The Tusculum College Board of Trustees met on Friday and Saturday, May 20-21, and voted to move forward on expanding academic program offerings at both its residential college and in the Graduate and Professional Studies program.
At the recommendation of the Academic Affairs Committee, chaired by Dr. Jerry Ward, the board conceptually approved three new academic programs, pending completion of feasibility studies for each.
The resolution calls for exploration of new academic programs in criminal justice and nursing in the residential college curriculum and conversion of the master’s of arts in organizational management in the Graduate and Professional Studies program to a master’s in business administration.
“The Board of Trustees at Tusculum College is extremely supportive of the faculty’s efforts to develop new academic programs in keeping with the mission of the college that will propel Tusculum College through its third century of operation,” said Dr. Kenneth A. Bowman, chair of the Board of Trustees.
Also approved at the recommendation of the Academic Affairs Committee was a recommendation to proceed with School of Education program development and delivery at a new site in Madison County, N.C. The resolution authorizes the Office of the Provost to move forward with the submission of a self-study to the State of North Carolina and a substantive change request to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools-Commission on Colleges, both required steps to assure the programs will be adequately accredited.
Upon the recommendation of Dr. Moody, the Board of Trustees passed a resolution allocating any end-of-year revenue above expenses toward salary increases and benefits for full-time faculty and staff. The Board of Trustees approved the resolution pending the outcome of the annual audit in September.
Preliminary approval was given for the 2011-2012 annual operating budget, set at $27,802,091, up just over $500,000 from the current year’s budget.
In other action the board reviewed and accepted the audits of the employee retirement plan and the employee benefits plan. The board also approved contract extensions for property and casualty insurance and for dining services.
Also introduced at the board meeting were Ms. Heather Patchett, newly named vice president for the Office of Institutional Advancement and Dr. Thomas Stein, newly named vice president of enrollment management.
In addition, during Friday’s meetings, two former members of the Board of Trustees were granted Life Trustee status.
Dr. Robert H. Bailey of Greeneville is a Tusculum graduate of 1948 and has served the college as a past chair and treasurer of the Board of Trustees and was honored with an honorary Doctorate of Law degree in 1984.
Frank Brogden, a Tusculum graduate of 1950, served as a member of the Board of Trustees, as well as beginning his career at the college after graduation. The Kingsport resident has been a dedicated alumnus and has served diligently on many committees over his more than 50 years of service to the college.
Angelo Volpe, chair of the Institutional Advancement Committee, presented a resolution to the Board to establish funding levels for future named endowments. The Board approved the resolution, creating levels for Endowed Chair- $1,500,000; Endowed Professorship-$1,000,000; Endowed Faculty and Professional Development Fund-$250,000; Endowed Scholarship-$25,000; and Unrestricted Endowment-$10,000.
Four members of the faculty were approved for promotion to full professorship, including Dr. Brian Pope, professor of psychology; Dr. Melanie Narkawicz, professor of research; Dr. Greg Church, professor of biology, and Dr. Tom McFarland, professor of business administration.
Dr. Pope has been with the college since 2003 and is chairman of the psychology department. He has a Ph.D. in biopsychology from the University of Georgia, a master’s degree in experimental psychology from the College of William and Mary and a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Dr. Narkawicz began teaching at Tusculum College in 1994 in the Graduate and Professional Studies Program. She has an Ed.D. degree in educational administration and supervision in the post secondary private sector research from East Tennessee State University and has a bachelor’s degree in English from Florida Southern College.
Dr. Church has been at Tusculum College for the past 18 years. He has a Ph.D. in biology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He has a master’s of science degree in environmental health and a bachelor’s of science degree in biology from East Tennessee State University
Dr. McFarland joined Tusculum College in 2003 and currently is director of the School of Business. He has a Ph.D. in business administration from the University of Florida, an M.B.A. with finance emphasis and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Colorado.
Also approved for promotion was Dr. Chris Kauffman, who was named associate professor of economics. Kauffman is currently chair of the organizational management department in the Graduate and Professional Studies program.
The board also approved Frank Mengel, a staff member since 1998, as faculty instructor. Mengel is currently Theatre-at-Tusculum’s technical director and state manager and teaches several theater classes including introduction to theatre and stagecraft.
In other business, during the Friday portion of the two-day meeting, Joyce Doughty, director of the Center for Civic Advancement, and Bette Dowd, assistant certification officer and Charles Oliver Gray Office Supervisor, were recognized and commended for their years of service to the college. Both Doughty and Dowd retired at the end of the spring semester.
The next meeting of the Tusculum College Board of Trustees is September 22-23, 2011 in conjunction with Homecoming 2011.