Randy Boyd: Merger with Martin Methodist College would expand affordable education in Tennessee

For University of Tennessee System President Randy Boyd, establishing a UT campus in southern Middle Tennessee makes "a lot of sense for so many reasons."

Addressing the Lawrenceburg Rotary Club on Friday, Boyd talked about the potential merger with Martin Methodist College and UT, which took a big step forward earlier this week.

On Wednesday, both UT and Martin Methodist's boards of trustees voted in favor of Martin Methodist joining the UT System. Now, the decision will go before the General Assembly and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

A big draw is the common missions of Martin Methodist College and the UT System of creating accessible higher education for Tennesseans, Boyd said. As a land grant university, Boyd hopes UT will serve as a "ladder up for the working class, for the middle class."

Going to southern Middle Tennessee and partnering with Martin Methodist will help expand that mission, he said. 

"We want to be a university that's known for its inclusivity not its exclusivity," Boyd said. "We want to be that ladder up for the working class, the middle class, and provide an opportunity for as many people as we possibly can."

A partner for the region

Martin Methodist, located in Pulaski, currently has just over 900 students enrolled. The merger would bring more opportunities to southern Middle Tennessee families, include more affordable tuition and a stronger workforce, according to the universities. 

Once the merger is approved, Martin Methodist's employees would become UT employees. If approved by the board, Martin Methodist's president Mark La Branche would serve as the chancellor of the new UT campus. 

Adding a UT campus to the region will help "make sure this underserved area of Tennessee is getting served, and now you have a partner," La Branche said. 

"Not just Martin Methodist, but a partner that has vast capacity and resources beyond anything we could do," La Branche said. 

Focus groups will begin meeting to decide on a new name for the campus. The goal is for the name to represent the region and not just a particular city or county, La Branche said. 

How the merger happened

If everything goes according to plan, Martin Methodist could join the UT System officially on July 1, 2021, after final approval from the UT board of trustees at their June meeting, Boyd said.

It would be the fourth undergraduate campus, and the first undergraduate campus added in 50 years. UT also has undergraduate campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Martin. 

Boyd and La Branche met in the spring for coffee, which is when the idea of a merger began, Boyd said. 

"It was really clear from the outset that we share a common mission," Boyd said. "Martin Methodist's mission was to provide workforce development for the region ... and the more we talked, the more we realized, rather than just doing a couple partnerships or collaboration, why don't we just join together?"

As they continued talking, "the more we realized this could be the best way to make the biggest impact in the region," Boyd said. 

Adding Martin Methodist to the UT System would lower tuition by 60%, increase the number of students who stay in state for college and expands the programming currently offered in the area, Boyd said. Students who might leave southern Tennessee for college in surrounding states will now have an affordable, in-state option, he said. 

"There's a lot of opportunities to provide better offerings at a better price in a great location," Boyd said.