GREENEVILLE – Dr. Tricia Hunsader, Tusculum University’s provost and vice president of academic affairs and dean of the institution’s College of Education, has been elevated to president of the Tennessee Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
Dr. Tricia Hunsader
TACTE is the voice for the higher education component of teacher education in Tennessee. The organization’s purpose is to provide the continuous search for and promotion of ideas and practices that are most effective in the education of teachers. TACTE represents those who seek quality in teacher education and provides a way for all teacher education institutions in the state to work together to improve this profession.
Dr. Hunsader is serving a two-year term as president. A major part of her role is to lead TACTE’s efforts to collaborate with leaders at the Tennessee Department of Education’s Office of Educator Licensure and Preparation and to advocate for educator preparation programs with the Tennessee State Board of Education.
Her presidency is part of a six-year commitment to leadership roles in the association. She was president-elect the prior two years, and in 2022, she will begin serving a two-year term as past president.
Dr. Hunsader has led the College of Education since 2016. During her time, the college has nearly doubled enrollment in teacher education programs and has created the Master of Arts in sport administration. She supervises more than 50 faculty and staff members in that college and manages its finances.
Since January, Dr. Hunsader has also served as provost and vice president of academic affairs, overseeing five colleges, all degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels and more than 250 full-time and adjunct faculty members. She was instrumental in the university’s conversion to distance education during the global coronavirus pandemic and the switch to the Canvas learning management system.
“Tusculum is invested in helping develop teachers who will play prominent roles in the growth of their students as individuals and in their academic knowledge,” Dr. Hunsader said. “I am pleased to partner with colleagues across the state and to work with state officials to ensure teachers are well-prepared and uphold the finest traditions of our profession. It is gratifying to be entrusted with this leadership position and, with it, to put into practice Tusculum’s principle of civic engagement.”