The Tusculum College Board of Trustees met on Saturday, October 17, on the Greeneville campus and among other action items approved the 2009-10 budget and elected officers for the year.
Officers elected include: Chair, Kenneth A. Bowman; Vice Chair, Edward J. Kormondy; Treasurer, Donald R. Raber, and Secretary, Mark R. Williams.
Bowman, who currently resides in Alcoa Center, Penn., has been a member of the Board since 1998 and chairman since 2006. He is a coating technology manager for Alcoa Technical Center and a member of the Tusculum Class of 1970.
“I am happy to continue serving my Alma Mater as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. It is an honor to serve, and I look forward to leading the institution in the year to come.”
Kormondy, a member of Tusculum Class of 1950, is Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Hawaii-Hilo in West Oahu and currently lives in Los Angeles, Calif. He has been a member of the board since 1998. Raber joined the Board in 1997. He is president of Aldebaran Financial, Inc. in Kingsport, Tenn. Williams, of Greeneville, joined the Board in 2001. He is a broker with Century 21 Legacy. Kormondy, Raber and Williams are each continuing in their role from the previous year.
In addition to approving the new budget, Bowman noted that Dr. Nancy B. Moody, president of the College, reviewed actions taken to support the College’s strategic plan since the May Board meeting and presented “dashboard indicators” for Board consideration. According to Moody, these indicators will be used to track and evaluate progress toward the College’s goals and will be monitored by the President’s Cabinet on a weekly basis.
Presentations about Tusculum College’s international initiatives were given by Dr. Greg Church, assistant professor of biology and Dennis Lingerfelt ’03, assistant professor of computer science, as well as student Lynnsey Jett. Jett, a senior, history education major from Jefferson City, recently returned from a semester abroad, studying in London. Church and Lingerfelt recently participated in a faculty trip to Italy as part of the College’s Global Studies program.
In other action, the Board also granted approval for the December 2009 graduates. Winter Commencement ceremonies are scheduled for Saturday, December 19, 2009, at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Pioneer Arena.
Dr. David Baker, senior vice president of field services for The DirectTV Group, was voted in as a member of the Board of Trustees. Baker received his undergraduate degree from West Virginia University, where he graduated cum laude. He earned a master’s degree in industrial engineering from West Virginia University and then a doctorate in mineral economics at the Colorado School of Mines. Baker has received the General Motors President’s Council Award for Leadership, the Weyerhaeuser Achievement Award and the R.E.D. Woolsey Diamond Award. He is a member of the Financial Executives International Group, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences and the Institute of Industrial Engineers. He is also a member of the American Production and Inventory Control Society and the Association for Computing Machinery. Baker currently resides in Weston, Fla.
The Board also welcomed Dwight B. Ferguson, Jr. as a new member. Ferguson was approved at a called meeting of the Board in August. Ferguson, retired, is a resident of Jonesborough. From March 1992 until January 2009, Ferguson served as president and chief executive officer of Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc., located in Erwin. He and his wife, Beverly, have four adult children and attend Jonesborough United Methodist Church.
The following members were reappointed for an additional term: James F. Durham of Gallatin, James (Bill) W. Hickerson of Greeneville, Hugh O. Jaynes of Knoxville, Scott M. Niswonger of Greeneville, Raber and William E. Story of Winter Park, Fla.
Outgoing board members Miles Burdine, Courtney Hutcherson and Dr. Craig Shepherd were honored with resolutions of appreciation.
Burdine, a trustee since 2006, was a driving force in the establishment of the Kingsport President’s Advisory Council for the College and continues to serve as an active member of the group. He is executive vice president and CEO of the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce. He has served as a member of the Buildings and Grounds, Enrollment, Institutional Advancement and Finance and Investments committees.
Hutcherson, president and chief executive officer of Appalachian Forest Products, LLC, has served as a member of the Athletics Committee and the Student and Religious Life Committee. He has been a dedicated supporter of the College and its programs, and his support has impacted the lives of many Tusculum College students. He joined the Board of Trustees in 2006.
Serving as a Trustee since 2006 as well, Shepherd has been an active supporter of the College for many years. He has served as chairman of the Pioneer Club Campaign for the past three years. As a Tusculum College Trustee, Shepherd, a dentist practicing with the Tusculum Dental Care clinic, has served as a member of the Institutional Advancement and Academic Affairs committees.