Hello. Thank You, and good morning.
Happy new year to everyone.
Today begins the 2014-2015 academic year.
I know that everyone in this room would agree
that this time on campus is simply magical.
Other than commencement, there is no other occasion at our university that can match
the excitement, the vitality, at the start of
the fall semester. As Dr. Foley mentioned
I've made a little adjustment to
this morning's program. An adjustment that came at the recommendation of faculty.
And I hope that you enjoy
a new approach, an approach that puts the emphasis on you -
our faculty who are part of this university.
And I would like to begin by extending
a special welcome to our seventy-four new faculty members.
I had the opportunity to meet many of you earlier this week.
I am honored that you have chosen to make ETSU the
place that you call home. In a few minutes we will honor three faculty members
with distinguished faculty awards.
From day one, our university has
made great teaching its hallmark. With an original mission to educate
teachers, East Tennessee State Normal School attracted some of our
nation's best, beginning with the first faculty, shown in this early photograph
seated on the steps of Gilbreath Hall, surrounding the man who hired them,
lifelong educator Sydney Gilbreath. On their very first day of classes, our original 29 students met faculty
members who had studied and taught at places like Johns Hopkins, Columbia University, and
Harvard. The faculty offered to those students courses
in civil government, literature,chemistry, the history of education
composition, French, German, and physical geography.
The curriculum was a unique blend of the theoretical and the
practical, the idealistic and the every day. Our early leaders created a
foundation for excellence in teaching and learning that continues to guide the complex,
vibrant, and ever-changing institution, a place
that we call home. Colleges transform individuals,
but great universities transform communities.
You would be hard pressed to find another institution in the south
or in the nation as a whole that has a more significant impact
on its community as we do here at East Tennessee State University.
We educate the region's teachers, nurses, doctors, and
bankers. We're not the city on the hill, we're the
people who built the hill. We are the heart beat of this region
and our faculty are part of the university. Today we celebrate
your legacy of service to the university.
As I reflect back upon a rich history of teaching,
I am amazed and inspired by the stories of individuals like
the late Dr. Herman Stribling, who taught in our College of Business.
Dr. Stribling knew that having a trademark helps students connect with the professors
and remember them long after grades have been assigned.
He always wore a bow tie, and he always wore red, a tribute to
the educational opportunities that had been afforded to him
at the University of Alabama. He took a subject that many feared,
that many dreaded - Economics, and he infused enthusiasm into the subject, with his ever-present
smile, his grand style as a teacher, his humor, and
his kindness. Even students who only took him for a large
undergraduate survey course noted that years
later he still remembered their names.
In the pantheon of campus personalities that have defined our campus,
Herman Stribling is unforgettable. One of ETSU's most dynamic faculty members
taught lessons about bravery, heroism, and love of country, along with Spanish
grammar and literature. A native of Cuba and an attorney there,
Dr. Eduardo Zayas-Bazan took part in the
Bay of Pigs invasion, was wounded and captured, and spent a year in prison
before embracing his own part of the American dream, that is
a dream to become a college professor. Before study-abroad
programs became common in this country, we were a national leader in the study-abroad field
because of the work of Dr. Zayas-Bazan. As he
organized experiences for our students in Spain, France, and Germany.
In his retirement he continues his active scholarships, and
his textbooks continue to be widely published. From our founding in 1911, our commitment to
hiring and nurturing women faculty and staff members has been outstanding.
Dr. Willene Paxton, Flora Marie Meredith, Ella V. Ross,
Dr. Louise McBee, and many other women educators fill
the pages of our university's history. One of those
illustrious educators was Ada Hornsby Earnest.
She actually began her career here as a student, at the age of 28, when she came to ETSU
in 1912 to study domestic science. Her association with the institution continued
for forty-three years, from the day she stepped off the train in Johnson City
during the first year of the Normal School's existence to her retirement
in 1955. P.W. Alexander described her as
"the master teacher, yet always the student."
I think that would be a high complement for any of us today.
One of the greatest stories ever told about this university is the story of our
storytelling program. And on every page of that story is the name
Dr. Flora Joy. She graduated with honors from ETSU and
began teaching at the age of 18. That's not a misprint, she began
teaching at the age of 18. Although she taught at every level from
elementary school through college and was named "Teacher of the Year,"
most of her career was devoted to East Tennessee State University.
Where she is a member of our faculty for forty-one years.
In the storytelling arena around the world,
she is nothing short of a legend. She founded ETSU's master's degree program in storytelling
and reading and received the Lifetime Achievement Award
from the National Storytelling Network in 2000.
She is also the recipient of the Distinguished
Faculty Award in Service and the Distinguished Faculty Award in Teaching.
one of the few individuals in this university's
history to earn both awards. This year we celebrate the
fortieth anniversary of the Quillen College of Medicine.
Our first class of students arrived in 1978,
they were joined by Dr. Tom Kwasigroch who came to ETSU
as instructor of gross anatomy. He continues to serve in that role today
and has taught every student who has graduated from the Quillen College of Medicine.
Throughout his tenure, Dr. Kwasigroch has received more
"Professor of the Year" and teaching awards than anyone can count, and he's frequently chosen by the graduating
classes to hood the new M.D.'s during commencement.
Desiring that the students have a place to call their own to study and relax,
He led the effort to build and expand a student study center at the College of Medicine.
What I did not know about Dr. Kwasigroch is that he
holds a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and an Army
Commendation Medal for his meritorious service in the military.
Kwas is also the best dressed man on campus.
These are in his honor.
If you go to the College of Medicine,
if you talk to Alumni, the name that is on the tip
of everyone's tongue is Dr. Tom Kwasigroch who has transformed the lives of physicians across this region,
and he continues to be a transformative individual in the Quillen College of Medicine.
Three years ago Dr. Stanton and Dr. Bach presented the
2011 Distinguished Faculty Award to Dr. Chris Dula, who
teaches in our Department of Psychology.
He's widely recognized for his passion for teaching, for mentoring student teachers,
and for helping students succeed, and throughout the year he offers seminars
to students across campus on learning good study skills
and test-taking strategies. Freshman
arrive for orientation during the summer having heard about Dr. Dula and eager to get a seat
in his "Intro to Psych" lecture course during the fall. Even though
it is taught in a large lecture hall with 320 in attendance,
his course is known to reach capacity before the end of the summer.
Early this week we used social media
to open up the institution to receive comments,stories, and feedback,
from your students who are now alumni
working across the region, and across the globe. The vast responses that we received via Facebook, and
Twitter, encompass nearly every college and major.
And I'd like to share the stories of your students with you Ashton Campbell thanked
Dr. Ed Dwyer of our Clemmer College of Education noted -
"He is passionate about his teaching and makes learning enjoyable
and the things that you make use of in the classroom apply to real world settings."
she also thanked Dr. Lori Myer and said,
"I was privileged enough to have Dr. Myer not only as a professor, but as an advisor as well."
"She did an excellent job preparing me for my teaching career
and is an awesome advisor. She was there to answer all my questions
about what to do in the classroom, and made sure I had everything to graduate
and point me in the right direction. If it had not been for these two professors, I would not be where I am today."
And she closes with "thank you Dr. Dwyer and Dr. Myer." Jonathan Sever
Member of the class of 2014 wrote
"One of my favorite instructors was Karen Brewster"
"There are many great tachers at ETSU, but
Karen was my personal mentor while I was in the Theatre Department and as a tag team with Melissa Shafer -
watch out! You can't beat the amount of knowledge and help
you will receive from these two great and friendly ladies. I also have to give out a shout out to
Bobby Funk, a very interesting man and an awesome teacher
and to give a piece of advice to students,
the classes are very difficult to get into, so register early if you want to take it."
And he closes with, "and if you are in history, you should probably check out Dr. Burgess.
He's laid back and
is an easygoing instructor, but be prepared to write."
These social media responses from the words of our alumni overwhelmingly
tell a stories of people who are more than faculty. These stories speak of individuals
who were kind, caring and considerate, and devoted to the success of their students.
Although the references in our social media response span
generations, they share something in common. Each tells the story of a faculty member
who has had a transformative impact on his or her life
as a student, and that characteristic speaks volumes.
to who we are as a university. We transform lives,
and we make dreams happen. Every day we walk on to this campus
we help our students get one step closer to realizing their dreams.
As we enter the class room, advise students, mentor students in the research labs,
or simply answer the emails of a student
the night before their first college exam. You pass along
a dream, a dream that was instilled in you by your faculty members.
That's what we all do. All of us can reflect upon faculty
who transformed our lives.
Who helped to make our career. And when you enter the classroom
you pass that gift along. I thank you for all you will do for the
2014 academic year to transform the lives of our students.
Whose path to graduation begins today. Godspeed to everyone and
may this coming academic year be transformative
in ways we cannot describe.