GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Holly Ratcliff has been appointed as Tusculum University's Faculty Athletic Representative announced TU president Dr. Scott Hummel.
The Tusculum faculty athletic representative (FAR) is a member of the faculty or administrative staff who is designated by the president to represent the institution and its faculty in the institution's relationships with the NCAA and the South Atlantic Conference. The FAR is active in maintaining the academic integrity within the athletics program, assisting with the overall student-athlete well-being as well as assists with the institutional control of the athletics program.
Ratcliff has been teaching at Tusculum since 2003 when she began as an adjunct for the English department at the Knoxville campus. Ratcliff joined the Greeneville campus full-time in August of 2018 and is currently an Assistant Professor of English and the university's General Education Curriculum Assessment Coordinator.
"Holly is a dedicated professor, who is committed to the holistic success of our students," Dr. Hummel said. "I am pleased to entrust Holly with this additional position because she has demonstrated excellent and compassionate leadership in many ways at Tusculum. Holly will be a terrific representative of Tusculum with the NCAA and SAC, and I look forward to seeing the fruits of her work."
Prior to starting work in Greeneville, Ratcliff spent over four years as an Assistant Professor, Director of the Knoxville Writing Center, and Co-facilitator of the Online Writing Lab at King University. In addition to these previous commitments at King, she has taught in the English departments at both The University of Tennessee and Pellissippi State Community College.
Ratcliff teaches Introduction to Rhetoric & Composition and Rhetoric & Research, Composition I Writing Lab, Folklore & the Fairy Tale, and Writing in Organizations, but she has also recently taught the following courses for various universities (both on campus and online): American Literature I and American Literature II, Appalachian Literature, Dual-Enrollment English Composition, Professional Writing for Information Technology, Writing for Healthcare Professions, Introduction to Higher Education, The Quest for Self-Knowledge, The Quest for Stewardship and Ethical Responsibility, and 20th & 21st Century Global Literature.
"In my time at Tusculum, I have always understood the demands that our student-athletes face trying to do one job in the classroom and another job on the playing field. That is a lot for many young individuals to take on, but as a former student-athlete myself, I know how important both sides of that coin are," said Ratcliff. "So many of our student-athletes are incredibly grateful to be able to continue to play a sport they love while pursuing a full-time university education."
"I am truly humbled and honored to be asked to fulfill a role at Tusculum that allows me to represent our institution to the NCAA and SAC, and support our faculty and student-athletes in a way that makes the dual nature of the "student-athlete" experience as successful as possible," Ratcliff added. "These student-athletes' impact on their classmates and their teammates, their vital involvement in the campus community at large, and the education they are gaining at Tusculum will have lasting repercussions far beyond their years at school."
After completing her graduate degree at the University of Tennessee, Ratcliff began working full-time as a marketing coordinator for an international civil and environmental engineering firm. During her time there, she participated in efforts to prepare and write technical reports, as well as many proposals for state, local, and federally funded transportation infrastructure assignments, regional economic development studies, environmental impact statements, major design/build jobs, and bridge design and rehabilitation projects.
Additionally, Ratcliff serves as the university's gen ed assessment coordinator and is a key leader in a Tusculum's Cornerstone program, which assists students who have been accepted into the university but would benefit from further preparation. She is also the university's Appalachian College Association liaison.
"I want to thank Holly for stepping up and accepting this role," said Josh Ealy, Vice President for Athletics. "The FAR plays a vital role in the student-athlete experience especially at the NCAA Division II level such as ours. Holly has a passion for our students, athletics, and will continue to invest and pour into them through this role."
