T. K. Wetherell | |
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Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives | |
Preceded by | Tom Gustafson |
Succeeded by | Bolley Johnson |
13th President of Florida State University |
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In office January 6, 2003 – January 31, 2010 |
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Preceded by | Sandy D'Alemberte |
Succeeded by | Eric J. Barron |
Personal details | |
Born |
Daytona Beach, Florida |
December 22, 1945
Nationality | American |
Spouse(s) |
Peggy Wetherell (divorced) Virginia B. Wetherell |
Education | Bachelors, Masters, and Doctor of Philosophy |
Alma mater | Florida State University |
Occupation | Former President of Florida State University |
Peggy Wetherell (divorced)
Thomas Kent Wetherell (born December 22, 1945) is a former educational administrator and politician. He served as president of Florida State University (FSU) from 2003 through 2009. His salary ranked among the top 10 public university presidents in the U.S.
Born in Daytona Beach, Florida, Wetherell attended Port Orange Elementary School and Mainland High School. He attended FSU on a football scholarship and played from 1963 to 1967. While at Florida State, Wetherell joined the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. He earned two academic degrees in social studies and education, in 1967 and 1968. In 1974, he received a doctorate in education administration from FSU.
Wetherell served as president of Tallahassee Community College (TCC) from 1995 to 2001; before that, he was president of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida. During his time as president of TCC, the school saw increased enrollment and a campus expansion. Wetherell also worked at Daytona Beach Community College and Florida Technological University. After he resigned from his post at TCC, Wetherell was a lobbyist for the Southern Strategy Group, where his partners include John Thrasher—an FSU Trustee. The FSU Board of Trustees, including Thrasher, appointed Wetherell to be president on December 18, 2002. Later, one of the members of the Board of Trustees, Lee Hinkle, joined Wetherell's administration as a Vice President for University Relations. In late 2006, he added his voice to efforts by Bernie Machen, president of the University of Florida to bring a play-off to Division I A college football. While President Wetherell is known nationally for his careful attention to and high profile in athletics-related matters, as FSU's President he also endorsed Lawrence G. Abele's idea of "Pathways of Excellence", a major academic initiative to try to hire hundreds of new faculty with a primary research emphasis on science and to help position FSU for future membership in the Association of American Universities.