Buckner named University provost

^{Dr. Jeremy Buckner}

(Jan. 28, 2020) JEFFERSON CITY, TN – Dr. Jeremy Buckner has been named provost for Carson-Newman University. Carson-Newman President Charles A. Fowler made the announcement following the University’s January Board of Trustees meeting.

“I am very pleased to announce Dr. Buckner as our next provost,” said Carson-Newman President Charles A. Fowler. “He has served well and faithfully as the University’s acting provost over the last year. Dr. Buckner is a man of impeccable integrity, committed to Christ-centered excellence, focused on advancing our mission, and is an incredibly gifted and hard working administrator.“

Buckner was appointed acting provost in January of 2019. Among his accomplishments over the past year include reorganizing C-N’s academic departments into schools and reinstituting the University’s Academic Council. He also reinstated procedures of faculty review in their promotion and tenure process and successfully petitioned the support of the board of trustees for faculty promotion, tenure and sabbatical leave.

“As provost, I want to continue to focus on the heart of our academic curriculum which is our liberal-arts based tradition,” said Buckner. “I want Carson-Newman to celebrate its rich Christian intellectual tradition and explore ways to promote student interest and enrollment in our BA programs.” Buckner said that it’s not lost on him that it’s the people who help make Carson-Newman a special place.

“I want to take care of our people and help shape C-N into a place that thrives and is a place where faculty and staff enjoy working, students enjoy attending, and alumni enjoy supporting beyond graduation.”

Buckner joined Carson-Newman’s faculty in 2008 as director of music education. He was later named chair of the Music Department, a role he filled until 2015 when he was named dean of Adult and Graduate Studies.

In his role as dean, he led an overhaul of C-N’s graduate admissions process, promoting efficient and effective communication. He coordinated with campus leadership in developing a new landing page for adult and graduate programs and reduced application length.

A Texas native and Morristown resident, Buckner has a background of teaching in the areas of music pedagogy, field experience preparation and supervision, and musicianship. His scholarly activities include research and presentation in areas of musical perception of beat and rhythm, musical behavior and preferences among children, and efficacy beliefs in pre-service music teachers.

Buckner is an alumnus of Texas Tech University where he earned his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music Education degrees, as well as his PhD in fine arts.

Founded in 1851, Carson-Newman is a Christian liberal arts-based university affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention. The University is located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, among the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains and has over 2,700 students. Carson-Newman offers 50 undergraduate majors, as well as associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.