Tennessee Tech recognizes Barry “Butch” Wilmore with university’s highest honor, naming of pedestrian walkway
Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham presents Trustee Barry "Butch" Wilmore with the
Order of the Eagle award, the university's highest honor.
When Tennessee Tech University’s Board of Trustees held its quarterly meeting on June 26, its most recognizable trustee was back in his seat for the first time in more than a year.
The meeting marked NASA astronaut, two-time Tech graduate and university trustee Barry “Butch” Wilmore's first return to campus since the historic 286-day stay at the International Space Station that made him a household name.
Wilmore was greeted with an afternoon full of heartfelt surprises, including the awarding of the Order of the Eagle, Tech’s highest honor.
According to the award criteria, the honor is “reserved for individuals whose impact on the university and its reputation are unparalleled.” It has only been awarded once previously in Tech’s 110-year history: it was bestowed posthumously to former Tech President and First Lady Everett and Joan Derryberry at the university’s centennial celebration in 2015.
Board Chair Trudy Harper also read aloud a resolution to support Tech President Phil Oldham’s recommendation that the university name its newly built walkway and plaza as “Wilmore Way” in honor of Wilmore’s achievement and character.
The resolution praises Wilmore for being “undaunted in the face of challenges” during his recent voyage aboard the Boeing Starliner, adding that he “evinces the Tennessee Tech mantra of being ‘bold, fearless, confident and kind’ in all that he does.” Trustees quickly unanimously approved the resolution. A formal dedication for the space is tentatively slated for later this fall.
Tech President Phil Oldham presents Trustee Barry "Butch" Wilmore with a framed copy
of the resolution that will establish the naming of 'Wilmore Way' on Tennessee Tech's
campus.
Oldham also introduced special guest Pam Inman, a Special Olympian and cancer survivor from the Nashville area who had sent a handwritten letter to the university telling of her admiration for Wilmore and expressing a desire to give him one of her prized gold medals.
“I have rarely been without words in my life,” said Wilmore. “[I want to] take this opportunity to say thank you. Needless to say, I’m touched, grateful. You all make this very special … Who would have thought, a couple decades ago, walking around this campus … that a day like this would happen? Thank you doesn’t seem like it’s enough.”
Inman and Wilmore shared an emotional hug, after which Wilmore presented her with a hat he wore at the International Space Station. Oldham and First Lady Kari Oldham then presented Inman with a “Wings of Kindness” award, an honor given to members of the Tech community who demonstrate exceptional acts of kindness for others.
Trustee Barry "Butch" Wilmore shares an emotional hug with Pam Inman, a Special Olympian
who wrote to the university expressing a desire to give Wilmore one of her gold medals.
Trustee Barry "Butch" Wilmore smiles for a photo with Pam Inman. Wilmore is wearing
a hat gifted to him by Inman for the "Nashville Dolphins," a swim team for athletes
with special needs. Inman is wearing a Tech hat that Wilmore wore while at the International
Space Station.
In other board news:
- Enrollment update: Karen Lykins, vice president for enrollment and communication, briefed trustees on
the university’s enrollment projections, noting that, as of June 24, the university
is up 296 students year-over-year in fall 2025 total enrollment. Lykins shared that,
so far this summer, the university has welcomed more than 2,800 students, parents
and guests across seven “SOAR” freshman orientation sessions, with three more sessions
slated for the month of July.
Lykins also shared a profile of freshmen currently registered for SOAR, noting that students possess an average ACT score of 24.7 and an average high school GPA of 3.72. More than 700 students who have confirmed their enrollment for the fall possess a perfect 4.0 high school GPA. Lykins added that the university anticipates an all-time high in dual enrollment students for the upcoming semester, noting that Tech’s American Sign Language courses are especially popular among this student population. - 2025 – 2026 budget, proposed capital project funding requests and disclosed projects:
Claire Stinson, vice president for planning and finance, presented the university’s
$220 million budget proposal for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, which trustees unanimously
approved. The budget includes an investment of more than $25 million in student scholarships
and fellowships.
Stinson explained that the university will seek $196.6 million in state appropriations next year for two major proposed capital projects, which will be matched with $17 million in university-raised dollars: a $108 million new life sciences building and $105 million social sciences building. “Both of these projects are high priorities. We need to do both of them as quickly as possible,” explained Tech President Phil Oldham during board discussion on the proposal.
Trustee Johnny Stites noted that the university will reap some long term savings on maintenance costs from the construction of the new buildings, as the facilities will replace some of the university’s oldest buildings, which have become increasingly expensive to maintain.
Stinson additionally presented two new disclosed projects: a $250,000 biology greenhouse and a $200,000 enclosed bike shelter, which trustees unanimously approved. - Provost’s report and proposed curriculum changes: John Liu, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, recognized recent
Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence award winners for the 2024-2025 academic year
and briefed trustees on proposed changes to the university’s general education curriculum,
which would provide students with greater flexibility in course selection and add
a “financial and digital literacy” category to the university’s core requirements,
among other changes.
Later, trustees also voted down a proposal that would adjust core history requirements from a minimum of six credit hours to a range of three to six credit hours for students who successfully completed an American history course in high school.
Finally, trustees approved a recommendation to update university policy on faculty tenure. The revised policy seeks to provide more consistent definitions and criteria, clarify the review and recommendation process and align appeals processes for both tenure and promotion. - Recognition of students: Trustees recognized three students from the Tech rugby club, which recently went
to the Collegiate Rugby National Championship Tournament for the first time since
the club’s founding at Tech in 1977. Students recognized were Lane Travis, a junior
environmental agriscience major from Crossville, Todd Harris, a graduate student pursuing
a master’s degree in exercise science with a concentration in sports management from
Mount Juliet, and Caleb Dunlap, a doctoral electrical engineering student from Nashville.
Materials from today’s meeting and video of the full board meeting will be available at the board’s website, www.tntech.edu/board.
The board’s next meeting is scheduled for September 25, 2025.