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Table of Contents

  • 3: President's Message
  • 4: Top Stories
  • 8: Campus Briefs
  • 10: Unique Alumni
  • 15: Advancement
  • 16: Distinguished President's Trust
  • 22: Athletics
  • 26: Class Notes
  • 29: Obituaries

ETSU President

Paul E. Stanton, Jr.

Managing Editors

Richard A. Manahan; Robert M. Plummer; Jennifer Barber

Contributing Writers

Anthony Aiken; Jeff Anderson; Jennifer Barber; Pat Barcel; Kevin Brown; Laure Craddock; Lee Ann Davis; Ben Daugherty; Pat Elledge; Carol Fox; Tisha Harrison; Leisa Harvey; Donald Harvill; Chris Henson; Jennifer Hill; Pat Holland; Brad Lifford; Samera Litvack; Ashley Martin; Peggy McCurry; Jo Anne Paty; Robert Plummer; Cyndi Ramsey; Shea Renfro; Jeremy Ross; Fred Sauceman; Carol Sloan; Joe E. Smith; Karen Sullivan; Mike White; Jenny Wilkins

Photography/Art

Larry Smith; Jim Sledge; Jim Padgett; Charles Warden

Publication Date

Spring 2010

President's Message

Dear Alumni & Friends, ἀ is fall, East Tennessee State University will begin a year-long celebration as we commemorate our centennial. A steering committee for this event has been appointed, and the members began their first meeting by reflecting back on some of the major highlights of ETSU’s 100-year history, going back to the time when George L. Carter donated his farm to the state of Tennessee so that a college could be located in Johnson City. As you can imagine, there have been numerous milestones since the day when East Tennessee State Normal School opened in October of 1911. During the fall of 2009, we reached a new one as our enrollment surpassed the 14,000 enrollment mark for the first time. We began as a teachers college, but we now have 11 colleges and schools. Contributing to our enrollment growth is the addition of several new programs, particularly at the doctoral level. When I became ETSU’s president in 1997, our offerings included only three doctoral courses of study, and today we have 13 programs. Among them is the new Pharm.D. degree offered by the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy. On May 8, ETSU and its College of Pharmacy will celebrate another major benchmark as our inaugural class of pharmacy students crosses the stage at graduation. Under the leadership of Dr. Larry Calhoun and his faculty and staff, the pharmacy school recently completed another accreditation visit. No blemishes were found, which, for a new college and particularly a professional college such as pharmacy, is quite remarkable. On a related note, ETSU is now home to the only accredited College of Public Health in Tennessee. In fact, it is the only accredited College of Public Health in the Appalachian Mountain chain between Birmingham and Pittsburgh. ἀ is presents numerous opportunities for ETSU to address some of the health issues facing our region. And recently, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission transferred management of the Tennessee Institute of Public Health to the ETSU College of Public Health. ἀ is statewide partnership of public and private health-related organizations was created with the mission to improve the overall health status of Tennesseans. Another new program which will begin this fall is the Ph.D. in Sport Science and Physiology, the only one of its kind in the nation that focuses specifically on the science of sport performance. ETSU benefactor Wayne G. Basler contributed a significant donation toward the startup costs for this program. ETSU is also the first institution in the country to offer a four-year program leading to a B.A. degree in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music. Some 140 to 150 students have enrolled in that major. Private funding and partnerships have been crucial for developing these new programs. ἀ e ETSU Foundation, under the leadership of Dr. Richard Manahan and the members of our Executive Committee, as well as the general board of the Foundation, has guided us to $14 million per year in fund-raising. We haven’t seen any decrease in giving, which is extremely important to us, especially in regard to scholarships, in this economic climate. Against this backdrop of growth, for the current fiscal year our state appropriation is down 25 percent from what it was two years ago. For ETSU, including the College of Medicine, this translates to a reduction of approximately $20 million. We are already on notice to prepare for another $3-6 million turndown effective July 1 of this year. But we are dealing with these painful reductions through wise management, planning, and stewardship. I especially commend our task force on budget reductions, led by Dr. Wilsie Bishop, University Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Health Affairs. Despite these ongoing fiscal challenges, our faculty, staff, and students continue to look forward, identifying new ways we can grow and expand. A powerful measurement of their efforts has been our research and sponsored program activity. In terms of extramural support, we reached $43 million this past year. A decade ago, we were at about $8 million. ἀ is semester, we were extremely pleased to learn that ETSU would receive a $9.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to renovate Building 119, the major biomedical research facility for the James H. Quillen College of Medicine. ἀ is will allow us to make necessary improvements and updates to that building which are crucial for the work of our scientists and otherwise would not have been possible if we had to rely strictly on state dollars. Student housing is also expanding. Ten years ago, approximately 12 percent of our students lived in dorms. ἀ at number has increased to 22 percent, and there is even a waiting list. Two new residence halls have been completed, and a development is currently under construction at Buccaneer Ridge to add more rooms. Ten years ago, the very first fossil was discovered at the Gray Fossil Site, and now, a $1.7 million grant has allowed for construction to move forward for an annex at the ETSU and General Shale Brick Natural History Museum. Alumni and friends working with the university have contributed over $500,000 for the creation of a baseball stadium that will be located at the corner of State of Franklin Road and University Parkway in Johnson City. ἀ e remainder of funds for Phase I of the park will come from student debt service. ἀ e ETSU/Mountain States Health Alliance Athletic Center, known as the Mini-Dome, is now debt-free, as is the D.P. Culp University Center. ἀ is means that dollars from those bonded commitments can now go to the baseball facility and other necessary campus improvements. State capital outlay projects have been frozen for the past several years, but we are hopeful that these efforts may resume in the near future. ETSU has a critical need for a major performing arts center. ἀ e Tennessee Board of Regents has a 25-item project list, and our center was at the very bottom a few years ago. Now it has reached number 11. We deeply appreciate the many ways in which our alumni and friends have stepped forward to support us. You are a major reason why I count myself very blessed to be at ETSU. During these past difficult months, the ETSU community has displayed an inspiring attitude of hope and optimism and a determination to survive and overcome our budget limitations. With sincere gratitude, - Paul E. Stanton, Jr.

ETSU Today - Spring 2010

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