His hair was beginning to gray last April, but after his first year as president of the University of Tennessee, John W. Shumaker may have seen a few other hairs change color.
After only being on the job officially for two months, Shumaker’s first major task as president of the school was to shut down university operations for a period during the summer. Then as the calendar ended on the New York native’s first year, Shumaker was asked by the state government to cut the school’s budget by $38 million.
But if you ask the president, things went smoothly.
“Budget issues have framed this year,” Shumaker said. “I began the year closing the university and ended it having to cut 9 percent from the state’s budget … Things have gone well considering what we have had to deal with.”
The cutback trend wasn’t the only factor holding back tranquility for Shumaker’s administration. Entering an election year, the man who had spent years establishing relationships with Kentucky lawmakers as president of the University of Louisville had to start all over.
Shumaker said establishing relationships with the legislators was key to improving the university’s image in Nashville, and visiting the new governor on a frequent basis is key to getting the state government to see importance of higher education.
“You can see that we are putting students first,” he said. “Last summer we managed to get the state to agree that teaching was an essential service. We fought hard for that and were successful.
“You will see the relationships we have established with our presence in Nashville prove value in the new few years.”
Since first arriving on campus, Shumaker has stated his intentions to re-establish the chancellor position, abolished during the era of former President Wade Gilley. He said that while the new position, to be filled by current Vice President and Provost Loren Crabtree, would distance him somewhat from the affairs of the Knoxville campus, the new freedom in responsibilities would allow him more time to pull for the university in Nashville.
“(The position should be re-established) in the next month or two,” Shumaker said. “But my office will still be here, and my door will always be open. I will have a new focus on the UT system, but I will keep my eye on things here (in Knoxville).”
Another priority for Shumaker has been creating a higher standard for UT admissions. In his first year, changes have been made to the university’s admissions program as part of the president’s University Scorecard to address public accountability.
“We’ve managed to make the case around the state that Knoxville should become smaller and more selective at the freshman level,” Shumaker said. “Then if we grow at the freshman level, we’ll only grow with quality students.”
One concern students always seem to raise is the constant construction on campus, Shumaker said. But according to Shumaker, the campus eyesore should be viewed as promising future for the aesthetic value of the campus.
“In the long run, the more construction we have, the more progress we are making,” Shumaker said. “Without being perverse about it, I hope this is a problem we have for a long time.”
As Shumaker begins the second year of his term, the foundation seems to be laid for a smoother ride for the sophomore president. With new relationships established in the state’s capital, three campus construction projects scheduled to be completed in the next year, and higher quality students enrolling in the fall, the pieces of the president’s plans are falling into place, he said.
“One of the legacies I want to leave is that I got the campus rebuilt,” Shumaker said. “We are addressing those needs and making progress in several areas … It should be good year.”
