Tennessee Tech recommends Katie Aikens as vice president for Student Affairs
Tennessee Tech University has named Katie Winningham Aikens, Ed.D., as the university’s next vice president for Student Affairs, pending final approval by the Tennessee Tech Board of Trustees.
Aikens, a two-time Tech graduate and native of Livingston, Tennessee, has served the university for more than two decades and currently leads the Division of Student Affairs as interim vice president, a role she assumed in December 2025 with unanimous board support.
“We conducted a nationwide search for this role and interviewed exceptional candidates from across the country, but it quickly became apparent that our next vice president for Student Affairs was right here with us all along,” said Tech President Phil Oldham. “Dr. Katie Aikens is known, trusted and deeply respected by our students, faculty and staff. She has served this community for more than 20 years and brings the exact right combination of keen institutional knowledge to be ready to lead on day one and fresh ideas to usher the Division of Student Affairs into its next chapter.”
As vice president, Aikens will provide cabinet-level leadership for a division that serves approximately 10,700 students across nearly a dozen functional units, including the Accessible Education Center, Center for Student Engagement, Center for Counseling and Mental Health Wellness, Dean of Students Office, Eagle Card, Health Services, Intercultural Affairs, the Marc L. Burnett Student Recreation and Fitness Center, Office of First-Generation Student Success, Roaden University Center, and University Housing and Residential Life. The division includes 76 full-time professionals and approximately 400 student employees.
Aikens enrolled at Tech as a graduate student in 2003 and was hired as a graduate assistant the following year. In 2005, she secured a permanent role as coordinator of Greek life and university programming and has steadily advanced through leadership roles in the years since.
In 2017, she was named dean of students, becoming the first woman to hold the position in the university’s more than 100-year history. In 2021, she took on the added role of assistant vice president for strategic initiatives.
“Our students at Tennessee Tech inspire me daily, and I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve them in this role,” said Aikens. “I look forward to working alongside our talented Student Affairs team as we elevate our programs, strengthen our partnerships and continue to advance excellence across the division.”
During her tenure as dean, Aikens helped oversee some of Tech’s best-loved traditions, including annual Student Organization Life Opportunity (SOLO) concerts, homecoming, Week of Welcome, Live on the Plaza, student tailgates and themed athletic events.
She also played a key role in planning “College Town Kickoff,” an annual block party and concert in Cookeville’s WestSide to welcome back students each fall.
Former Vice President for Student Affairs Marc Burnett, who retired in 2019 and returned to serve as interim vice president in 2025, praised Aikens’ leadership and long-standing commitment to students.
“My 36 years in Student Affairs at Tennessee Tech were the ride of a lifetime. I’m proud of what we built together and there is no one I trust more to expand and continue that work than my friend Dr. Katie Aikens,” said Burnett. “We made many important decisions over my decades as vice president for Student Affairs, but hiring Katie Aikens in 2005 to join our team was one of the best. She is relentlessly devoted to students, she exudes kindness in every interaction and she has always treated her service to the university as not simply a job, but a calling. This is a win for Tech students in every way.”
Aikens’ impact extends beyond Student Affairs. She serves on the board of CityScape, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and enhancing Cookeville’s historic downtown, and previously served as an adjunct instructor in Tech’s Ph.D. program in higher education leadership.
Amy New, president and CEO of the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Tennessee Tech Foundation Board, said Aikens’ leadership has strengthened ties between the university and the region.
“The strong working relationship between the City of Cookeville, our business community and Tennessee Tech didn’t happen by accident – it happened because of leaders like Dr. Katie Aikens who have always shown up, led by example and recognized that Tennessee Tech and the broader Cookeville community are made better by working together,” said New. “Dr. Aikens’ appointment as vice president for Student Affairs is not just good news for the university, but for all of us who call Cookeville home.”
Aikens’ appointment will be effective immediately pending board approval. Learn more about the Division of Student Affairs at www.tntech.edu/sa.