Today, the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) named former Northeast State President R. Wade Powers as a recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy for 2021.
Dr. Flora Tydings, TBR chancellor, presented the award.
“Thank you, Dr. Powers, for the love you have for Northeast State and its students,” Tydings said. “Your kindness and loyalty to the College are an inspiration to us all.”
Powers was president of the College when Northeast State became a comprehensive community college in 1990. He served from 1987 to 1996 when Dr. William Locke succeeded him.
“I have come to the point in my life that I look back and see that the only thing that really counts is what you do for others,” Powers said.
Powers is a long-time supporter of the Northeast State Foundation who often returns to campus to participate in special events and activities.
Upon his retirement, Dr. Powers created two endowed scholarships and one book scholarship for Northeast State students.
The Mary Beth Powers Endowed Scholarship–named for his wife–and the R. Wade Powers Endowed Scholarship support first-generation college students.
The R. Wade Powers Academic Book Scholarship is awarded each semester to a student with a 3.0 GPA.
The scholarships—among the first endowed gifts ever received by the College’s Foundation—have contributed to the educational dreams of dozens of Northeast State students.
Because of his generosity, he is recognized by the Foundation as a President’s Trust Bronze-Level Member for contributions of more than $25,000.
Recently, he provided seed funds to help restore the Powers Science and Mathematics Building, which was named in his honor on the eve of his retirement in 1996.
The much-needed upgrades to the 25,000 square-foot building will help restore his namesake to good repair, ensuring that his legacy extends to further generations of students.
Gallatin CARES loves Dr. Wade Powers.