The sixth president of ETSU, Ron Beller, passed away on April 6 at the age of 88. As the campus mourns an incredible figure in ETSU history, his legacy will have a lasting impact.   

Beller served as president from 1980 to 1991. Before coming to ETSU, Beller worked with numerous institutions and in private industry. He had experience in areas such as engineering, economics, business and budgeting. 

In a memo to the university, President Brian Noland addressed the loss of Beller and detailed the impact of his 11 years at ETSU.  

Noland accredited Beller for stabilizing the universities’ finances and modernizing fundraising. He worked to gain accreditation for the College of Business and Technology and the Quillen College of Medicine.  

 Thomas Kwasigroch, professor of medical education and colleague of Beller’s, shared how instrumental he was in the formation of the Quillen College of Medicine and building the foundation of the five health sciences colleges. “He put us in a different category of institution,” said Kwasigroch.  

Kwasigroch recalled Beller’s ability to defend the College of Medicine against the negative press it received in its early years. “When those things hit the press, he was very helpful in getting us through them,” said Kwasigroch, “The school could have collapsed without good leadership.”  

In his memo, Noland wrote that during Beller’s time, ETSU received the largest grant in its history from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. It funded the ETSU Community Partnerships Program and aided in improving rural healthcare. “The grant was a major step in the university’s rise to the top level of primary care and rural health education in America,” stated Noland. 

Beller’s presidency also boosted the athletics program. Noland shared that in the late 1980s, after Beller’s hiring of Coach Les Robinson and later Coach Alan LeForce, the basketball program experienced an unprecedented run of successful seasons.  

Kwasigroch fondly recalled his experience working as co-chair on a committee with Beller that looked at the role of ETSU’s intercollegiate athletics. Beller worked to invest in the athletics department in an innovative way.

Photo of former president Ron and Mrs. Beller. (Contributed/flickr.com)

Beller not only served as a president, but as the face of ETSU with high involvement in student and community activities. “I think I became part of the co-chair of the committee for athletics, because he would run into me at ballgames all the time,” said Kwasigroch, “He supported the institution.”  

In 1990, Beller received the prestigious George L. Carter Reward for his accomplishments during his administration. Noland stated that enrollment and regional visibility steadily grew during Beller’s leadership.  

Kwasigroch described Beller’s approach to presidency as innovative, creative and envelope pushing. His term not only benefited the lives of students but shaped the development of ETSU and will continue to. “The contributions that Dr. Beller made during his tenure as president remain part of the historical fabric of our institution,” stated Noland.  

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