Universities arose from academic disciplines. As has been made abundantly
clear, the primary mission of the university is to teach--to provide access
to:
*the expertise of scholars, professionals, and practitioners in many fields;
*information stored and presented in an organized manner;
*facilities and resources designated for the pursuit of knowledge, skills,
and experience;
*guidance in how to learn and how to use acquired knowledge and experience
for the good of the individual and of a larger community. Teaching is made
more authentic and vital when it is supported by research and service.

It seems that for many people in our country, a college degree has become a
commodity to be traded on the job market. Perhaps we should accept that as
a widely held perception, and use it to our advantage, while also trying
very hard to show our students that an education is not just about making a
living, it is about making a better life, for oneself and for one's community.

"Make a better living, make a better life: get an education (at UTC)."

This message needs to go out not only our students, but to their families,
and especially to our state legislators and governor. The long-held
suspicion or even disdain toward academics and intellectuals by many people
in the U.S.A. plays a role in the current crisis in funding for higher
education. If UTC can follow through with being a truly Engaged
Metropolitan University, perhaps local attitudes toward higher ed will improve.

Other aspects of the university, including intercollegiate athletics and
various entertainments not related to academic departments, certainly have
meaningful roles in attracting and retaining students. But if the primary
mission of the university is compromised in the effort to maintain and
strengthen programs that have little to do with teaching and learning, then
recruitment and retention will eventually suffer. If we offer people a
shallow degree plus entertainment, will they be any better for it?

Athletics offer a common meeting ground for people from diverse
backgrounds, and that is important. (So do the fine arts; so can almost
anything for which numbers of people share some passion or interest).
Athletics offer opportunities for students with those physical gifts
necessary to perform well in sports, and there are athletes who are also
very good students. But intercollegiate athletics have less direct relation
to the university's primary mission of teaching than do some other programs
that may suffer significant cuts in support. (Courses and activities
offered by the EHLS department have a basis in an academic discipline;
SoCon football, for example, does not). It seems only fair that if there is
to be the continued pain of cuts and only tiny gains in the academic area,
that non-academic areas should also not only experience that pain, but also
be forced to rely on the support of the wider community they serve. In
other words, if Chattanoogans really value college athletics, they should
give their financial support to see them survive. This is just as true as
saying that if Chattanoogans value the legacy and services of the Cadek
Conservatory, they should give their financial support for it.

It has been said that we cannot be all things to all people. How true; and
how difficult it is to make the choices of what we WILL be to many people.
Obviously, an institution of this size cannot survive without some
dedicated administrators and many dedicated support staff. Melissa and
others have eloquently expressed the need and desire to have all budgets
communicated clearly and in plain sight of the entire university community,
so that we can all see what choices are being made about what UTC will be.

Jonathan B. McNair, DMA
UC Foundation Assistant Prof. of Music Theory and Composition
Director, Music Technology Center
Cadek Dept. of Music
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga