East Tennessee State University

East Tennessee State University
Former name
East Tennessee State Normal School (1911–1925)
East Tennessee State Teachers College (1925–1930)
East Tennessee State Teacher's College, Johnson City (1930–1943)
East Tennessee State College (1943–1963)
Motto"Graduation Begins Today"
TypePublic research university
EstablishedOctober 2, 1911; 112 years ago (1911-10-02)
AccreditationSACS
Academic affiliations
Endowment$151.8 million (2021)[2]
PresidentBrian Noland
ProvostKimberly D. McCorkle
Academic staff
806[3]
Students13,483[3]
Postgraduates2,929[3]
Other students
607[3]
Location, ,
United States
CampusSmall city, 340 acres (140 ha)
Other campuses
NewspaperEast Tennessean
ColorsNavy blue and gold[4]
   
NicknameBuccaneers
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I FCSSoCon
MascotBucky[5]
Websitewww.etsu.edu

East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. It was historically part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee under the Tennessee Board of Regents, but since 2016, the university has been transitioning to governance by a separate institutional Board of Trustees.[6] As of May 2017, it is the fourth largest university in the state[7] and has off-campus centers in nearby Kingsport, Elizabethton, and Sevierville.

ETSU is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity."[8] It hosts the James H. Quillen College of Medicine which is often ranked as one of the top schools in the United States for rural medicine and primary care education;[9] the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, and the recently formed College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences. Unique programs include an accredited program in Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music, America's lone master's degree in Storytelling, and the Appalachian Studies programs, focused on the surrounding Appalachian region.

History[edit]

Dossett Hall

ETSU was founded as East Tennessee State Normal School in 1911 to educate teachers; the K-12 training school, called University School, operates to this day. East Tennessee State officially became a college in 1925 when it changed its name to East Tennessee State Teachers College, subsequently gaining accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in 1927. By 1930, the school's name had changed again to East Tennessee State Teacher's College, Johnson City. In 1943, East Tennessee State Teacher's College was expanded into a college with a range of liberal arts offerings, becoming East Tennessee State College. The college became East Tennessee State University in 1963, adopting the name it holds today.[10] In 1973, Shelbridge became the president's official residence.[11]

ETSU announced plans to open a College of Pharmacy in 2005, rapidly receiving local support to secure the approval. Full accreditation was granted in June 2010, shortly after the first class of the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy graduated.[12]

In late 2009, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and the Tennessee Board of Regents authorized the formation of a Ph.D. program in Sport Physiology and Performance. This program, the first of its kind in the United States, focuses on sports science and physiology in athletics. It features concentrations in sport physiology and sport performance and started in 2010.[13]

Presidents[edit]

  • Sidney G. Gilbreath, 1911–1925
  • Charles C. Sherrod, 1925–1949
  • Burgin E. Dossett Sr., 1949–1968
  • D.P. Culp, 1968–1977
  • Arthur H. DeRosier Jr., 1977–1980
  • Ronald E. Beller, 1980–1991
  • Bert C. Bach (interim), 1991–1992
  • Roy S. Nicks, 1992–1996
  • Paul E. Stanton Jr., 1997–2012
  • Brian Noland, 2012–present

Research[edit]

The research mission of ETSU advances scholarly and creative activity that enhances the teaching and learning environment and benefits the regional, national, and global communities served.[14] ETSU strongly supports and encourages faculty and student research. In FY12, ETSU was awarded over $50 million in research, public service, and training/instruction grants.[15] The ETSU Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Administration (ORSPA) organizes an annual event, the Appalachian Student Research Forum, for students to showcase their research via poster and/or oral presentations. At the April 2012 event, over 150 student poster and oral presentations were made and over $5,000 was given in prize money to undergraduate, graduate, medical students, medical residents and postdoctoral fellows.[16]

Athletics[edit]

East Tennessee State athletics logo

ETSU collegiate athletic teams, nicknamed Buccaneers, compete in the NCAA Division I Southern Conference. The Buccaneers rejoined the Southern Conference in July 2014 after competing in the Atlantic Sun since 2003, when they dropped football. In the 2006-07 year, ETSU won both the conference's men and women's All-Sport trophies, winning seven team titles. They repeated as the overall and men's All-Sport champions in 2007–08 with three team titles, in 2008–09 with five team titles, and in 2009–10 with three team titles.[17]

Current men's sports at ETSU are football, baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis and track and field. Women's sports are basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field and volleyball. Men's soccer competed at the club level in the fall of 2007, before entering NCAA and Atlantic Sun competition as a scholarship program in the 2008 season.[18]

ETSU/Mountain States Health Alliance Athletic Center, also known as the Mini Dome

With of the addition of football, ETSU rejoined the Southern Conference in 2014 because the A-Sun does not support the sport.[19][20]

The Mini-Dome on the campus of ETSU houses the intercollegiate athletics offices. Still known by students, faculty, and the community as the Mini-Dome, this campus landmark was officially renamed from Memorial Center to ETSU/Mountain States Health Alliance Athletic Center and now Ballad Health Athletic Center.[21] The largest building on the ETSU campus, it hosts several indoor track and field meets, and was once the home field for the university's football program. The Mini-Dome has hosted many non-athletic events that could not be housed in an indoor setting on most American college campuses, such as national indoor championships for free flight model aircraft.

Greek life[edit]

There are several Greek organizations at East Tennessee State University. University sources claim that five percent of both men and women on campus are involved in Greek organizations.[22]

Charles C. Sherrod Library / Borchuck Plaza
Basler Center for Physical Activity (side view) as seen from outdoor running track during a fall semester
Brooks Memorial Hall on the Quad

Charles C. Sherrod Library[edit]

The Charles C. Sherrod Library houses the Archives of Appalachia and University Archives.[23] They have on occasion, given grade schools tours of their facility.

Colleges and schools[edit]

  • College of Arts and Sciences
  • College of Business and Technology
  • College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences
  • Clemmer College
  • James H. Quillen College of Medicine
  • College of Nursing
  • College of Pharmacy
  • College of Public Health
  • Honors College
  • School of Continuing Studies
  • School of Graduate Studies

Honors College[edit]

There is an Honors College at East Tennessee State University.[24]

Notable people[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Tennessee Space Program - Members".
  2. ^ As of February, 2021. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2021 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY20 to FY21 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "ETSU Highlights Fall 2015" (PDF). East Tennessee State University. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  4. ^ "Identity ETSU". East Tennessee State University. Archived from the original on August 29, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  5. ^ "Fan Zone – Bucky – Official Site of East Tennessee State Athletics". etsubucs.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  6. ^ Casey, Tony (December 27, 2016). "FOCUS Act, new TBR chancellor means more autonomy for ETSU; uniformity for Northeast State and TCAT Elizabethton". Johnson City Press. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  7. ^ "Overview of TN's Schools". Education-portal.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  8. ^ "Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup". carnegieclassifications.iu.edu. Center for Postsecondary Education. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  9. ^ "Quick Facts". ETSU.edu. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  10. ^ "History". ETSU.edu. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved June 27, 2007.
  11. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Shelbridge". National Park Service. Retrieved May 24, 2018. With accompanying pictures
  12. ^ "ETSU pharmacy school accredited". Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  13. ^ "ETSU to offer nation's first doctoral program in sport science and physiology". ETSU.edu. November 3, 2009. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  14. ^ "Office of the President". Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  15. ^ "ETSU Annual Report FY12 Main Page". Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  16. ^ "Appalachian Student Research Forum". Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  17. ^ "Atlantic Sun All-Sports Race". AtlanticSun.org. Archived from the original on September 22, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  18. ^ "Calabrese named head coach of inaugural men's soccer program at ETSU" (Press release). ETSUBucs.com. January 12, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved July 7, 2007.
  19. ^ Avento, Joe (March 29, 2013). "Former players cheer ETSU football's return". Johnson City Press. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  20. ^ Littleton, Wade (June 5, 2013). "ETSU to rejoin Southern Conference in 2014". The Rogersville Review. Archived from the original on September 7, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  21. ^ "Ballad Health Athletic Center (Mini Dome)". Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  22. ^ "East Tennessee State University: Campus Life: Activities". College Board. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  23. ^ "Libraries at East Tennessee State University". Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  24. ^ "Honors College". ETSU.edu. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  25. ^ "Actor Tim Busfield preparing MSU students for real life". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  26. ^ Hight, Jewly (June 14, 2021). "Amythyst Kiah Found Her Powerful Voice. Now She Has a Sound to Match It". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 15, 2023.

External links[edit]

36°18′12″N 82°22′09″W / 36.30333°N 82.36917°W / 36.30333; -82.36917