Rain is a good thing, enjoyable even, according to Carson-Newman University President Dr. Charles Fowler, but when it threatens to impede completion of a project – especially one that involves housing students – well, not so much. “We were hoping to have a 110,000-square-foot residence life facility ready to occupy this fall,” Fowler told Morristown Rotarians at their Aug.
14 meeting. “It’s going to be rooms for 524 students. It’s the first traditional dorm that we’ve built at Mossy Creek in 60 years.
The contractor has lost 72 days due to weather, so that’s just a little bit much to overcome. Maybe in a few weeks, a month or so, we’ll be able to get in it,” he said. Freshmen will arrive on campus Aug.
22 a week from Thursday, with 524 of them assigned to temporary housing, a prospect that Fowler described as “exciting.” The rest of the news from campus was a mix of success stories and the need for more patience regarding ongoing endeavors. In 2023, Carson-Newman added to its outdoor recreational facilities with a tournament-quality disc golf course along Mossy Creek.
A nearly complete student recreational park – its progress also affected by rains – will include two outdoor pickle ball courts, two full regulation basketball courts, three beach volleyball courts, a regulation soccer field and a regulation softball field. The first home football game of the season is set for Thursday, Aug. 29, offering players new turf on the field, along with a renovated D-1 quality strengthening and conditioning facility, thanks to donors.
Ticket holders will have a better view of the score –- “We’ve got a LED Jumbo Tron,” Fowler said. “For years, when the sun would shine on the one we’ve had, you couldn’t read a thing on it. So, now you’re going to be able to keep up with what’s going on in the game, that’s exciting .
.. It’s going to be some exciting days, and we believe Carson-Newman is going to get back to its winning ways.
” The 2024-25 student body count won’t be tallied until the dorm rooms are occupied next week. The average is around 3,000 per year. Last year, students from 40 states and 52 countries were enrolled.
“We literally reached around the world,” Fowler said. “Even with that long reach, still consistent with our mission, 65 percent of our enrollment comes from right here in East Tennessee.” Last year, 45 percent of the student body were first-generation students.
“That’s really reflective of the region,” Fowler said. “East Tennessee and Appalachia has a pretty high first-generation percentage in the population, and we’re a great place for first-gen students because we keep low faculty to student ratios. So students doing this for the first time have the opportunity for one-on-one people, to walk alongside to help them succeed.
” Twenty-three percent of the student body, through FAFSA, had zero estimated family contribution. “People assume that because we’re private that we’re more expensive that others, but since I’ve been at Carson-Newman, average cost of attendance has been between 1,500 and 2,000 less than attendance at UT Knoxville,” Fowler said. “This year, we made the decision not to increase tuition.
” In spring 2024, Carson-Newman instituted an MBA in Entrepreneurial Leadership for students who are interested in continuing family businesses or are entrepreneurs themselves. The program is seeking successful entrepreneurs who are willing to serve as mentors, along with businesses or individuals who would provide seed money and become investors to help graduates of the program launch their business plans. The university has also launched a related program, which involves partnering with a local business to offer its mid-level management employees a module of study in leadership skills and enabling them to earn a certificate.
This summer the university was approved to launch a degree program for nurse anesthetist (CRNA), where students will earn a Doctorate of Nurse Anesthesia Practice, by completing classes and training in the new Drama and Ted Russell building. “They have given us about an 18-month runway to launch, hire all faculty, procure everything,” Fowler said. “A nurse anesthesia school is about a half-step short of a medical school.
A lot of exciting things are happening in that beautiful new facility. In January 2026, we’ll admit our first class.” Fowler has served as CNU president since 2019.
He is a native of Corinth, MS and married his college sweetheart, Sandra, 38 years ago. He previously served as senior pastor at Germantown Baptist Church, located outside of Memphis for nine years. Prior to that, he served in senior administrative roles at Union University.
He is a graduate of Union, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Mississippi State University..
