ETSU’s 2025-26 Great Lecture Series concludes on March 6 with lectures by Drs. Brandi Eveland-Sayers and Scott Honeycutt.

East Tennessee State University will welcome two distinguished faculty members to the podium for a pair of thought-provoking lectures that explore the vital connections between place, purpose and well-being.

On Friday, March 6, the ETSU Great Lecture series celebrates that impact by featuring newly promoted full professors.

These lectures will be given by Drs. Brandi Eveland-Sayers and Scott Honeycutt. They will deliver their free public lectures beginning at 2 p.m. in the East Tennessee Room on the second level of the D.P. Culp Student Center.

Dr. Brandi Eveland-Sayers on building a culture of health

Eveland-Sayers is a professor in the ETSU Department of Exercise and Sport Science and the director of the School of Human Performance and Sport Science.

Her work centers on the principle that exercise is medicine and on building a culture of health through education, leadership and community engagement. Her scholarship focuses on physical literacy, Exercise is Medicine initiatives and the role of physical activity in improving health across the lifespan.

She has led significant curriculum and programmatic efforts and developed interdisciplinary partnerships that translate evidence-based practice into meaningful outcomes for students, the campus community and the region.

Through her leadership of the Exercise is Medicine On Campus initiative, ETSU has earned national Gold-level recognition, advancing campus wellness while strengthening connections between teaching, research and service.

Her lecture is titled “Exercise Is Medicine: Building a Culture of Health Through Education, Leadership and Community.”

Dr. Scott Honeycutt on his journey through forests and academia

Honeycutt’s lecture is titled “New England’s Favorite Tree: The White Pines of Bowdoin College.” The lecture title comes from a chapter of his new book, co-written with Dr. Kevin O’Donnell, called “Woodlands of the Mind: Rambles Through Campus Forests.” The book will be released in May by the University of Georgia Press.

Honeycutt is a professor of English in the ETSU Department of Literature and Language. He grew up in Virginia and Tennessee and completed his Ph.D. in American literature from Georgia State University.

He has published numerous poems, including two chapbooks, “This Diet of Flesh” and “Twelve Miles North of the Kentucky River.” When he is not teaching, Honeycutt spends his time hiking the hills of Appalachia.

ETSU faculty lead the way in research, teaching and service, helping to position ETSU as the flagship of Appalachia.

For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at (423) 439-8346.

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