UT system Interim President Randy Boyd hosted a town hall discussion on Wednesday March 11, 2020 in Watkins Auditorium to reflect on his time as interim and discuss proposed removal of the interim classification from his title as UT president.
Boyd recently has visited all system schools conducting townhalls focusing on his shift from interim president, to a full-time five year term.
Boyd was appointed interim president of the UT system by the Board of Trustees and took office following the retirement of former president Joe DiPietro on Nov. 22, 2018.
UTM Chancellor Keith Carver introduced Boyd, mentioning how much of his time in office he has spent at UTM. Boyd went on to introduce himself, discussing his previous business experience and prior leadership roles.
“I like to think I’m more of an entrepreneur than a businessman,” Boyd said.
SGA president Devin Majors and Phillip Smartt, professor of Park Management and Heritage Interpretation, then took questions from the audience and asked Boyd pre-submitted questions.
Boyd often refered to this decade being the greatest in UT history.
Boyd proposed his four goals for the UT system going forward.
Questions were raised about the spread of COVID-19 and how the system planned to move forward. Boyd acknowledged the virus as a crisis and stated that he had already dealt with crisis situations as interim president.
“Anytime you have any type of crisis the key is openness and transparency and one thing we’re doing is having meetings (between campus leadership) on a daily basis, analyzing all the data, and mointoring the situation,” Boyd said.
As of March 11, 2020, the UT system has suspended in-person classes until April 3, 2020 at UTM.
Vanderbuilt University was recently suspended for a number of weeks, and other universities have canceled the spring semester altogether.
In response to a question raised about international programs, Boyd said that he planned on building the UT brand internationally once the spread of the coronavirus has subsided.
Boyd also announced that he planned on travelling to all 76 UT Extention offices across the state to better understand the needs of UT employees.
Boyd went on to describe the power of the UT system as being able to solve the greater problems of the State of Tennessee. Boyd said this is because politicians attempt change via election cycles, but the university is fluid and can pass legislation easier.
Boyd also announced plans to strengthen mental health resources for students across the UT system.
Boyd also discussed the advancement of diversity within the UT system under his administration by hiring a vice chancellor of diversity at UTK, and plans to do so at UTC next year.
An audience member raised a question regarding the system’s stance on developing a family leave policy similar to the executive order Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed in January. Boyd responded by stating there has already been a plan in the works since last August after a pregnant faculty member at UTK approached him about the idea.
“I got with Chancellor Carver and all the other chancellors and decided, let’s do this, it’s the right thing to do,” Boyd said.
The UT family leave act will go into effect on July 1, 2020, and will be similar to Lee’s current plan.
Following Boyd’s town hall tour, a final decision will be made by the UT Board of Trustees regarding his switch from interim to full time president.
More information regarding UT interim president Randy Boyd can be found at https://president.tennessee.edu/biography/randy-boyd/.
Pacer Photo / Evan Parkhill
