East Tennessee State University officials today received a glowing report for the university, with leaders announcing that new student enrollment, graduation rates and employee satisfaction are all at historic highs.
At a quarterly meeting of the university’s board of trustees, ETSU administrators shared final enrollment numbers for the fall 2022 semester. The university celebrates its largest incoming class in a decade with 2,056 students, an increase of 25% over the past two years. Total enrollment increased by 195 students from last year, with total enrollment including undergraduate, graduate, pharmacy and medical students reaching 13,738. The rate The university’s graduation rate is the highest in the school’s history, with 55% of students graduating within six years.
“For too long, ETSU has been one of the state’s best-kept secrets,” said chairman Dr. Brian Noland. “Fortunately, that is starting to change. Increasingly, people across the country are recognizing ETSU as a destination institution, with world-class faculty, affordable tuition, exceptional employment outcomes, and a rich student experience – all in the breathtaking Appalachian Mountains.”
US News and World Report recently ranked ETSU among the top 100 colleges in the nation for graduate students with the least student debt. In the past week, the university has achieved national recognition in the field of geosciences, won a federal grant to support first-generation students, confirmed its receipt of the prestigious ABET credential in engineering, and secured funding $1.25 million to improve education in rural school systems.
For too long ETSU has been one of the state’s best kept secrets, thankfully that is starting to change.
Additionally, over the past seven days, ETSU has launched the Appalachian Institute for Music and Culture, unveiled a new tool to combat addiction nationwide, and launched efforts to establish the first addiction recovery center in northeast Tennessee.
Employees, too, show strong support for the college. Last month, Forbes magazine and Statista recognized ETSU as one of Tennessee’s Top Employers. During today’s board meeting, Noland shared the results of the Chronicle of Higher Education’s “Best Colleges to Work For” survey, which found that ETSU employees ranked their significantly higher than the national average.
ETSU scored 76% in job satisfaction and support, 3% higher than last year and well above the 70% average of other R2 Carnegie research classification institutions in across the country. ETSU employee satisfaction increased in all categories over the previous year, and ETSU exceeded the national benchmark in all dimensions. For example, in terms of faculty and staff well-being, ETSU scored 81% compared to a national average of 75%. Trust in senior management was rated at 69% at ETSU, compared to 57% nationally. In the Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging category, ETSU scored 77% against an average of 70%.
ETSU Board of Trustees meeting documents, minutes, and schedules are available at https://www.etsu.edu/trustees/schedule/schedule.php.
