Tennessee Tech’s Mike Gotcher set to retire after more than 40 years in higher education
When Mike Gotcher, dean of Tennessee Tech University’s College of Emerging and Integrative Studies, reflects on his time at Tech, one word comes to mind: community.
Gotcher—who will retire at the end of May after more than 40 years in higher education, including nearly a decade at Tech—says the relationships he built with coworkers and friends across campus sustained him through times of both success and sorrow.
His tenure at Tech, which began in 2017, was marked by new academic programs, growth in graduate enrollment, a major rebranding effort, expanded college-funded professional development opportunities and initiatives that saved students an estimated $3 million in textbook costs.
A seasoned administrator who had previously served at Austin Peay State University, Gotcher put his Ph.D. in organizational communication to work reimagining course offerings to support adult learners with full-time careers, roughly doubling the size of the college’s faculty and even finding ways to procure free broadband internet access for students in need.
There were also external challenges, such as a 2020 tornado that ravaged Cookeville and surrounding areas, a global pandemic that forced a rapid shift to virtual learning and, in 2023, the loss of his wife of 42 years, Sara.
“That was really hard, but I had a community here at Tech that helped me get through that,” Gotcher said.
Among those who offered support was Gina Padgett, a staff member in the Office of Communications & Marketing.
While the two worked in separate divisions and seldom crossed paths professionally, they connected over a shared experience. Padgett had lost her husband just months earlier.
Their friendship grew, and the pair married in 2025 in a backyard ceremony officiated by Tech colleague and friend Steven Frye, director of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies.
Frye praised Gotcher as an “amazing dean” who “works hard to provide us with the things we need to be successful.”
“Dr. Gotcher celebrates our victories and encourages us through the struggles, working hard to make sure each person knows their importance,” said Frye. “He approaches the college like a family. When he asks you how things are going or if you have an opinion on something, he really wants to know and listens.”
For Gotcher, building a sense of community with colleagues has been a hallmark of his leadership that is reflected in simple traditions, from holiday lunches with staff to a morning ritual of feeding fish together at the pond outside Southwest Hall.
“Those kinds of traditions are very special for us—it’s how we support each other,” Gotcher said. “Life happens outside the university, and people need a listening ear or a laugh sometimes.”
Dylcia Cowan, Gotcher’s administrative assistant, said she witnessed this ethos firsthand over their nine years working together. She lauded Gotcher for “truly caring about his staff.”
“In my 40-plus years of clerical and administrative service, I can honestly and unequivocally say that I have never worked for a nicer human being than Dr. Mike Gotcher,” she said. “He is truly one of the good guys, and we’re all better for having known him.”
Colleagues say Gotcher paired that personal approach with a track record of delivering results and an unrelenting focus on student success.
During his tenure, the College of Emerging and Integrative Studies expanded dual enrollment offerings – quadrupling the number of high school students served – and introduced new programs, including a much-anticipated bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary computing developed in partnership with Tech’s Department of Computer Science, as well as new minors that tackle topics ranging from caregiving to event planning.
Gotcher also led a rebranding effort in 2025, renaming the college to better reflect its mission and collaborative approach.
“Our college is known for looking at emerging trends and finding ways to integrate them into the university,” Gotcher said. “The name ‘College of Emerging and Integrative Studies’ clarifies who we are and what we do.”
He says he is especially proud of the faculty he has supported along the way.
Among them is Samantha Allen, a Tech alumna and lecturer in the School of Environmental Studies, who was recently named a Fulbright Scholar.
“That announcement just filled my heart with pride,” Gotcher said. “It’s so exciting for the university, for our college and for her personally.”
Allen’s Fulbright experience will take her to the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, a campus she first visited on a faculty trip organized by Gotcher.
As retirement approaches, Gotcher and his wife, Gina, who also recently retired from Tech, plan to stay active in the community and spend more time with their blended family, which includes six grandchildren and another on the way.
Gotcher has served on the board of Uplands Village in nearby Pleasant Hill and continues to coach golf at Algood Middle School. Gina volunteers with the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce and performs with the Cookeville and Cumberland County community bands.
“Cookeville has been such a welcoming place, and it’s felt like somewhere we could have an impact,” Gotcher said. “There’s something for everyone here.”
Gotcher’s last day at Tech will be May 29. Hayden Mattingly, director of the School of Environmental Studies, has been named interim dean while a national search is conducted.
Learn more about Tech’s College of Emerging and Integrative Studies at www.tntech.edu/ceis.