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Festival of Ideas

ETSU’s Festival of Ideas was a huge success in February 2024, bringing nationally and internationally known authors to speak on the ETSU stage and drawing the community together to listen, discuss, and share ideas. 

Mitch Albom, journalist, philanthropist, and author of the bestselling memoir of all time, Tuesdays with Morrie, and Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison, were the keynote speakers.  

The annual event also included an engaging panel discussion focusing on the first ETSU Campus Read, The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World by Jamil Zaki.

ETSU Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy ranked among the top accredited pharmacy schools in the country with the latest results from the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX), which graduating pharmacists must pass to receive their license to practice.

The college’s Class of 2023 achieved an incredible 95.4% first-attempt pass rate on its NAPLEX, placing Gatton at No. 2 in the country for accredited pharmacy schools and No. 1 in Tennessee. The national pass rate was 78.6%.

The College of Pharmacy has made significant changes to its curriculum and support services for students, including a revamped NAPLEX preparation process, faculty mentorship, and more.

The accolades speak for themselves.

Since fall 2023, members of ETSU’s Speech and Debate Team earned five first-place wins and seven second-place finishes at competitions and tournaments throughout the United States. A few students went on to compete at the national level.

Team members Kristina Taylor, Ipinoluwa Akintola, and Ijeoma Chukwu-Amaechi all qualified for speech events and earned invitations to the American Forensics Association National Speech Tournament at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in April.

Participants enhance their communication skills and improve critical-thinking abilities, as well as learn to work as part of a team and speak confidently in front of others.

Students and employees who have a “sweet tooth” now have not one, but two eateries on campus where they can find doughnuts, coffee, and other goodies. 

During the spring semester, ETSU held grand openings for both Dunkin’ and Auntie Ruth’s Doughnuts and Pretzels.

Dunkin’ is in a newly renovated space on the first floor of the Charles C. Sherrod Library formerly occupied by Einstein’s, while Auntie Ruth’s is housed in King’s Corner, located at the corner of Carter Hall beside University Commons.

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