Randy Boyd makes his case in Chattanooga for presidency of UT system

University of Tennessee System interim President Randy Boyd promised UTC stakeholders Wednesday afternoon that he would provide the best decade in system history if named president.

During the first of several such meetings scheduled across the state, Boyd spoke to a crowd at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He outlined his goals and plans for the future of the school system should the board of trustees move forward with a plan created last month to keep him as president for the next five years. Boyd was named interim president in 2018.

First, after boasting no fewer than 23 visits to Chattanooga in his first 14 months, Boyd said that engagement of all campuses will be key in establishing "one UT" and promoting the best possible future for the system.

"We are determined to make this the single greatest decade of the University of Tennessee," he said. "And to make that true, it's going to take each university."

Boyd said he will visit every campus in the system for at least one full day per semester, meeting with student governments, faculty and whoever else may be relevant to helping him learn about the campus. Specifically, Boyd said he will look for ideas on diversity, improving graduation rates and enrollment records set last year and efficiencies.

The would-be president practiced these engagement efforts by fielding questions from the audience and some submitted online.

One online submission asked Boyd why he was now interested in maintaining the position after originally saying he would not continue after an interim tenure.

"For me, I have been blessed to have a position where I can dedicate my life to giving back," he said. "No matter what I do, I will try to find a way to give back to my state and to my community. When I took this job, it was about giving back to my alma mater for a period of time, but what I've learned that has helped me change my mind is that, if you really want to give back, there's no better place than through the University of Tennessee. There is no organization that makes a bigger difference."

Boyd will host similar events in Nashville, Knoxville and Martin later this month.

Contact Sarah Grace Taylor at 423-757-6416 or at staylor@timesfreepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @_sarahgtaylor.