At its winter meeting Friday, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Advisory Board unanimously recommended increases to tuition and mandatory fees, honored the board’s inaugural chair, Phil Wenk, DDS, and heard from Chancellor Peter Buckley, MD, and the college deans about the university’s latest accomplishments and goals.
The recommendations for tuition and mandatory fee changes now advance to the UT Board of Trustees. Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer Raaj Kurapati proposed a strategic shift to a program-by-program tuition approach instead of an across-the-board increase. Each academic program has been comprehensively evaluated with the college deans to determine if a rate increase is appropriate based on quantitative and qualitative factors, including current rates as compared to comparable peer institutions, program rankings, and analyses of aspirational peers’ rates and structures.
The proposed raises in tuition impact programs in all six colleges, with an average increase of 2.2% for in-state students and 3.1% for out-of-state students. Strategically, all proposed increases are within the 0%-4% range recommended by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. Kurapati also recommended strategically setting international tuition rates with a base of at least 200% and up to 250% of the in-state rate.
In addition to the proposed tuition changes, the board recommended for all students an increase of $24 per student to the Student Activity fee and an increase of $25 per student to the Campus Recreation fee. Neither fee has changed since at least 2010. The Student Activity fee provides funding for student social activities to support belonging, wellness, and connection, and Kurapati said additional funding is necessary to offer students in-demand activities and to align with practices at peer institutions. He said an increase to the Campus Recreation fee will allow for equipment replacement and upgrades that are necessary to ensure the Campus Recreation facilities are safe and usable.
Kurapati said responses to the annual student satisfaction survey influenced the decision to increase mandatory fees. “We took the feedback from the most recent student survey, and we learned what are things we are doing that are working and what are things that we need to invest more in,” he said.
The changes would result in an estimated $2.1 million in revenue from tuition and $153,000 from mandatory fees, based on Fall 2024 enrollment numbers. The first 1% of additional revenue will be used to fund the university’s share of annual operating increases, and the remaining funds will be held for institutional priorities.
The UT Board of Trustees will consider the tuition and mandatory fee increases when the board meets February 27-28 in Martin.
Honoring Chair Wenk
This was Dr. Wenk’s final time leading an Advisory Board meeting. He has served as chair of the board since it began in 2019. Chancellor Buckley recognized him for his years of dedicated service to his alma mater.
“He has been the epitome of what a graduate of this university can do and should do,” the chancellor said. “He has truly led by example in every aspect. He and (his wife) Brenda are extraordinary people who give back to their community – their local community, the community of Nashville, the greater community of Tennessee, and to our community of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He is the embodiment of what a degree given to great humanitarian can do and all the good that can come from that.”
Dr. Wenk, a 1973 graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a 1977 graduate of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Dentistry, retired in 2023 as CEO of Delta Dental of Tennessee and is the president of Delta Dental’s Smile180 Foundation. Under Dr. Wenk’s exceptional leadership, Delta Dental contributed $7.7 million toward the College of Dentistry’s new Delta Dental of Tennessee Building. He has also been a leader in the development of the state’s five-year, $94 million Healthy Smiles Initiative, a pilot program in which UT Health Science Center plays a leading role in increasing access to dental care across Tennessee.
Chancellor Buckley said Dr. Wenk has received numerous honors, including being the first dentist inducted into the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame and a recipient of the highest award from the University of Tennessee, the Jim and Natalie Haslam Presidential Medal. The chancellor also shared comments from UT System President Randy Boyd.
“I cannot over-emphasize the remarkable impact Phil has had over decades of service to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center,” Boyd said. “Among his many leadership contributions, he has chaired the UT Health Science Center Advisory Board since its inception, and in doing so, Phil has diligently overseen the reinvigoration of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center to have passed its collaborative work all across the state of Tennessee, in pursuit of the vision of Healthy Tennesseans, Thriving Communities. Moreover, Phil has been a tremendous champion for all of UT, and I am most grateful for his leadership and for his friendship, both of which will certainly endure well beyond his tenure as the inaugural chair of the UT Health Science Center Advisory Board.”
Dr. Wenk thanked the governors who appointed him to the board, saying it is unimaginable anyone would choose a small-town dentist like him to serve in such an impactful position. He also thanked President Boyd for his friendship and support and acknowledged his transformative leadership, and he congratulated the other Advisory Board members, Chancellor Buckley, and the entire UT Health Science Center leadership team for the difference they have made for the university.
“Over my long tenure, I’ve seen remarkable growth and commitment to the strategic plan that you have in front of you, but more than that, to the students,” Dr. Wenk said. “It is exciting to me to see a new spirit on this campus – a spirit of inclusiveness, a spirit of caring, a spirit of helpfulness. Chancellor Buckley, you are leading this campus into a future that no one has ever expected or has ever seen, and it probably is going to surprise so many people in Tennessee.”
Dr. Wenk concluded by reciting the poem “A Bag of Tools” by R. L. Sharpe, suggesting everyone has the tools to make an impact and that actions have lasting consequences that shape the world. “Be a steppingstone,” he encouraged the board and all leaders at the meeting.
Randall Davis, MD, who has served on the Advisory Board since 2022, will be the new chair.
Accomplishments from 2024, Goals for 2025
Dr. Wenk began the meeting with a moment of silence for Tom Patterson, DDS, an assistant professor in the College of Dentistry, who died this month.
Chancellor Buckley then spoke of the university’s many accomplishments in 2024. He commended several new leaders for their impact in advancing UT Health Science Center’s momentum statewide, including Kurapati, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships Paul Wesolowski, and Vice Chancellor for Advancement Brigitte Grant.
Chancellor Buckley said the efforts of these new leaders, in lockstep with the leaders who have longstanding commitment and dedicated service to UT Health Science Center, have collectively improved leadership cohesion and led to the highest student satisfaction score in the Student Experience Survey for fall 2024. The leadership’s dedication to inclusion and transparency resulted in a highly uncommon recognition among higher education institutions, a Resolution of Gratitude from the Faculty Senate for Chancellor Buckley, Kurapati, Wesolowski, and Vice Chancellor for Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs Cindy Russell, PhD, RN.
“It is remarkably uncommon for the administration to get a Resolution of Gratitude,” the chancellor said. “This new team that we’ve assembled are working hand-in-glove with our faculty and our students, and it is being noticed.”
Chancellor Buckley provided an update on the search for a new executive dean for the College of Medicine. He said five stellar candidates have visited the university, and the second phase of campus visits will take place this month and next month. The search has also begun for a new vice chancellor for Strategic Communications and Marketing.
The chancellor concluded his report by stating some goals for the university this year. In addition to filling key leadership positions, one goal is to increase leadership’s presence and engagement on all campuses to enhance cohesion and the university’s statewide presence. The goals also included sustaining a pathway to fiscal stability and growth, continuing accreditation for the university and the College of Medicine, and responding to and working with the federal government as changes may occur.
Chancellor Buckley also aims to promote more leadership opportunities, including the new Health Sciences Senior Leadership Academy spearheaded by Dr. Russell. “In our Strategic Plan, it says, ‘Build out a leadership academy,’ and we made good on that promise,” he said. “We are really proud of our inaugural class who are the trailblazers as we take our first venture in this and learn from it.”
Updates from the Colleges
The Advisory Board heard from representatives of the six colleges on their recent achievements.
- Dean Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-BC, reported the College of Nursing received two UT Grand Challenge Grants. The college’s board pass rates for 2024 were 97% for Bachelor of Science in Nursing students and 99% for Doctor of Nursing Practice students, Dean Likes proudly announced. Additionally, the college is using its Nursing Mobile Health Unit to provide midwifery care in Lauderdale County starting this spring, received two donated vans from West Cancer Center for mobile outreach, and received a grant from the Tennessee Department of Labor for rural health care workforce initiatives.
- College of Pharmacy Dean Reggie Frye, PharmD, PhD, congratulated Professor Wei Lei, PhD, on being named the UT Research Foundation’s Innovator of the Year. Dean Frye said curriculum revision is underway now and will be implemented in August. He also reported on the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ mid-year meeting in December, attended by more than 230 college alumni and students, where 18 students presented research posters and 75 fourth-year students participated in the residency match program.
- The 2023 Survey of Earned Doctorates showed that College of Graduate Health Sciences students have a degree completion time of 5.3 years, compared to peer institutions at 5.8 years, Dean Donald Thomason, PhD, announced. Further, the college’s post-graduation employment percentage is 100%, compared to 93% at peer institutions. Dean Thomason also spoke of the recent Postdoctoral Research Showcase and Three-Minute Thesis competition, which allowed postdoctoral scholars and graduate students to present their research.
- Dean Ken Tilashalski, DMD, told the board the College of Dentistry is preparing for the Commission on Dental Accreditation’s site visit in May. He also reported on the college’s curriculum innovation process and updated the board on the Healthy Smiles Initiative, which involves continuing long-term plans with the college’s dental clinic in Kingsport and pursuing opportunities for a clinical presence in Savannah, Jackson, and Pulaski.
- College of Health Professions Dean Stephen Alway, PhD, recognized occupational therapy student Regina Acuna, who received a Student Leadership Award from the Southern Association of Health Professional Deans at Academic Health Centers. Dean Alway said the college’s Reimagining Education for Advanced Careers in Healthcare (REACH) Project has filled the second cohorts for its Health Careers Opportunity Programs for young students from underserved areas who are interested in careers in health care. He also reported four faculty members recently completed teaching medallions through the Teaching and Learning Center.
- Matthew Ennis, PhD, professor and director of Student Research, standing in for Interim College of Medicine Executive Dean Nicholas Verne, MD, reported on the college’s upcoming happenings including the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Graduate Questionnaire, opening February 14; Match Day on March 21; and the beginning of clerkships in Knoxville and Chattanooga for third-year students in May. He also provided updates on the searches for new chairs of Medical Education, Pathology, and Pediatrics.
The recorded webcast of the meeting is available to view on the UT Health Science Center Advisory Board website.