Pictured, left to right, inside the Mary T. Barker Humanities Building at Cleveland State: Lee McChesney, CSCC director of Development; Dr. Ty Stone, CSCC president; Dr. Corey Campbell, CSCC vice president for Academic Affairs; Dr. John Squires, interim vice president, Work Force Development, executive director of Cleveland State Foundation and Institutional Research.
Cleveland State Community College received a $50,000 gift from the estate of Dr. Mary T. Barker, professor and administrator at Cleveland State for over 20 years and namesake of the Mary T. Barker Humanities building on campus. This gift will be used by the Cleveland State Foundation to provide support for the college and scholarships to students.
Dr. Ty Stone, CSCC president, said, “Dr. Barker devoted her life to inspiring others through education, and I am grateful for her years of service at Cleveland State.
Her generous estate gift leaves a legacy that will provide resources and opportunities for future students, our next generation of leaders.”
Dr. Barker began her career at Cleveland State as a professor of English in 1968. She served as head of the Humanities Division, associate dean of Arts and Sciences, director of Institutional Planning and Research and dean of Academic Affairs. After retiring in 1992, Dr. Barker served as vice president of Academic Affairs at Chattanooga State Technical Community College. In 1998, she returned to the classroom as adjunct faculty at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga until 2005.
Originally from Ohio, Dr. Barker and her husband, Jack, were married for 65 years. The couple moved to Chattanooga in 1956. Dr. Barker earned her bachelor degree from the University of Chattanooga and a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University while teaching at Chattanooga High School.
Dr. Barker passed away in 2018 after serving over 33 years in public education in Tennessee. In 2011, the House Joint Resolution No. 12 by the Tennessee House of Representatives stated, “Dr. Barker has demonstrated the utmost professionalism, ability and integrity, winning the unbridled respect and admiration of her colleagues and students alike.”
Dr. John Squires, interim vice president, Work Force Development and executive director of Cleveland State Foundation and Institutional Research, said, “Dr. Barker served Cleveland State for over 20 years; through her generous estate gift, she will continue to serve our students in perpetuity. Mary’s love of education and helping students and faculty was evident in everything she did while at Cleveland State.“