Category: People

Energy Land and Infrastructure’s (ELI) president and co-owners know the quality of a Tennessee Tech engineering education. ELI, a professional engineering and survey firm focused on energy, civil and transportation infrastructure, employs approximately 60 people. And nearly a dozen of those employees — including the president and co-owners — are Tech graduates! ELI perennially ranks in Nashville Business Journal’s Top 25, based on its number of local licensed professional engineers.

“We have 15-plus universities represented at ELI, and we have really talented people from all over the southeast,” said Thomas “Chuck” Saunders, president and owner of ELI. “But I always say Tennessee Tech is one of the best engineering schools in the southeast and best in the state. There’s a lot of practical knowledge in the graduates coming out of Tech. When I hire a Tech grad, there’s that instant comradery.”

Read the full Employer Spotlight story here: Employer Spotlight (tntech.edu)

Tech engineering students – especially those in civil engineering – who are interested in working for ELI are encouraged to contact ELI Human Resources Generalist Jessica Hynds at jessica.hynds@eli-llc.com.

Dr. Subha Pratihar is a new member of the Chemistry Department in the College of Arts & Sciences. Here are a few facts you should know about her.

Where are you from?
I’m from Lubbock, Texas.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them?
I earned my PhD in Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology (Kanpur, India, 2010), and post-doctoral research experience from Texas Tech University (2011 -2019).

Tell us about your research area or the area of academic study you are most interested in:
My research area is Computational and Theoretical Physical Chemistry. I supervised undergraduate research program at Texas Tech University.  Currently, I am teaching General Chemistry and Physical Chemistry at Tennessee Tech.

What is your favorite part of being at Tennessee Tech so far?
I enjoy my office, and the laboratories in the new LCS building and the beauty the campus has to offer. My utmost satisfaction is in conveying the joy of chemistry to my students.

Welcome, Dr. Pratihar!

Eight former members of the Tennessee Tech women’s tennis team have remained friends since their time at Tech 20 years ago, despite living in four states and four countries. The secret to staying in touch, they said, is simple.

“It all comes down to a bit of effort.”

The came to Tech from all over the world, and their Tech degrees and experiences as student-athletes have led to impressive careers all over the world as well. And five of the former teammates actually reunited in Cookeville for Tech’s homecoming last month!

Read the full story here: Former members of Golden Eagle tennis team say friendships still strong after 20 years (tntech.edu)

Tennessee Tech was always an important part of Kathy Ligon’s life. She grew up in Cookeville and when it came time to choose a college, there was never any doubt that she would choose Tech. But while choosing a university was easy, choosing a major proved to be more difficult. Ligon initially enrolled at Tech as a psychology major. She then changed her major to business, but neither felt like the right fit, and her grades suffered as a result.

“I was actually put on probation and academically dismissed from the university,” Ligon said. “I was on the seven-and-a-half year plan. It took me seven and a half years to get my bachelor’s degree.”

Ligon did some soul searching and decided to become a teacher. She begged the dean of the College of Education to give her a second chance, and he did. She re-enrolled at Tech and never looked back. Ligon would eventually earn three degrees from Tech and a doctorate from TSU. Now, she and her husband have established a scholarship for education majors to help others pursue the career that she loved.

Read the full story about Ligon’s 30-year career in education and learn more about the Katherine C. Ligon Scholarship here:  Donor Spotlight (tntech.edu)

The deadline to nominate someone for a 2022 Tennessee Tech Alumni Award is November 15. Awards are presented in four categories:  Outstanding Young Alumnus, Outstanding Service, Outstanding Philanthropy and Distinguished Alumnus. To read the criteria for each award or to submit a nomination form, visit Alumni Awards (tntech.edu).

As president and chief executive officer of AMIkids, Inc., Mike Thornton, `89 business management, leads the nonprofit organization dedicated to helping youth develop into responsible and productive citizens. For nearly 50 years, AMIkids has helped more than 150,000 kids across the country by allowing them to discover their full potential and guiding them on a path to a positive future. It’s hard to imagine where many of those individuals might be today without AMIkids and without Thornton at the helm. And it was at Tennessee Tech — in the classroom and on the football field — that Thornton first learned the skills to be a leader.  Thornton has chosen to give back to his alma mater by making a significant financial commitment to Tech’s Football Operations Center.

Read full story: https://www.tntech.edu/univadv/cac/ttut-featured-alumni-pages/mike-thornton.php

Learn more about the Football Operations Center:  TTU Athletics – Football Operations Center (tntech.edu)

Do you know a student who exemplifies Bold, Fearless, Confident, and Kind values? If so, take a moment to nominate them for the Student Affairs Monthly Student Spotlight. The student chosen for the October Spotlight will be featured on Student Affairs’ social media and receive a special gift. The nomination form is linked here!