Welcome back for the start of the 2019-2020 academic year. It has been a very busy summer at Tech, and I wanted to share some of the great things that have happened.
Tech has completed many construction and landscaping projects, including Bartoo and Kittrell halls, and the Volpe Library.
We officially surpassed our $60 million Tennessee Tech Tomorrow Capital...
Since this blog launched in 2012, it has served as a place to celebrate, inform and reflect. I am thrilled that this semester I’ll share this blog with four faculty members who will write about the most inspiring actions this university has experienced since we started to shape Tech Tomorrow.
These faculty members lead working groups dedicated to shaping the...
It’s Thanksgiving week, and I know all of us are anxious to spend special time with family, friends, food, and football. Although not totally American, the practice of periodically pausing to show thankfulness has been a part of the American story since early colonial days.
However, it is noteworthy that Thanksgiving did not become an annual federal holiday until President...
To pause and reflect on this historic Veterans Day and the 100th anniversary of World War I, I’m honored to share a message written by Dr. Michael Birdwell, Tech history professor. Birdie, as we all know him, has dedicated his professional life to research and teaching so that we can better understand the effects of war, the heroes of...
Innovation has been a consistent characteristic of Tennessee Tech through the years and is now a core tenant of the new Tennessee Tech Tomorrow Strategic Plan. We love and appreciate invention in all forms, just as we strive to create the most inventive culture of any university in the country. That’s why the notion of the greatest human invention...
As we welcomed our new and returning students to campus this week, I was struck yet again by their enthusiastic spirit and infectious optimism for the future. You cannot help but be excited and equally optimistic after spending even a few minutes with any one of them. To hear their personal stories of family and home – and their...
Campus traditions capture the core culture and passion of a university. And they can be a lot of fun. Over the past couple of years, the expression Wings Up has become a whole lot of fun.
Using a forward fist with an extended thumb and little finger, students began using Wings Up to greet, cheer and encourage others. I’ve heard...
As we anxiously await the return of more than 10,000 students to campus next week, the seasonal rhythms are very familiar. Excitement is building for the start of fall classes, football games and concerts.
Everything seems normal, but I am unable to get this simple question out of my mind. What will it take for these students to compete and...
There’s nothing too bold and nothing too big for Tennessee Tech University.
For the 600-plus campus and community members who participated in or visited the Tennessee Tech Tomorrow event in Bryan Fine Arts a couple of weeks ago, the energy created by students and faculty left us all more sure of this statement than ever.I challenged the audience there, and...
This past week at Tennessee Tech has been hard on a deeply personal level, both to many members of the Tech community and to myself: 19 valued Tech employees were notified that they would be laid off at the end of April. These particular positions were selected not due to poor performance on anyone’s part, but rather due to...
