The purpose of the State of the University Address is to provide a sense of direction
to the institution, to provide reflections upon the activities that occurred last year,
to discuss the things that are in place for the 2015-16 academic year, but to provide
a vision for the institution. Where have we been, what are we doing, and where are we going?
Greetings, and welcome of this segment of From My Notepads. Last week I gave the annual
State of the University address to the faculty, to the staff, and to the community of East
Tennessee. During that address I focused on themes that have dominated our conversation
over the course of the past two years. Themes related to budgets, themes related to enrollment,
themes related to the impact of Tennessee Promise on our institution. Two years ago
during the State of the University Address I cautioned the campus that we needed to prepare
for an economic downturn. As a result of that caution we have spent two years adjusting
budgets, two years working diligently to position the institution for the wonderful success
stories that I shared during that State of the University address.
To recap, our enrollment is strong. In comparison to other Board of Regents institutions we
are in a wonderful position with respect to overall enrollment and the enrollment of first-time
freshmen. Our scholarship programs that were initiated: the George L. Carter Scholars,
the Gilbreath Scholars were successful. The number of high achieving out-of-state students
attending East Tennessee State University doubled this fall over last. Our academic
Performance Scholars have increased in number. In short, this is the best prepared freshman
class that we've had at our institution in more than a decade. That freshman class brings
with it stability, that freshman class brings with it excitement, and that freshman class
brings with it new horizons for this institution. With respect to budgets, our budgets are balanced,
our enrollment is within budget confidence intervals, we have provided salary enhancements
for faculty and staff, and we are continuing to move forward with the development of a
new budget process for the institution.
As we look forward at the major initiatives that will transpire during the 15-16 academic
year, those initiatives will be continuing to implement efforts that were launched in
years prior: to continue to implement our strategic growth initiative, to continue to
implement changes to the manner in which we budget, to continue the implementation of
enhanced communication venues across campus: be they town halls, be they this Notepads
series, be they the Blue and Gold Digest, or the other things that we put in place to
enhance our communication with our faculty, our staff, our students, and the region as
a whole.
We have the opportunity to be part of a beautiful family. A family that's committed to transforming
the lives of the people of our region, a family that has been doing so for more than a hundred
years. And this week, on October the 10th, we will celebrate something that to me was
a complete surprise. On October the 10th, 1911, the Tennessee state flag, the tri-star
Flag flew for the very first time on our campus. A flag developed by a Johnson City resident,
Colonel Leroy Reeves. A Flag that was unveiled on our campus with the opening dedication
ceremonies for ETSU. Please take time over the course of that day to reflect upon your
impact at the institution, and your impact five, ten, fifteen, and twenty-five years
from now on this community as a whole.
I'm honored to be a part of the ETSU family and I'm honored to see the wonderful things
that will occur on this campus during the 15-16 academic year. Godspeed and Go Bucs!