Beloved Former Chancellor and TCE Dean Snyder Passes Away
William T. Snyder, a beloved engineering alumnus who rose from engineering professor to the chancellor of the University of Tennessee, passed away on September 23 following a brief illness. He was 93 years old.
A Knoxville native, Snyder earned his bachelor’s degree from UT in mechanical engineering in 1954. He joined the UT faculty 10 years later to help launch the UT Space Institute as an associate professor of aerospace engineering. Snyder became chairman of the UT Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics in 1970 and served in the role until being appointed dean of the Tickle College of Engineering in 1983.
Snyder was dean of the college for nine years while also serving as acting vice chancellor for academic affairs. He was appointed UT chancellor in 1992 and served in the role until 1999.
“Dr. Snyder was an historic figure for the college of engineering and for the university. He was also a treasured friend and mentor to me,” said Matthew Mench, dean and Wayne T. Davis Dean’s Chair of the college. “Long after his retirement from the university, Dr. Snyder took the time to regularly meet with me as a young and inexperienced department head. He offered me a fantastic sounding board, encouragement, and a broad perspective that I needed and greatly valued. His optimism and wisdom inspired me then and continues to shape the way I approach leadership today.”
As dean of TCE, Snyder sought radical change through a different style of management. He had a long-term vision for alumni support and industry involvement in the college. His ambitious agenda included the creation of several private Chairs of Excellence, which dramatically increased interdisciplinary research; two research centers; an aggressive recruitment program for academically superior students; and a $12 million capital campaign that exceeded its goal.
True Volunteer Spirit
Known as the “students’ chancellor,” Snyder welcomed emails and calls from students at all hours of the day. After Snyder left his role as chancellor, he began a special assignment for UT President J. Wade Gilley, developing strategies for implementing the president’s new Tennessee Plan for Academic Excellence. Snyder spent the last four years of his academic career in the classroom, serving as a professor of engineering until his retirement in 2004.
“Dr. Snyder was a wonderful friend to both me, the university and the Knoxville community. I had the pleasure in 1974-75 of having him on my PhD committee when he was a department head. Little did I know at that time that he would later become dean of the college and chancellor,” said Wayne T. Davis, dean emeritus of TCE. “He could be serious and yet was always optimistic about the future and offered excellent advice to me as a graduate student, faculty member, and administrator. Even after his retirement, we would have periodic lunches to talk about the exciting things that were happening at UT. He exhibited the true Volunteer spirit and will be missed by all who knew him.”
Man of Many Talents
Snyder has a plaque in UT’s Alumni Memorial Building in his honor. A member of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Hall of Fame, Snyder received TCE’s prestigious Dougherty Award in 2001, the Tau Beta Pi Standard of Excellence Award in 1998 and the UT National Alumni Association Public Service Award in 1989.
Outside of UT, Synder was well known in the Knoxville community as the house organist of the Tennessee Theatre, where he began to play the Mighty Wurlitzer in 1975. He served as the director of development and community relations for the Historic Tennessee Theatre Foundation.