KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Donde Plowman is a self-proclaimed dreamer. As UT's ninth chancellor, she said priority number one is listening and pulling ideas from students, staff, faculty and alum to start making their collective dreams a reality.
“I don't like the idea of leaders coming in and saying, ‘Here is the vision,’” Plowman said. “I want to help surface what people are thinking about and dreaming about into a strong coherent vision for the university."
In the nine years since she left UT, Plowman said changes are everywhere -- from new construction, growing student enrollment and nationally acclaimed programs like supply chain and nuclear engineering programs.
She said the university is primed and ready to build on its successes and it has great opportunities.
“I think one of the things we can do better is figure out how to make more of this partnership with Oak Ridge National Lab. Most universities in the country would long for an opportunity like that.”
But like other universities, UT is dealing with challenges like racism. Within the last year, racist symbols were painted on “The Rock” and pictures surfaced of students in blackface.
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Plowman said, “I think we have to be diligent about what it means to make a campus a welcome and safe place for everybody, that's full of diverse ideas.”
The increasing cost of college and mounting student debt are other obstacles. The UT Board of Trustee increased tuition by 2% for the next school year. Plowman says she is committed to keeping it as low as possible, as well as putting students on the path to graduate on time.
“Students change their majors. Students can't get a class they want. I want to make sure we are doing everything we can to keep students on track, not to graduate in six years, but in four years.”
On top of the challenges, there are big decisions ahead for Plowman. She’ll be among the university leaders who will decide whether to allow alcohol sales at UT sporting events.
“My first priority would be to see how we set it up for non-athletic events which is what the legislature approved. Let's get a plan in place for concerts and let's learn from that and get a plan for how that will play out at athletic events.”
As Donde Plowman begins her tenure at Tennessee starting July 1, she's looking beyond her first day on the job to the legacy she hopes to leave behind at UT.
“I'd like people to say when I left here, 'She brought a lot of energy that enabled people to get big things done. That was an era when some big stuff happened.’”