Charles Allen Hall Ribbon Cutting

RENOVATED SPACE, NEW PROGRAM

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PROGRAM BEGINS IN CHARLES ED ALLEN HALL

Pictured left to right are: Dr. Rachel Ellis, Director of the Occupational Therapy Program; Dr. Don Samples, Dean of the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences; U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger; ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland; ETSU Board of Trustees member Charles E. Allen, Jr.; Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle, ETSU Provost and Senior Vice President for Academics; State Sen. Rusty Crowe; Dr. Jeff Snodgrass, Chair of the Department of Rehabilitative Sciences; and Dr. Ron Sheppard, Assistant Professor.

A new chapter is underway for the first floor of Charles Ed Allen Hall (Building 2) on the VA campus.

In May, East Tennessee State University celebrated the ribboncutting and grand opening of the renovated space, and just a few weeks later, ETSU’s inaugural cohort of occupational therapy (OT) students were welcomed into the space to begin their studies.

The $4 million renovation began in summer 2021 and transformed 14,000 square feet of space into a state-of-the-art physical rehabilitative sciences hub that now houses ETSU’s new Doctor of Occupational Therapy program. It will also be home to the Master of Science in Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) that is currently in development.

“The fact that this building will now house these rehab sciences programs in one space is a continuation of ETSU’s commitment to interprofessional education and training,” said Dr. Don Samples, Dean of the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences (CCRHS).

University, community, and health care leaders, as well as federal, state, and local elected officials, attended the ribboncutting celebration.

Speakers included U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, State Senator Rusty Crowe, ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland, ETSU Provost and Senior Vice President for Academics Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle, CCRHS Dean Dr. Don Samples, and ETSU Trustee Charles E. Allen, Jr.

The building is named for Allen’s late father, Dr. Charles Ed Allen, whose efforts led to the establishment of the ETSU Quillen College of Medicine. From 1965 until 1973, he served as the founding President of the Appalachian Regional Center for the Healing Arts, which was created as an official health systems agency with one solid purpose: to make the ETSU medical school a reality. In 2005, Building 2 on the campus of the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center at Mountain Home was dedicated and named Charles Ed Allen Hall in Dr. Allen’s honor.

Since 1996, the building has housed ETSU’s Physical Therapy program. With the addition of the OT program and the eventual addition of the O&P program, Charles Ed Allen Hall is poised to become an interprofessional destination for students interested in careers in physical rehabilitative sciences.

“ETSU’s commitment to providing education and training in degrees in a wide variety of health care fields is primarily responsible for the improvement in health care throughout our region,” said Charles E. Allen, Jr. “With the opening of the Occupational Therapy Program, ETSU is taking one more step in affirming its vision to improve the quality of life for the people of this region.”

Melissa Nipper is Director of Marketing and Communications in the Office of University Marketing and Communications. | Photo by Ron Campbell

Godspeed Godspeed and Go Bucs: and Go Bucs:

10 Years 10 Years

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Dr. Brian Noland’s tenure as President of East Tennessee State University.

In honor of this milestone, community leaders from across the region came together to launch a new scholarship program that aims to assist low-income students who are the first in their families to attend college. The Noland Family First-Generation Scholarship was announced in a surprise on-court ceremony during an ETSU basketball game on February 23.

“Dr. Noland, his wife, Donna, and his son, Jackson, are deeply committed to ensuring that ETSU is a place where people come first,” said Lieutenant General (Retired) Ron V. Hite, Chairman of the ETSU Foundation. “They have given their whole hearts to this community and led through service to others. This scholarship honors the example they have set through their belief in the transformative power of higher education.”

As the ninth president of ETSU, Noland has overseen the largest volume of capital projects in the history of the university and was an essential advocate in the successful campaign to revive the Buccaneer football program and the ETSU marching band. In 2020, he helped the ETSU community achieve further expansion and the realization of a longstanding dream to bring a performing arts center to Northeast Tennessee — a dream that became reality with the opening of the Martin Center for the Arts.

Under Noland’s leadership, ETSU has achieved the highest retention and graduation rates in the university’s history and has expanded its academic offerings, adding 51 new programs.

He has led the university through several key transitions, including the 2016 signing of the FOCUS Act, which moved the governance of ETSU from the Tennessee Board of Regents to a campus board for the first time in the institution’s history. He also was at the helm during the 2018 merger of the region’s two health systems into one. Ballad Health now serves as the university’s clinical partner and has funded several key research centers at the university that tackle rural health and other important health issues.

Most recently, he has guided the university through one of the most difficult periods in its history, the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I cannot say enough to thank the ETSU Board of Trustees for the way they approached the pandemic,” Noland said. “They allowed the administration to make the decisions needed to protect the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff.

“One of the things I am most proud of is that we did not have any furloughs or lay offs the way some other schools were forced to do,” Noland said. “We protected our people.”

OPENING DOORS FOR PEOPLE

When Noland reflects on the past decade at ETSU, his favorite memories focus on the people – including those with whom he works and the students who make all the work worthwhile.

“I inherited a great staff from Dr. Stanton, and over the years, I have been able to build upon that staff and continue to surround myself with an outstanding team,” said Noland. “In the end, we are all here for one reason—to help students realize their dreams.

“Over the past 10 years, I have had the opportunity to watch more than 20,000 students realize their dreams at commencement. Building relationships with these students are some of my favorite memories.”

One way he has opened doors for students is by literally leaving the door open for them to visit. Since his arrival on campus, Noland has hosted regular office hours for students to stop by to talk about anything that is on their minds.

“In my freshman year of college, I was struggling with my path and trying to answer that proverbial question: ‘What do you want to do with your life?’” Noland said.

I have had the honor and the privilege of working with world-class people who have helped row and steer and guide this university to where it is today.

Dr. Brian Noland

Noland recalled sitting in large political science class of 400 students at West Virginia University when the professor, Dr. Robert DiClerico, told the class that he had open office hours and encouraged them to stop by to visit.

“I went to his office, and I’ve never been so afraid to knock on a door or turn a door knob, but I did,” he said. “I met with him time and time again. Eventually, he was on my master’s committee, and he helped shape my decision to get a doctoral degree in political science. That professor’s open office hours changed my life, so I always knew that if I was ever in a position such as this, I wanted to keep an open door for students and to make sure that they knew I am here for them.” Jackson, and him at their first ETSU home basketball game in 2012. Jackson was in first grade when the photo was taken; this fall, he will be a senior at University School.

“I look all around me and can see the passage of time,” Noland said. “This institution has transformed my life and my family’s lives. Donna and Jackson have been an important part of this journey; what we have done, we have done together.

“ETSU is about the people, and I have had the honor and the privilege of working with world-class people who have helped row and steer and guide this university to where it is today.”

Melissa Nipper is Director of Marketing and Communications in the Office of University Marketing and Communications. | Photos by Charlie Warden

To make a contribution to the Noland Family First-Generation Scholarship Endowment, scan this QR code.