Two administrators who have helped lead our university over the past two decades will share their advice and encouragement with almost 1,200 graduates during commencement at 10 a.m. on May 5 in Hooper Eblen Center.

Marvin W. Barker, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, and Leo McGee, associate vice president for Academic Affairs, will share the honor of addressing graduates and their families and friends. Barker and McGee will both retire from university service on July 1.

During Barker’s tenure, he provided faculty and staff with leadership, resources and encouragement in order to achieve the campus' academic and student goals. He excelled in four main areas: the continuous improvement of student learning, the service of students place and/or time bound, the achievement of enrollment growth, and the promotion and improvement of student activities.

With Barker's support, faculty members implemented two completely online degree programs: a master's degree in health and physical education and the Distance MBA. TTU accounting courses and an accounting degree are also offered online. The 2+2 education program involving TTU and four community colleges flourished under his watch, providing needed teachers for Tennessee's rural schools.

A prolific writer, McGee has authored more than 40 professional articles and 20 creative and opinion essays. He has written or co-written five books. One of his creative essays was published in Good Housekeeping magazine and served as the basis of a television documentary produced by Life-Time Cable Network and aired nationally.

McGee served as coordinator of the Performance Funding Program, which benefited the university by more than $2 million on an annual basis. In 2000, McGee was elected for a term to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, which accredits almost 800 colleges and universities throughout the southeastern United States and Latin America.

About 1,192 students are expected to graduate this spring. They hail from 43 states including Tennessee, 76 Tennessee counties and 60 foreign countries. They represent 41 undergraduate fields of study and 21 graduate fields. Following spring commencement, the university will have granted more than 59,000 degrees.