The wait is over. On Feb. 13, the eight individuals Gov. Bill Haslam nominated to serve on ETSU’s Board on Trustees were confirmed.
The FOCUS Act, which was signed into law on July 1, 2016, made ETSU one of six public universities across the state to break away from the Tennessee Board of Regents to form their own governing bodies.
The eight members of the governing board are: Janet Ayers, president of the Ayers Foundation; Steven DeCarlo, CEO of Amwins Group; David Golden, senior vice president of Eastman Chemical Company; Dorothy Grisham, owner/operator of Allstate Insurance Company; Dr. Linda Latimer, owner of Mountain Regional Pathology; Scott Niswonger, chairman and founder of the Niswonger Educational Foundation; Jim Powell, founder of Powell Companies and former Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey.
Fred Alsop, a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, will serve as the faculty representative for the board, Dr. David Linville will serve as secretary and the student representative is expected to be the 2017-2018 Student Government Association president.
In the coming months, the transition of power will occur and ETSU will be in charge of a variety of decisions, including tuition and fee increases.
According to ETSU President Brian Noland, these public meetings will provide faculty, staff and students a unique opportunity to voice their concerns directly to the board, which was not always possible under the full control of TBR in Nashville.
University Relations representative Joe Smith said the board will meet for the first time on March 24, 2017.
