ETSU grants tenure, promotion to 54 faculty members

The ETSU Board of Trustees held its regularly scheduled quarterly meeting on Friday, May 24.

During its regularly scheduled quarterly meeting today, the East Tennessee State University Board of Trustees approved promotions and the granting of tenure to 54 faculty members. 

“Our faculty represent the tripartite purpose of higher education: teaching, research, and service,” ETSU Provost Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle said. “This is an institution that conducts cutting-edge research and provides a world-class education while remaining open and accessible to all. It is a place where everything we do centers on our mission to improve the quality of life for people in the region and beyond. I offer my sincerest congratulations to those faculty members who were promoted or granted tenure today and my deepest thanks to our entire faculty who embody the heart of this institution.”

ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland stressed that attracting, developing and retaining high-quality faculty and employees is among the university’s top priorities. 

“To continue offering an exceptional education, we must ensure that we continue to employ and retain exceptional people,” Noland said. “Currently, ETSU’s compensation rates are below market and closing these gaps is of critical importance.”

To help address compensation, the Board today approved the expansion of the revenue dedicated in next year’s budget to salary through the creation of a $6.68 million salary pool. Much of this revenue will be generated by a 5.25% increase in tuition and fees for the Fall 2024 semester. The increased rate amounts to in-state undergraduate students paying approximately $261 more per semester. The Board noted that the average annual increase of tuition and fees over the past five years at ETSU has only been approximately 2%.

The Board will review and take action on a plan outlining the distribution and details of salary enhancements in the fall. 

In other business, the Board approved a proposal to update the university’s academic structure to facilitate greater collaboration across academic programs and more closely align with community and workforce needs. This new structure will build on the university’s strengths in the health sciences by moving programs to the newly named College of Health Sciences. It will also provide opportunities to showcase the numerous degree offerings in the arts as well as digital media and marketing. More information on this effort is available on the Office of the Provost website.   

The Board also received an update on the university’s progress toward its vision of being a premier research university. Research expenditures, a key metric in the premier research institution designation, have increased three-fold from $13.9 million to $42.3 million since 2020.  Last year the university also received over $70 million in external research funding to support research that impacts the region and state.

Additionally, the ETSU Student Government Association elected, and the Board of Trustees confirmed Trent White, winner of a prestigious Truman Scholarship and former SGA president, to serve as the student trustee for the 2024-25 academic year. 

East Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 with a singular mission: to improve the quality of life for people in the region and beyond. Through its world-class health sciences programs and interprofessional approach to health care education, ETSU is a highly respected leader in rural health research and practices. The university also boasts nationally ranked programs in the arts, technology, computing, and media studies. ETSU serves approximately 14,000 students each year and is ranked among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation for students graduating with the least amount of debt.