Tennessee Tech nursing pioneer receives inaugural ‘Legacy Award’
June 25, 2026

From left: Kim Hanna, dean of the Whitson-Hester School of Nursing at Tennessee Tech, presents retired faculty member and administrator Becky Tolbert with the school’s inaugural “Legacy Award” for her contributions to nursing education. Tolbert was among the five original faculty members who helped establish the School of Nursing in 1980. Image by Tennessee Tech

COOKEVILLE, TN - Tennessee Tech University’s Whitson-Hester School of Nursing has honored retired administrator and nursing educator Becky Tolbert with its inaugural Legacy Award, recognizing a lasting impact on students at Tech that has transformed the nursing workforce across the Upper Cumberland.

Tolbert was among the five original faculty members who helped establish Tech’s School of Nursing in 1980. As the first faculty member hired for the new program, she played a key role in developing its curriculum, structure and resources, helping position the school for accreditation in 1982 before its first class of students graduated.

In conjunction with the award, Whitson-Hester School of Nursing faculty also dedicated an office space in Tolbert’s honor.

“Becky Tolbert helped build the foundation on which our school stands today,” said Kim Hanna, dean of the Whitson-Hester School of Nursing. “Her vision, leadership and commitment to student nurses shaped the early years of the program and established a culture of success that continues to define us today. The impact of her work can be seen not only in our graduates, but in the thousands of patients and communities they serve.”

For Tolbert, the recognition carried added significance because the award was presented by Hanna, a 1983 graduate of Tech's nursing program and one of Tolbert's former students.

“I’ve known her a long time, and I’ve always been proud of her,” Tolbert said. “We've had a strong relationship over the years, and she is a great dean who really listens to the faculty.”

Tolbert served at Tech for more than 25 years until her retirement as associate vice president for Academic Affairs in 2006.

A nurse practitioner with certifications in women’s and child health, she said helping students succeed was always the most rewarding part of her career.

“My love for nursing continued into helping students learn nursing,” she said. “I worked to find solutions for students, and that was rewarding.”

When Tech launched its nursing program, the need for highly trained nurses across the region was significant. At the time, fewer than 200 registered nurses served the 14-county Upper Cumberland region.

Despite some pushback, Tolbert and university leaders, including then-Provost Wallace Prescott, made a deliberate decision to establish a four-year program rather than a two-year associate degree option, as some peer institutions had done.

Tolbert believes that decision helped set the program apart from the beginning.

“We're a university, and we needed a four-year program,” Tolbert recalled. “That was wonderful because it started from the very beginning as a baccalaureate-level program.”

More than four decades later, the Whitson-Hester School of Nursing continues to build on that foundation. In 2025, Tech nursing graduates earned a 95% first-time pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), tying with Vanderbilt University and surpassing both state and national averages. The school also enrolled 884 students as of last fall, its highest enrollment in more than a decade.

Even in retirement, Tolbert has remained deeply connected to the university. She has served on the School of Nursing’s executive committee and development council, while also supporting numerous philanthropic initiatives.

In fall 2025, she was appointed to the Tennessee Tech Foundation Board of Directors, where she continues to help advance the university’s mission and future growth.

For Tolbert, receiving the Legacy Award was especially meaningful because it came from the faculty members carrying forward the work she helped begin.

"It was tremendously heartwarming,” she said. “I felt like the award recognized the foundation of the School of Nursing and the people who worked to establish it. We’ve been fortunate to have a strong reputation ever since the beginning."

Learn more about Tech’s Whitson-Hester School of Nursing at www.tntech.edu/nursing.