College Town Talk

This week on College Town Talk, we sit down with Dr. Kim Hanna, dean of Tennessee Tech’s newly elevated Whitson-Hester College of Nursing and a proud Tennessee Tech alumna who has served the university in various roles since 1989. Dr. Hanna discusses what the transition from a school to a college means for the nursing program and reflects on the momentum that has led to record enrollment, a 95% fi...

This week on College Town Talk, we catch up with John Williamson, a Tennessee Tech junior studying civil engineering who stays busy helping other students make the most of their college experience. As a Trailblazer, Student Orientation Assistant and President’s Ambassador, John plays a role in welcoming prospective students and helping new Golden Eagles find their footing on campus. John shares wh...

This week on College Town Talk, we sit down with Dr. Teresa Chasteen-Dunn, a longtime educator, philanthropist and business leader who now serves as a member of the Tennessee Tech Board of Trustees and Tennessee Tech Foundation Board of Directors. Dr. Chasteen-Dunn shares her educational journey, from community college to postdoctoral work at Harvard University, and the story behind WIN Learning,...

This week on College Town Talk, we sit down with Dr. Russ Witcher, a longtime Tennessee Tech journalism professor who has some big news to share about his future after more than 35 years of service to the university. Dr. Witcher also talks about the changing world of journalism, his role as faculty advisor for the Society of Collegiate Journalists, his research into former President Richard Nixon...

This week on College Town Talk, we catch up with Dr. Mickey Latour, Tennessee Tech’s new provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. Dr. Latour tells us why Tennessee Tech was the right fit after an already successful more than 30-year career in higher education, including at universities in Indiana, Illinois and Arkansas. He also tells us about a memorable first-day experience that captured...

This week on College Town Talk, we sit down with Tennessee Tech alumna Abby Weeden, owner of Cookeville’s Edison Hills New & Old. Abby shares the story behind her popular vintage boutique, how her experience studying art at Tech’s Appalachian Center for Craft shaped her creative career, and how she got started as a professional photographer. She also discusses her work with Art Round Tennessee, a...

This week on College Town Talk, we're joined by guest co-host Jamie Fancher for a conversation with Dr. Jeremy Schoen, associate professor in Tennessee Tech’s College of Business. Dr. Schoen discusses his innovative organizational leadership course, where students put leadership lessons into practice by raising money for charitable causes throughout the Upper Cumberland and beyond. He also talks a...

This week on College Town Talk, guest co-host Susan Luna-Hazlewood returns for a conversation with Dr. Frank Tittle, a two-time Tennessee Tech graduate now serving as executive director of Tennessee Tech GEAR UP - the university's groundbreaking initiative to increase college and career readiness for students from underserved communities across the Upper Cumberland. Dr. Tittle talks about his deca...

This week on College Town Talk, guest co-host Susan Luna Hazlewood joins us for a conversation with John and Sandy MacDonald, owners of Cookeville’s iconic Ralph’s Donut Shop. The couple shares how they came to own the nearly 65-year-old business, what it’s like working together as spouses and what it means to preserve Ralph’s legacy as a recently designated National Register of Historic Places si...

This week on College Town Talk, we sit down with Dr. Amy Hill, lecturer in Tennessee Tech's College of Emerging and Integrative Studies, three-time Tech graduate and a 2022 recipient of the university's Outstanding Professional Award. Dr. Hill reflects on her more than 25-year journey at Tech, discusses a student service-learning project that transformed a bedroom at the Cookeville Rescue Mission...

This week on College Town Talk, we catch up with former Cookeville Mayor Matt Swallows, a Tennessee Tech alumnus, former Golden Eagle football player and the president and COO of Swallows Insurance Agency. Matt reflects on his years leading Tennessee's College Town, shares his perspective on local government and discusses the lessons he's learned from a lifetime of serving the Upper Cumberland. In...

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan sit down with Dr. Thomas Payne, dean of the Tennessee Tech College of Business. Since becoming dean in 2015, Dr. Payne has helped lead the college to its highest enrollment in a decade, overseen the addition of new, sought-after programs of study and presided over a renewed emphasis on experiential learning — with more than 90% of students in the c...

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan welcome Jimmy Guadalupe, Tennessee Tech’s newly appointed student trustee and a rising senior majoring in business management and business information and technology. Jimmy reflects on being unanimously confirmed by the university’s Board of Trustees, discusses why supporting student mental health will be a priority during his one-year term and sha...

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan sit down with Dr. Lauren Harding, associate professor of political science at Tennessee Tech. As our country celebrates its 250th anniversary, Dr. Harding shares insights from her research on trust in government and discusses how she and her family are experiencing the best of America through their mission to visit every U.S. National Park Site. Pl...

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan sit down with Margo Dirkson, department coordinator in Tennessee Tech’s Office of Access, Belonging and Community Outreach and a doctoral student in Tech’s new Ph. D. in higher education program. Margo shares why she chose to pursue a doctorate while balancing a full-time career and extensive volunteer service, what it means to help students find a...

This week on College Town Talk, we sit down with Dr. Erin Hoover, associate professor of English at Tennessee Tech and the first-ever poet laureate for the City of Cookeville. In this episode, Dr. Hoover discusses how Tech’s English Department is thoughtfully incorporating AI into the classroom while helping students strengthen their writing skills, think critically and develop their own creative...

This week on College Town Talk, guest co-host Jamie Fancher returns for a conversation with Dr. Joshua Martin, a Tennessee Tech alumnus who now serves as assistant professor of Spanish. Dr. Martin is also the recipient of Tech’s 2024-25 Scholastic Research Award and author of the new book, "Masculinity, Coloniality, and the US-Mexico Border in Literature and Political Culture." In our interview, D...

This week on College Town Talk, guest co-host Jamie Fancher joins us for a conversation with Dr. Julie Baker, a three-time Tennessee Tech graduate who now serves as dean of the College of Graduate Studies and associate provost at Tech. As she approaches her 20th anniversary at Tech, Dr. Baker reflects on her early years as a high school teacher, shares favorite campus memories and gives us a glimp...

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan catch up with Adam Poe, a 2011 Tennessee Tech graduate who now serves as vice president of the Highlands Economic Partnership. In our interview, Adam discusses Tech’s role in driving economic development across the region and reflects on the lasting impact of his involvement as a Tech student with Kappa Sigma fraternity—an experience that ultimatel...

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan introduce listeners to Callie Smith, a senior at Tennessee Tech and Morgan County native double majoring in communications and marketing.  Callie is also a former Tech Trailblazer — Tech students who provide personalized campus tours for prospective students and their families — and the former sports editor for The Oracle, Tech’s student newspaper....

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan sit down with Dr. Jeannette Luna, assistant dean of research and graduate studies in the College of Arts & Sciences at Tennessee Tech. Dr. Luna was recently selected by NASA as a participating scientist on the first Artemis lunar surface science team — a small, elite group of researchers supporting the agency’s upcoming crewed mission to land astro...

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and guest co-host Susan Luna-Hazlewood are joined by Sam Brooks, a two-time Tennessee Tech graduate and president of the Tech Football Quarterback Club.  Sam has been an educator in the Upper Cumberland for more than 30 years, ranging from his early days as a biology teacher at Cookeville High School and Upperman High School, to his role today as Upper Cumb...

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and guest co-host Susan Luna-Hazlewood are joined by Dr. Nancy Hamilton, a two-time Tennessee Tech graduate and chair-elect of Tech’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. Dr. Hamilton also serves as a Roane County commissioner and as program director for college success at Roane State Community College. In the interview, Dr. Hamilton reflects on her path...

This week on College Town Talk, we’re joined by guest co-host Susan Luna-Hazlewood, executive director of Tennessee Tech’s Crawford Alumni Center, for a special conversation with Thomas Lynn—a two-time Tech graduate, member of Tech’s Board of Trustees and chairman of the board for First National Bank of Tennessee. Thomas is also a generous philanthropist who helped establish Mustard Seed Ranch, a...

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan sit down with Rachel Smalling, a 2014 Tennessee Tech graduate and classically trained cellist who went on to become a successful local entrepreneur. Today, Rachel performs with the Orfeo String Quartet and owns two local hotels and a popular cocktail lounge. She is also helping protect and enhance Cookeville’s vibrant downtown as president of the C...