President's Perspective

At East Tennessee State University, the pursuit of knowledge has never been separated from the work of serving others. We study, create, and discover not for the sake of recognition, but for the patient in a rural clinic, the child in an Appalachian classroom, and the small town determined to build its future. That purpose runs through our laboratories and studios, libraries and clinics, and the many communities our faculty, students, and staff call home.

This past year, after months of listening across our campus and our region, a task force of faculty and staff completed a new five-year strategic plan for research at ETSU. The plan sets a clear and ambitious course: to be recognized, through funding, reputation — and above all impact — as one of the premier regional public research universities in the nation.  

We are already well on our way to that goal. Last year, ETSU secured more than $70 million in research and sponsored program funding, and our standing in the National Science Foundation's national research survey reached the highest point in our history.

These numbers represent critical initiatives in our community. In partnership with Ballad Health and the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center, our faculty are bringing clinical trials and better, more advanced care closer to patients across the region. Others are examining the land, water, and weather of Southern Appalachia to help our towns prepare for floods and other natural hazards. Still others are helping uncover hidden or forgotten histories, ranging from the discovery of new species at the prehistoric Gray Fossil Site to the unearthing of cultural sites like Timbuctoo, a mid-1800s settlement established for free Black Americans in the Adirondacks.  

At ETSU, we call the scholars and researchers pursuing this sort of inquiry and innovation Trailblazers. Trailblazers are curious, driven individuals who ask hard questions and stay with them. They turn discovery into opportunities that allow our young people to build their futures close to home. And they work in service of an idea we have come to call "Rural Thriving" — our vision for communities throughout Appalachia. In this, our researchers carry forward ETSU's oldest and most enduring mission: to improve the quality of life for the people of our region and beyond.

Throughout these pages, you will meet some of these Trailblazers. You will see how their work reaches beyond our campus and into the life of the region.  

Thank you for being part of this work, and for believing, as we do, in a vibrant and thriving Appalachia.