University of Tennessee President John W. Shumaker worked his official first day in Knoxville Monday, taking over before his expected date of July 1, and began focusing on establishing good relationships with students in a public appearance at the Rock.
“I’m here for the most important reason: the students,” Shumaker said to a handful of students upon his arrival. “It’s a thrill and a challenge to become president of one of the top 50 research universities in the country.”
When asked if there was a way to boost fundraising for the university, Shumaker said, “I think it’s important for every university, especially a public university, to be committed to augmenting what base support the state gives. We can’t expect the state to fund 100 percent of the university. It never has and it should not.
“There aren’t (in these budgets) many causes for optimism. But, at the same time, I have to believe that the policy makers will eventually come together around the best long-term interests of the state,” Shumaker said.
During his tenure at Louisville, the university endowment grew dramatically, from $183 million to $503 million, and research funding also increased.
Shumaker said that although state funding has not been adequate in the past decade, the General Assembly is still UT’s biggest donor. He plans to spend plenty of time in the state Capitol educating legislators on investing in the university.
“I don’t intend to micromanage the campuses,” he said. “It would be a better use of my time to be your advocate in Nashville and Washington.”
Shumaker cited the need to raise faculty salaries, admitting that the University of Louisville, like many universities, targets underpaid UT faculty as potential hires.
He said there was no way to better our university when our junior and senior professors keep leaving UT.
Shumaker noted the challenge of leading a statewide system, in contrast to his two presidencies (at University of Louisville and Central Connecticut State University) of single-campus institutions. Concerning Tennessee’s lingering budget woes, Shumaker was realistic but upbeat.
“This is an opportunity to finish my career at a fine university. I want to do the best job I can for Tennessee,” he said.
Student Government Association President Elizabeth Clement had a good first impression of Shumaker, calling the new president “genuine” and commenting about his willingness to work with students.
“The students deserve the very best this state can give them,” Shumaker said. “It’s important we work through these budget issues as carefully and thoughtfully as we can, keeping in mind that the economic future of the state depends on how the young people benefit.”
