Tag Archives: Chief Communication Officer Karen Lykins

Tennessee Tech’s Lighting the Quad event has been postponed to Thursday due to rain. It was originally scheduled for Tuesday. Chief Communication Officer Karen Lykins said even though it will be on a different day, the same festivities will take place. “The historic quad has always been a place where people want to gather,” Lykins said. “It is where people ... Read More »

An expected 20 percent increase in Tennessee Tech’s freshmen enrollment has caused the university to place some students in non-traditional housing. Chief Communication Officer Karen Lykins said the university has partnered with five hotels to house about 135 students once the fall semester begins. “That meant we had more of a demand for housing this year,” Lykins said. “I do ... Read More »

The Tennessee Tech community mourning the loss of prominent history professor Michael “Birdie” Birdwell this week. Chief Communication Officer Karen Lykins said Birdwell impacted thousands of students over his some 25 year career at the university. “He was a hard worker,” Lykins said. “Really put in the work and the time to be excellent. He was a mentor, a co-author ... Read More »

Tennessee Tech rolling out a new scholarship program next fall to help women who want to enter the engineering field. The Harper Scholars Program named after Trustee Chair and Adjunct Professor Trudy Harper. Chief Communication Officer Karen Lykins said the program serves as a way to encourage women to enter a non-traditional field. “This comes out of her passion for ... Read More »

Tennessee Tech returns from Christmas break ready to begin its spring semester. Some schools changed openings due to the recent COVID variant surge. Chief Communication Officer Karen Lykins said Tech compared its date to others to make a decision “Most people did not change that are in our sphere of colleagues,” Lykins said. “It’s just that they had a original ... Read More »

Tennessee Tech has addressed an audit finding that found deficiencies in enrollment reporting of the federal Direct Loan Program. A State Comptroller report released Tuesday said Tech did not have adequate procedures while reporting the enrollment status of some loan borrowers. Chief Communication Officer Karen Lykins said a fix has been made. “The section of the record and registration manual ... Read More »

Tennessee Tech has dropped its indoor mask requirement on campus. Chief Communication Officer Karen Lykins said the university still strongly encourages face coverings regardless of vaccination status. “Looking at our dashboard numbers, we’ve seen that our campus case numbers have remained consistently low, and we also know that the Tech health services team has worked tirelessly to protect the health ... Read More »

Tennessee Tech will temporarily require masks inside campus facilities when classes begin Thursday. Chief Communication Officer Karen Lykins said the decision was based on conversations within the President’s Cabinet with faculty and students. “Looking at all the factors with the Delta variant. Looking at the possibility of a spike when we have a very large growth in population as people ... Read More »

It is study time at Tennessee Tech. Chief Communication Officer Karen Lykins said this week is the last week of classes before finals, aka, “Dead Week.” “But, it is anything, but dead,” Lykins said. “That just means that you’re finishing up things. You don’t have new projects started. You get together with your group. Study for your finals. It’s a ... Read More »

About 10,000 Tennessee Tech students return to Cookeville as the spring semester starts Tuesday. Chief Communication Officer Karen Lykins said with a successful fall semester, no major COVID changes have been made. “We are very comfortable with our safety protocol,” Lykins said. “Masks are still required. We have social distancing guidelines in place, and we have a lot of signage ... Read More »