The vast majority of students, faculty and staff believe East Tennessee State University
is living up to its mission, according to the results of the 2022 State of the University
survey released today during the quarterly meeting of the university’s Board of Trustees.
96% of people surveyed said ETSU is fulfilling its charge to improve the quality of
life for people in the region and beyond.
“Our entire campus community is deeply committed to making our communities — and our
world — a better place to live,” ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland said. “I do not think
it would be an exaggeration to say this is one of the most mission-driven universities
in the United States.”
The survey, which was administered in late 2022, was intended to gauge students’ and
employees’ perceptions of the university. 71% of all respondents said they feel that
ETSU is headed in the right direction. Eight out of 10 students said that if they
were starting their college experience over, they would choose ETSU again.
The campus environment and atmosphere topped respondents’ list of the best things
about ETSU. Employee pay was among the most common areas flagged for improvement.
To help address the salary issue, the Board today approved a roughly 3% increase in
tuition and fees for the fall 2023 semester. The increased rate amounts to in-state
students paying approximately $138 more per semester. Administrators noted that the
increase in fees will support the 5% pay raise for employees proposed by Tennessee
Governor Bill Lee earlier this year.
“Tuition and housing prices at ETSU are among the few expenses that haven’t increased
over the past year,” Noland said. “Meanwhile, everything from eggs to utilities to
rent has skyrocketed. Helping our employees financially is among our top priorities
for this institution, but we do not want to simply shift that burden to our students.
We have committed to limiting tuition increases as much as possible and making up
for any gaps through operational efficiencies.”
Also, during today’s meeting, the Board approved promotions and the granting of tenure
for 56 faculty members.
“Our faculty are not only absolute experts in their fields of study, they also are
incredibly dedicated to teaching and the success of our students” ETSU Provost and
Senior Vice President for Academics Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle said. “As shown in the
results from the State of the University survey, students overwhelmingly believe that
their faculty care about them and are eager to help.”
The survey showed that 81% of students agreed with the statement that faculty care
about their success, and 83% said faculty members are eager to assist them in their
educational journeys.
In other business, the Board heard reports on the ongoing success of ETSU’s Army ROTC program, and the growth and success of the ‘Marching Bucs’ marching band, which recently
was selected to perform in the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
Additionally, the Board elected new officers to the executive committee. Dr. Linda
Latimer will serve a second term as Board Chair. Steve DeCarlo will continue to serve
as Vice Chair, while Melissa Steagall-Jones will serve as the third executive committee
member. Recently, ETSU’s Faculty Senate elected Dr. Steph Frye-Clark to serve as the
faculty trustee beginning July 1. The ETSU Student Government Association elected
and the Board of Trustees confirmed Aamir Shaikh to serve as the student trustee for
the 2023-24 academic year.