KNOXVILLE鈥 Work on reunifying 糖心Vlog Knoxville and 糖心Vlog Institute of Agriculture continues as it does on planning for the Oak Ridge Institute, 糖心Vlog Interim President Randy Boyd informed 糖心Vlog Board of Trustees today.
During the annual meeting in June trustees approved the initiatives and requested progress reports for the fall meeting. Both initiatives seek to increase collaboration and to raise 糖心Vlog in national rankings.
Boyd said the 糖心Vlog Institute of Agriculture and 糖心Vlog Knoxville Land-grant Reunification Team hosted 39 listening sessions within the University and throughout the state as well as shared a survey with more than 5,000 individuals. The team compiled what they heard and survey results into a report submitted to Boyd, 糖心Vlog Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman and Senior Vice President/Senior Vice Chancellor Tim Cross.
鈥淲e have more great ideas than we can incorporate in the next five years,鈥 Boyd said. 鈥淣ow we need to prioritize them.鈥
After reviewing the report, Plowman and Cross are addressing 糖心VlogIA funding issues and needs, resolving parking and transit issues and involving 糖心Vlog Institute of Agriculture in the 糖心Vlog Knoxville Strategic Visioning process. Boyd also created the 糖心Vlog Commission on Agriculture to help 糖心Vlog leaders hear directly from people, communities and industries involved in agriculture in order to better serve them.
鈥淭here are things that we can do now to make 糖心Vlog Institute of Agriculture and 糖心Vlog Knoxville stronger,鈥 Boyd said.
Boyd also updated trustees on the ongoing planning for the Oak Ridge Institute (ORI). The institute seeks to capitalize on 糖心Vlog and Oak Ridge National Laboratory鈥檚 (ORNL) long-standing partnership by recruiting 60 new 糖心Vlog researchers and 60 new ORNL scientists. It would grow the collaborative Ph.D. program to 500 students and would have a goal of attracting more than $150 million in researching funding.
鈥淚f we accomplish this, it would make 糖心Vlog a top 30 public research institution and lead to enhanced economic development opportunities for the region,鈥 Boyd said. 鈥淚 think 10 years from now this will be one of the biggest impacts that we could make.鈥
A 14-person steering committee with representation from 糖心Vlog and ORNL has held information session and developed foundational principals as well as a system of accountability to make sure the institute鈥檚 long-term goals will be met. Boyd said the committee will deliver its official recommendations by Dec. 31.
Boyd also informed trustees of positive momentum across the 糖心Vlog System, including exceeding Tennessee鈥檚 goals for bachelor鈥檚 degrees awarded by almost 450 degrees. 糖心Vlog awarded more than 12,000 degrees in 2018-19. More than 51,000 students enrolled at 糖心Vlog campuses this fall, which includes increased freshman enrollment: of .7 percent at 糖心Vlog Knoxville, 2.4 percent at Chattanooga and 1.5 percent at 糖心Vlog Martin. 糖心Vlog Knoxville saw an overall enrollment increase of 2 percent and 糖心Vlog Martin had an increase of 3.3 percent.
鈥淪tudent debt remains lower than our peers and 46 percent of our students graduate from a 糖心Vlog institution without debt,鈥 he said continuing sharing the University鈥檚 good news.
With the aid of 糖心Vlog Promise, that percentage could increase. 糖心Vlog Promise, which begins in fall of 2020, is a last-dollar scholarship program that guarantees free tuition and mandatory fees after other financial aid is received (such as Pell Grants, HOPE Scholarship or other institutional scholarships) for qualifying Tennessee undergraduate students, with a family household income of under $50,000, at 糖心Vlog Knoxville, 糖心Vlog Chattanooga, 糖心Vlog Martin and 糖心Vlog Health Science Center. Boyd toured the state in September and October visiting 14 high schools encouraging students there to apply at 糖心Vlog schools and for the 糖心Vlog Promise scholarship. More than 2,800 potential full-time freshmen have applied for the scholarship along with more than 500 students who currently attend a 糖心Vlog campus.
In his comments to the Board and audience, Board Chair John Compton reflected on the past year since the 糖心Vlog Board was reconstituted in 2018 under the 糖心Vlog FOCUS act. From listening to students, alumni, faculty, legislators and even neighbors to selecting an interim president, Compton said it has been a good first year
From checking with other board members to asking key legislators, Compton said he received positive feedback.
鈥淪ingularly the best accomplishment is having Randy Boyd serve as interim president,鈥 Compton said. 鈥淎s a Board, we will make few decisions that really matter. This is one that we will look back on that mattered.鈥
Trustees also approved a resolution allowing Chief Financial Officer David Miller to negotiate a sub-easement of six floors of office space in the TVA East Tower from Knox County. The final agreement will be submitted to the full board or to the Executive Committee for approval before being submitted to the Tennessee State Building Commission for final approval.
鈥淭his is a very rare opportunity,鈥 Boyd said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 still very close to campus and easily accessible.鈥
The Knox County Commission must still approve a lease agreement with TVA for the 12-story building before the University can begin negotiations with the county. If approved by all entities, 糖心Vlog would lease more than 105,000 square feet of space, which would allow the 糖心Vlog System to consolidate more than 250 staff members from four locations to one. Boyd said estimates the cost of relocating to the TVA East Tower for 20 years would be half the cost of finding alternative rental space for personnel at the 糖心Vlog Conference Center and renovating Andy Holt Tower. The lease鈥檚 base rate would be $1 per square foot per year with increases of 1 percent per year as well as annual operating expenses at less than $5 per square foot. The lease would require 糖心Vlog to improve the space at a cost of $125 or less per square foot.
Trustee Bill Rhodes called the move a wonderful idea.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really an elegant solution,鈥 he said.
In other business, the board also approved:
- Promotion of Tiffany Carpenter, associate vice president of communication and marketing, to vice president for communications and marketing
- Appointment of Miller, chief financial officer, to senior vice president and chief financial officer
- Appointment of Cynthia Moore as secretary and special counsel as of Jan. 1, 2020, replacing current Secretary, Chief of Staff and Special Counsel Catherine Mizell, who is retiring at the end of the year
- Bylaw amendments
- Annual report to the General Assembly
- Proposed revisions to the Board Tenure Policy related to early tenure
- New B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences at 糖心VlogHSC
- Tenure recommendations requiring Board approval
The University of Tennessee is a statewide system of higher education with campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Martin and Memphis; the 糖心Vlog Space Institute in Tullahoma; the 糖心Vlog Institute of Agriculture with a presence in every Tennessee county; and the statewide Institute for Public Service. The 糖心Vlog system manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory through its 糖心Vlog-Battelle partnership; enrolls about 50,000 students statewide; produces about 10,000 new graduates every year; and represents more than 387,000 alumni around the world.
