Saying goodbye isn’t easy. But, bidding farewell to family can be even tougher. And that’s just what the University of Tennessee at Martin is–family–to Dr. Nick Dunagan, UT Martin’s eighth chancellor. So, it was only fitting that he announced his retirement plans, Sept. 7, 2006, to his UT Martin family at the university’s annual faculty and staff picnic before the season’s first home football game. Joining him for the announcement were his wife, Cathy, other family members and Dr. John Petersen, UT president. A search for Dunagan’s successor is expected to conclude sometime this spring, and he will say his final farewell at the end of June 2007.

“After a lot of thought and with a great deal of appreciation for the opportunities Cathy and I have had during our 33 years at UT Martin, we want to announce that this will be our final academic year,” Dunagan told the crowd, adding, “But I want you to know that this has been the most wonderful honor in my life to be able to serve the great people who make up this campus.”

Petersen thanked the Dunagans for their service and wished them well in their retirement years. He expressed special appreciation for their support since he became UT’s 23rd president in July 2004. “Nick and Cathy are two of the most unselfish people that I’ve ever met,” he said. Petersen added, “I think the exciting thing is the fact that we are in such good shape at this institution.”

Dunagan, 60, was born in Humboldt to Horace and Sara Dunagan, but the family returned to Martin where his late father attended UT Junior College, thereby beginning his lifelong association with the campus. Years later, the Dunagan family includes many UT Martin alums, including Dunagan’s two sisters and numerous nieces and nephews. Also, the Dunagans’ three married children and their spouses all graduated from the university. And, even though the university didn’t offer the major their fourth child chose, he, too, supported the Dunagan/UT Martin connection by picking up additional courses toward his degree in summer school.

Several weeks after his retirement announcement, Dunagan reflected on his years at the university. While his announcement surprised many, he sees this as the right time for a change. When he was named chancellor, Dunagan planned to serve in the position for up to five years. Once he retires, he will have served six years, and counting three interim stints as chancellor, he’s held the position approximately eight years. “I think when you look at a university, there are always a lot of things that are going on, so you’re never going to come to that place where, ‘OK, I can stop here, and there will not be any other projects under way,’” he said.

Significant changes have occurred since he became chancellor in 2001. Especially significant during his administration is enrollment growth. Online degrees and off-campus centers have contributed to greater numbers of students. “When I started, we had the one center in Selmer, and we now have a new location in Jackson with new centers in operation in Parsons and Ripley, so the diversity of our enrollment has greatly changed,” he said, “and I think it’s helped us as a university to reach out to West Tennessee in a much more positive way.” In addition to the four centers, online course offerings have increased from fewer than 10 to 109 in the past five years.

To Dunagan, improved outreach is evident in other ways. The university’s Dual-Credit Program, which allows students to take selected courses for both high school and college credit, is now offered in 25 high schools. “And I know our faculty, while they’ve always been engaged, are even more engaged in our service area, and that’s a positive thing for the university.”

With many projects under way, he knows that some will not be completed when he retires. Other initiatives will continue to evolve. A big proponent of globalization, Dunagan was instrumental in establishing the university’s Center for Global Studies and International Education. The center provides travel-study and study-abroad opportunities and establishes formal working relationships with universities in other countries. Now, with President Petersen’s globalization emphasis in UT’s new strategic plan unveiled in August, Dunagan will watch with interest to see how these new relationships further position UT Martin in the international community to benefit students and faculty members.

Another of Dunagan’s lasting legacies is the WestStar Leadership Program. As a founder and executive director of the leadership-development program for six years, he sees how WestStar has benefited West Tennessee. Hesitant to name names from the growing WestStar alumni base, he does mention three graduates serving in the Tennessee General Assembly: Mark Norris, Randy Rinks and Delores Gresham. “But I think just as important as those three, we have numerous county mayors, city mayors, aldermen and other civic leaders who have told me that their interest in running for public office and serving their communities was a result of their WestStar experiences,” he said.

Dunagan also has left his mark on intercollegiate athletics. He was heavily involved when UT Martin joined the Ohio Valley Conference as a full member in 1992. Years later, under his watch as chancellor, athletics facilities have greatly improved, including construction of the Bob Carroll Football Building, soccer field enhancements and new Elam Center seating. “There is no doubt that I join a lot of people who realize that athletics is an important component of students receiving the total collegiate experience,” he said of his support for such improvements.

Still, he acknowledges that success in athletics comes with a price tag, and he sees fans and donors holding the key through increased tickets sales and gifts dedicated to the program. “As I look to the future, and I see what the university is doing budget wise, when I see what fees we are assessing students for the support of athletics, those sources, by any measure, are near the maximum of what we can expect from our budget and from students,” he said.

For Dunagan, everything points back to students and those touched by the university. “I think the thing that puts a continual smile on my face is when I see students and alumni and hear them express what the university has meant to their lives and community leaders express what the university has meant to West Tennessee and to Tennessee,” he said.

James Orr, Student Government Association president from Bolivar, has seen firsthand Dunagan’s focus on students. “Chancellor Dunagan is amazing to work with. He truly cares about the well-being of students. He has an open-door policy and is always willing to speak about student concerns,” Orr said. As for his legacy, Orr added, “Chancellor Dunagan will be remembered as a strong, compassionate leader.  He is a great man, and I hope to one day impact as many lives as he has impacted.”  

Another person who daily sees Dunagan’s concern for students is his wife, Cathy, who received equal billing from President Petersen at the retirement announcement. She has been a visible partner to Dunagan, sharing his passion for serving students. She’s even answered the surprise telephone calls when, without her knowing, he gave out their home number for parents to call if they had concerns. She tells this as a humorous story, but she knows it speaks volumes about her husband.

“I hear countless stories about Nick talking with homesick students, encouraging students to apply themselves to their academic goals and helping with letters of recommendation,” she said. “I think that hearing from folks who say that Nick has had a positive impact on their lives makes both of us feel extremely proud.”

UT Martin’s first family plans to take on no new obligations in the first year following Dunagan’s retirement. However, at the retirement announcement, he promised that Cathy and he would remain in Martin to “be the most dedicated alums that this institution could have.” His 24/7 job will be replaced with travel and time with children and grandchildren. Most will agree that it’s a well-deserved change for two people who have given so many years of their lives to the university.

Future generations will see buildings that were built, programs that began and scholarships that were established under Nick Dunagan’s leadership. When asked how he wanted to be remembered, Dunagan said, “That’s easy. I’d like to be remembered as someone who loved UT Martin, tried to keep its students, faculty and staff uppermost in my mind with every decision I made and strived to make West Tennessee a better place to live and work.”