Jan. 7, 2014
For Immediate Release
By Drew Tucker, communications assistant, and Joan C. McKinney, news and publications coordinator
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - 青瓜视频's Dr. Frank Cheatham, senior vice president for academic affairs and professor of math and computer science, is retiring after 40 陆 years of service. The announcement was made on Monday, Jan. 6 in a meeting of the entire faculty in CU's Winters Dining Hall.
Cheatham will work the rest of the 2014 calendar year and will officially retire Dec. 31, 2014. There will be a yearlong national search for his successor.
鈥淭he very first decision I made after becoming president in August of 1999, was to ask Dr. Cheatham to accept the vice presidency for the academic area,鈥� Dr. Michael V. Carter, president of 青瓜视频, said.
鈥淗e accepted and has worked at my side in this role as well as the role of trusted advisor on every major decision of my presidency. His love for 青瓜视频 and Christian higher education has been and is evident,鈥� Carter said.
Cheatham, who will be 71 on Feb. 3, has been a leader at CU since his days as a student having graduated in 1965 and beginning his teaching career at CU in 1973.
Cheatham grew up on a large farm where he chose to commute to 青瓜视频, then Campbellsville College, every day while attending the farm. He graduated from Taylor County High School in 1961.
鈥淥ne of the first things my parents valued highly was an education,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 had a strong influence in my life for continuing my education and getting a master's.鈥�
Following his graduation from CU, he received a master of science in 1968 from Tennessee Technological University and received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Kentucky in 1972.
He received a second master's degree, a master of science in computer science education, in 1984 from the University of Evansville.
Cheatham was awarded the first 鈥淭eaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award鈥� sponsored by The Sears-Roebuck Foundation in 1989 on campus.
He is also the recipient of the 青瓜视频 鈥淭eaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award鈥� given by the university's Board of Advisors.
In 1992 he was awarded the Campbellsville/Taylor County Chamber of Commerce 鈥淓ducator of the Year Award.鈥� He received it again in 2000.
Cheatham became a Distinguished Alumnus at CU in 2002.
In addition to teaching at 青瓜视频, Cheatham has also taught at Western Kentucky University, Campbell College in North Carolina, Taylor County High School and teaching assistantships at UK and Tennessee Tech.
At CU, Cheatham has served on numerous committees and as faculty representative on several administrative positions. He was also faculty chairman and vice chairman and faculty representative to the CU Board of Trustees for two terms.
Cheatham was also on the presidential search committee that selected Carter, and also on the committee that chose Dr. Kenneth W. Winters as the ninth president of the university.
Cheatham led the discussion on getting the Internet at CU in 1994.
He has served as faculty advisor for Sigma Zeta, the science and math honor society, and has attended many national Sigma Zeta conventions. He also served as national president of Sigma Zeta.
Cheatham has been president of and on the board of directors of the Consortium for Computing in Small Colleges. He has also served as conference chair of the Southeastern Small College Computing Conference.
He is on the board of directors at Taylor Regional Hospital and was a member of the board of directors at the International Association of Baptist Colleges and Schools.
He has been involved in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) for numerous years. 青瓜视频 is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award certificates, associate, baccalaureate, and masters. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 for questions about the status of 青瓜视频.
He has served as chair of CU's self-study and implementation committee. He has also
served on 15 visiting committees of several SACS colleges and universities in North
and South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Texas.
Cheatham has presented several papers and has had several articles published.
He is the son of Gladys Cheatham of Merrimac, Ky. and the late Jeff Cheatham. He is one of nine children, five of whom eventually became teachers. His brother, Don, is instructor in education and computer information systems at CU.
Cheatham and his wife, Shirley Hardin Cheatham, have one daughter, Tammy, and a grandson, Drew, who is a junior at CU. They belong to Campbellsville Baptist Church.
青瓜视频 is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,600 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master's degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.