The Covenant Health Campus of Roane State’s Knox Regional Health Science Education Center (KRHSEC) is now open for spring semester as students prepare for their first full week of classes in the all-new location.

Faculty of the community college and its partner, the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT), hosted a celebration there on January 20, 2026. The new facility is three stories with 130,000 square feet. It is expected to serve 8,000 students each year with hands-on medical procedures training.

Knox Regional Health Science Education Center

Covenant Health donated 10 acres of land along Sherill Boulevard, across from Parkwest Medical Center.

The first Roane State classes in the new location include nursing, EMS and medical laboratory technology. Polysomnography and respiratory therapy courses will be offered soon along with Roane State’s continuing education courses that will assist healthcare professionals with maintaining professional licensure.

With the added space, Roane State is also planning to launch diagnostic medical sonography (ultrasound), echocardiography and neurodiagnostic technology programs.

The state of Tennessee contributed more than $67.5 million toward this $75 million project. Roane State Foundation has raised nearly $5 million of the additional $7.5 million needed to equip the campus and sustain operations.

Sarah Self contributed information for this report.

Holston Conference UMC adds two camp leaders

Whitney Winston, Nathan Dugger

Two new leadership positions in Holston Conference and Camp Retreat Ministries were announced this week.

Whitney Winston has been named interim director of Holston Camp and Retreat Ministries, following the Rev. Mary Thompson.

Whitney began her journey in 2003 as a volunteer, and over the years, she has served in a wide range of roles, including counselor, adventure resource, healthcare supervisor, environmental education instructor, outreach director, office manager, retreat coordinator and more.

In 2011, Whitney founded Camp in the Community as an outreach program at Camp Wesley Woods. What began by serving 77 children in its first year grew to reach more than 400 children annually before becoming its own standalone camp in 2016. She is a graduate of Maryville College with a degree in outdoor recreation. She and her husband, Nick, have two children, Wesley and Clark.

Nathan Dugger is the next director of Camp Bays Mountain, following the Rev. Jeff Wadley, who will be retiring on March 31, 2026, after 11 years at the camp.

Nathan’s experience includes leading ministry teams, providing leadership in environments where children, youth and families are central, and managing complex systems with both pastoral sensitivity and operational clarity. Nathan and Jeff will overlap through March to ensure continuity and transfer of institutional knowledge.

The Rev. Tim Jones provided information for this report.

In Memoriam

Dr. Sherry Hoppe

Dr. Sherry L. Hoppe, president of Roane State Community College (1988-2000), has died at age 78. She became the first female president at both Roane State and Austin Peay State University, where she was later named president emeritus. A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she began her career as a teacher and counselor at Chattanooga Valley High School before advancing into leadership at Chattanooga State Community College. A memorial service was held at the Anglican Church of the Redeemer in Chattanooga on Sunday, February 1, 2026. The obituary is here.

Notes & Quotes

Imagination Library, founded in Sevier County, Tennessee, by Dolly Parton in 1995, has grown into a global program. Research by Dr. Claire Galea, head of research at United Way Australia, shows how this Tennessee-initiated program is shaping early learning outcomes internationally: US_Canada Global Research_FINAL

RAM (Remote Area Medical) is offering a free clinic this weekend at the Jacob Building, Chilhowee Park, Knoxville. Details: RAM 2026

Quote: “The University of Tennessee System is built on a simple focus: preparing for what comes next.” – Randy Boyd, read his full remarks here.

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