to spend only three years as pre-med in TSU’s College of Life and Physical Sciences, before advancing to study medicine or dentistry at Meharry Medical College when selected to matriculate through the Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Institute’s Meharry Medical College/TSU Medical/ Fential Accelerated Pathway Program. “Employers are telling us that the quality and capabilities of our graduates have increased. The number of employers who are seeking our graduates has more than tripled,” said Dr. Glover recently. Faculty salaries were increased by 28%, staff salaries were increased by more than 30%, research productivity doubled from $49 million to more than $100 million, and the university has risen to become one of only 11 HBCUs in the R2 research category, with plans to become an R1 institution, the highest research category offered in higher education.
or is the lowest cost; but choose TSU because of what we do, who we are, and where we are going, and the students we produce!” Dr. Glover said in a recent address. With all this success and all eyes on Dr. Glover for more than a decade, she caught the attention of President Joe Biden who appointed Dr. Glover as Vice Chair of the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs in 2021. The board issues an Annual Federal Plan for Assistance to HBCUs, advises the President and Secretary of Education on how to strengthen campuses. The Dr.’s Secret Sauce “You have to stay ready if you want to be ready,” said Dr. Glover about the secret to her success. “I'm up at 4:45 a.m. at the latest because I still have that same theory from my first day of school: no one can outwork me. Getting up early in the morning allows for a clear mind. I pray and meditate each and every day. I'm leading two institutions concurrently and I can't leave this house without speaking to, and hearing from God. That's my secret sauce. I stop and
“Students and faculty no longer choose TSU because it’s close geographically
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