Tennessee State University has appointed Dwayne Tucker as its next full-time president.
The TSU board of trustees made the appointment Aug. 5. Tucker has served as the school’s interim president since December 2024 amid financial turmoil and leadership changes that began in April 2024.
“His leadership through continued uncertainty and turbulent times with dignity, grace under fire, and a strong resolve to put students first made him the obvious choice,” TSU board Chair Dakasha Winton said of Tucker in an Aug. 5 press release.
More: TSU: Tucker promises new financial plan as TN urges him to sell property, cut more staff
Tucker also released a statement thanking the Board of Trustees, students, faculty, staff and university alumni for their support.
“My focus remains on putting TSU on a path to sustainability. With the help of our State legislators, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, the Tennessee Board of Regents, and other supporters, we will extend the legacy of TSU,” he said in the university’s release.
As Tucker took the helm of the historically Black Nashville college, he laid out an ambitious five-year plan to regain finanically stability.
He reallocated $96 million from the $250 million in funds the state gave TSU in 2022, which was earmarked for infrastructure projects.
Instead, the money will be used over three years to enhance university operations.
As students head back to TSU for the fall semester beginning Aug. 18, the school increased tuition by 6% in a 6-1 vote by board trustees during a meeting on June 13.
Prior to his appointment at TSU, Tucker was the CEO of LEAD Public Schools, a group of charter schools in Metro Nashville.
He also brings a business background to TSU.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dwayne Tucker bumped from interim to permanent TSU president
