Story: Phillip Tutor | Photo: Betsy Compton
Provost is proud of the university’s numerous academic additions during his tenure
When Birmingham鈥檚 weather warmed and school reached its hiatus, Dr. Tim Edwards spent his teenage summers toiling alongside his father, a brick mason with a meticulous attention to detail so prevalent among skilled artisans.
His dad wielded trowels and scooped mortar and kept straight lines. Be patient, he told his son; competence develops slowly. But speed mattered because he got paid by the brick, not the hour. Young Tim Edwards, sweating in the baby直播 heat, tried to keep up.
鈥淚 could never get the hang of laying brick,鈥� he said. 鈥淚’d rather teach than lay brick.鈥�
That preference worked well for Edwards, who rose through a distinguished academic career as an English professor at several institutions to become provost at the . His retirement this summer will mark the end of nearly two decades on campus in Livingston. In remarks at this spring鈥檚 commencement exercises, UWA President Dr. Ken Tucker announced that Edwards has been awarded the honor of provost emeritus.
鈥淚 would like to take a moment of personal privilege to thank him for the leadership, support, friendship and loyalty that he has shown to me and to our entire university family,鈥� Tucker said at commencement. 鈥淒r. Edwards, I will certainly miss your positive attitude and sense of humor.鈥�
Edwards smiles when admitting he was caught off guard — not by the award, but by the public announcement at what is normally a scripted ceremony.
鈥淚 was very excited and honored that I will be the first provost emeritus, as far as we know, in the history of this university,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat was not expected, but it was really nice.鈥�
UWA鈥檚 place in Edwards鈥� career
Though he鈥檚 taught at other universities, Edwards has enjoyed a lengthy relationship with UWA that spans nearly two decades and a variety of ascending roles. The assignments came in rapid-fire succession: associate professor specializing in American literature; chair of the Department of Languages and Literature; associate dean — and later, dean — of the College of Liberal Arts; interim provost; and, in 2015, provost and vice president of academic affairs.
That accounting, though, is incomplete.
In 1999, Edwards earned his doctorate from the University of Tennessee while teaching at and accepted a non-tenure-track position at UWA. He and his wife, Kathy, had a 6-year-old daughter, Emily. They lived just across the state line in Meridian, Mississippi. But his first stay in Livingston lasted only one academic year. When offered a tenure-track teaching job at the in Clarksville, Arkansas, he accepted. Family stability and career advancement mattered.
In 2006, that mindset brought him back to UWA. Edwards chuckles when recalling his return to campus.
鈥淲ell, it changed a lot from 鈥�99 until 鈥�06,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was surprised how much it changed.鈥�
The same could be said for UWA during Edwards鈥� nearly 10 years as provost. When prodded, he lists a number of academic improvements and additions during his tenure of which he鈥檚 particularly pleased.
鈥淚 was very excited and honored that I will be the first provost emeritus, as far as we know, in the history of this university. That was not expected, but it was really nice.鈥�
— Dr. Tim Edwards
The meteoric growth of the may sit atop his list. Today, UWA offers more than 70 degree and certification programs and serves more than 4,000 online students. Reviving the music major marked a significant addition to the university catalog. 鈥淚t’s still in its infancy, but we’re starting to produce our first music graduates in a long, long time,鈥� he said. And the creation of the university鈥檚 first doctoral program — a — became an instant headline in UWA鈥檚 history.
鈥淭he university had tried in the past to secure a doctoral program, and that’s a hard thing for a small university,鈥� Edwards said. 鈥淓arly on, (College of Education Dean) Jan Miller and I had talked and said, 鈥榃hat are some of the degree programs, especially in the online environment, that could grow enrollment and elevate the profile of the university?鈥欌��
The importance of that milestone event isn鈥檛 lost on him.
鈥淚’m really proud of that,鈥� he said.
An English professor who loves 鈥榦ld-school science fiction鈥�
As reading, not masonry, became Edwards鈥� career path, the authors he chose evolved through a quirky pairing of literary giants. Before Twain — Edwards鈥� favorite author — he absorbed the novels of , a contemporary of and a titan in the genre of science fiction. Asimov penned 鈥溾�� and hundreds of other books and short stories. Heinlein wrote 鈥溾�� and 鈥�.鈥� That he now considers Heinlein鈥檚 novels 鈥渙ld-school science fiction鈥� that may not resonate among aficionados doesn鈥檛 alter his appreciation. Like time, readers change.
Or, as Edwards describes it, they mature.
Soon, Twain鈥檚 work bypassed science fiction and began resonating in the mind of the would-be brick mason鈥檚 son. Edwards enjoyed Twain鈥檚 phrasings and how he crafted compelling stories. From childhood to provost emeritus, his appreciation of Twain鈥檚 renowned literary approach hasn鈥檛 waned.
Unlike authors who were resolutely serious, or worse, Twain dared to be different.
鈥淗e’s funny,鈥� Edwards said. 鈥淗e’s very funny, but he can also be biting in his satire. He just has a distinctive style of writing. I don’t know that I can tell you why, but when I pick up a paragraph and read it, I’m thinking, 鈥楾hat’s Mark Twain.鈥欌��
For Edwards, writing existed as a separate activity; related to reading, impossible to separate, but not automatically joined. He tried. What he learned was that it鈥檚 difficult, and it wasn鈥檛 the lodestar of his career.
鈥淚 was never nearly as good as some of my friends,鈥� he said. 鈥淚’m not a fiction writer and I’m not a poet. I can write analytical, scholarly pieces, and that’s kind of what I was trained for.鈥�
His administrative career has created a few byproducts. He misses teaching. And quiet mornings lost between the pages of a good book haven鈥檛 been as frequent. Work, as it often does, has taken precedence. Though he plans to teach American literature online courses at UWA after retirement, Edwards is eager to immerse himself in books that entertain rather than merely inform.
鈥淚’m not as voracious as I used to be because I tend to read what I teach, or I read lots of reports that are associated with my job,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o my wife keeps nagging at me about all the books I keep buying from Amazon because I’m stacking up a whole bunch to read in retirement.鈥�
