New UT System Interim President Randy Boyd visits Martin campus

MARTIN, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee at Martin welcomed new Interim President Randy Boyd Monday on his first day in office.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to be able to give back to my alma mater,” Boyd said. “You know I grew up in the shadows of Neyland stadium in south Knoxville.”

Boyd visited the UT Martin campus Monday afternoon. His plan during his first year as interim president is focusing on graduation and talent success in the school system.

“Too many kids, too many students that come to our universities fail to graduate for different reasons,” Boyd said. “One of the most important reasons that they don’t graduate is that they didn’t feel like they belong, that they didn’t feel engaged.”

Some UT Martin students agree that engagement is important.

“If you can actually make a way to make education just more engaging for students, I think that improves your graduation rates because students want to keep coming back ,” freshman Jadia Thomas said.

That along with making sure students are heard and put first.

“On this campus students are always put first, and I think if he can just continue the same path that everything will work out very good here,” freshman Samantha Poiner said.

Boyd is familiar with the education field.

“I was the governor of special advisory on higher education in 2013,” Boyd said. “I was the chair of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, so I had a passion and some experience around higher education.”

And with that background and having several ideas he wants to work on during his signed two years as president, students hope he’s able to get the job done.

“Have a open heart, have an open mind and just be ready to take on new ideas, but don’t forget that students do come first and that’s like the most important goal at the end of the day,” Thomas said.

“I think it’s an exciting change coming to the University of Tennessee System, and I’m excited to see what happens with it in my journey here,” Poiner said.

The UT Board of Trustees appointed Boyd to serve as UT System Interim President after President Emeritus Dr. Joe DiPietro announced his retirement earlier this fall.