Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
During ETSU's 2024 Founders Week activities, Mr. Fred Sauceman presented a presidential lecture titled "The Life and Times of Burgin E. Dossett." A former coal miner and candidate for Governor of Tennessee, Burgin E. Dossett became East Tennessee State College’s third president in 1949. During his 19-year tenure, ETSC became ETSU, the campaign for a medical school began, enrollment increased significantly, the institution’s first master’s degrees were awarded, and the campus was peacefully integrated, among other transformational accomplishments. In a fascinating presentation, Mr. Sauceman, who knew President Dossett personally, described this remarkable era in ETSU’s history and the man who defined it.
During ETSU's 2024 Founders Week activities, Mr. Fred Sauceman presented a presidential lecture titled "The Life and Times of Burgin E. Dossett." A former coal miner and candidate for Governor of Tennessee, Burgin E. Dossett became East Tennessee State College’s third president in 1949. During his 19-year tenure, ETSC became ETSU, the campaign for a medical school began, enrollment increased significantly, the institution’s first master’s degrees were awarded, and the campus was peacefully integrated, among other transformational accomplishments. In a fascinating presentation, Mr. Sauceman, who knew President Dossett personally, described this remarkable era in ETSU’s history and the man who defined it.
