Friday, January 11, 2007
Writer: Shanna Relford
news@utsi.edu
The University of Tennessee Space Institute was proud to host
Sen. Steve Roller, who recently replaced former senator Jerry Cooper
in representing the 14th district. Accompanying the new senator was
his friend Bill Zechman, a Warren County Commissioner and member of
UTSI’s Support Council.
Sen. Roller and Mr. Zechman joined UTSI Chief Operating Officer Dr.
Don Daniel and the members of UTSI’s Senior Staff for an overview
briefing of UTSI’s legacy of graduate education, recent research,
and value to the community. Following the briefing, Sen. Roller said
a few words to the group about his intentions for the legislative
session that began on Tuesday.
Sen. Roller said that he thinks Tennessee is ranked too low among
all states in many categories and that he believes supporting
education and increasing opportunities for secondary education will
in turn make our state more desirable for industry. “A strong back
isn’t enough anymore. Industry is looking for both strong backs and
strong minds,” said Sen. Roller.
Sen. Roller assured those assembled, “I’m going to spend money up
there like I spend my own, even more strictly, because I won’t
splurge with someone else’s money. We’re going to have to use some
common sense.” The senator referred specifically to the $400 million
surplus in the lottery scholarship fund, stating again that he would
like to see this surplus used to provide scholarships to
non-traditional students, meaning students not between the ages of
18-21, who might be going back to school after spending time in the
workforce or graduate students, such as those that attend UTSI. Sen.
Roller said that some of his fellow legislators wanted to spend the
lottery surplus for capital building projects, but that he wouldn’t
support that effort. “We have a capital building fund. We don’t need
to use the lottery scholarship funds for building projects,” said
the senator. “I’m embarrassed that we’ve had to fund scholarships
with a lottery, but that is what the fund is designated for, and
that money should only be spent on scholarships,” Sen. Roller said.
Sen. Roller also mentioned that he is not in favor of any new taxes,
but felt that all taxes should be fair and applied equally. The new
senator reiterated that he intends to represent all 7 of the
counties in his district, which includes Franklin, Bledsoe, Coffee,
Grundy, Sequatchie, Van Buren, and Warren counties.
DR. DANIEL GREETS SENATOR ROLLER AND BILL ZECHMAN—UTSI Chief Operating Officer Dr. Don Daniel is shown, left, greeting Warren County Commissioner Bill Zechman, while the state’s newest senator, Steve Roller, and Zechman’s granddaughter, Bliss Zechman, look on. Roller and Zechman visited UTSI on Friday, during Roller’s first week in the legislative session.
--UTSI Photo
