TheVoiceOfJoyce Finally, I’m reading about someone who sees a problem and will fix it. That’s the new President of Tennessee State University. How refreshing. Next we read about finding out people earning 6 figure salaries are being fired? Why? I suspect the Billionaires don’t need back up? When results are only measured in profits , billionaires don’t want Labor. Finally, schools are being asked to notify their state government when they find undocumented immigrants students. How do you feel about asking kids to produce their parents documents? Or theirs?

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Things are looking up for Tennessee State University. Once plagued with back-to-back financial crises and administrative mishaps, the historically Black university is making significant strides in driving down costs and raising revenue.   

Much of this can be credited to the school’s new president, TSU alumnus Dwayne Tucker. I visited the campus during spring break to sit down with him and hear how he plans to keep this momentum going.  

We talked about his ideas to bring more money to the school and how he plans to sway lawmakers into investing more money , including paying the millions of dollars the state still owes TSU after decades of underfunding – an issue highlighted by WPLN’s podcast special – The Debt, co-reported with Emily Siner.  

WHAT TO KNOW

TSU President Dwyane Tucker interviewed by Camellia Burris. Photo: Camellia Burris

Tucker’s first priority in his new role was fixing what he saw as a customer service problem caused by a lack of communication between departments. 

“The first thing we had to focus on was ensuring that if a student had an issue that was raised, such as financial aid, does somebody respond back to them within a reasonable time?” Tucker told WPLN News. “And then you see all these stories on local social media. ‘Hey, I got this outstanding balance, and I don’t know where it came from.’ Well, because the systems weren’t talking to each other effectively.” 

Tucker then set out to restore TSU’s financial reputation within the state legislature, which included a university-created turnaround plan showing cost-cutting measures. The plan is scheduled for five years but Tucker said he wants to do it in half the time.  

By December 2025, the university had surpassed its financial goals – decreasing its budget deficit by $13.2 million. 

Lawmakers also suggested TSU sell some of its property, like the Avon Williams downtown campus. But Tucker pushed back, saying he’d like to monetize that property, along with the 35 acres outside of Tune Airport the university owns, rather than sell it. He plans to work with developers to create some reccurring revenue for these properties. 

Tucker also tapped a new source of revenue that the university hadn’t fully utilized – homecoming!  

“Everybody up and down, John Merritt, all the way down to 28th, is selling merchandise that has our logo and our copyright. They’re not giving anything back to the university,” he said. “For homecoming this year, we set up tents all around the track in Hale stadium. If you wanted to sell merchandise that had our name on it, you had to come in, pay a fee for your tent and then give us a piece of what you sell.” 

One of the biggest revenue generators is bringing in more students, but Tucker wants to ensure that the school has the funding to support this, including structural improvements. 

“Some of the students, they’re going to chuckle at this. ‘They say, well Mr. President, my mom went to Tennessee State, and my mom’s mom went to Tennessee State University and stayed in the same dorm that I’m in,’” he told WPLN News. “I said, wow, that’s gotta be maybe 60, 70 years. We do need to modernize our campus.” 

Explore the full story on our site.  

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On today’s episode of the NashVillagerpodcast with host Nina Cardona 🎙️ 

What’s the Giles County connection to America’s first filled chocolate bar? At the start of the Great Depression, a Minnesota candy magnate moved to the Pulaski area and became the community’s biggest employer. Plus the local news for March 12, 2026 and Winter Storm Fern evictions. 

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MORE TO KNOW

  • A Tennessee proposal that would require schools to verify students’ immigration status is advancing in the statehouse. WPLN’s Camellia Burris reports that critics of the measure say it’s a time-consuming and costly burden for school staff. Supporters call it a data tool in which schools would report to the state government how many of their students can’t produce documents proving their legal status. Members of the crowd chanted in the hallways of the Cordell Hull Building, “Vote them out!” 
  • Artificial food dyes banned from Tennessee school meals as lawmakers advance MAHA policy. WPLN’s Catherine Sweeney reports that concerns about food dyes — especially red ones — are far from new. They were banned from cosmetics more than three decades ago because of cancer risks. And although there is no evidence that the dyes cause cancer in humans — as opposed to some animals —there’s been a push to get them out of foods ever since.  
  • Country music singer Kacey Musgrave is back with a new album: ‘Middle of Nowhere.’ WPLN’s music reporter Jewly Hight sat down with Musgraves to discuss the inspiration behind the new music. Musgraves said, “I think it’s a little bit of that, but it’s also just finding myself being totally okay in this proverbial ‘middle of nowhere.’ And that can apply to many different things. It can be how you feel relationally or emotionally. It could be someone in between jobs.”  

FROM THIS IS NASHVILLE

Unemployment rates are still quite low. But they don’t tell the whole story. The face of joblessness has changed in recent years. Mid-career professionals, six-figure family breadwinners, are finding themselves laid off or downsized and seeing far fewer options than they expected. We’ll talk with some of them. Get some career coaching. And check in with a labor economist to understand what’s going on here.  

Your input is central to our show. Call (615) 751-2500 to leave us your feedback. Submit your idea or email us. Stream This is Nashville with host Blake Farmeron YouTube, or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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