From college freshmen to the most powerful politicians in Florida, all called him simply “T.K.”

Florida State University President Emeritus Thomas Kent Wetherell, who passed away Dec. 16 at the age of 72, leaves a legacy as one of higher education’s most dynamic and lifelong champions.

At the helm of his alma mater from 2003 to 2010, Wetherell was the first alumnus of Florida State to become its president and brought a wealth of experience and dedication to the institution that raised its stature on many levels.

After retiring from the presidency, Wetherell continued working to improve higher education as a professor in the College of Education and director of the Center for Higher Education Research, Teaching & Innovation.

“As a veteran lawmaker, tireless supporter of higher education and then as president, T.K. used his energy and intellect to not only lead FSU through a severe budget crisis but to make sure it flourished in so many ways,” said President John Thrasher. “He was a remarkable person and a great friend.”

Under Wetherell’s leadership, Florida State increased the academic quality of its students, the number of doctoral degrees awarded and the amount of research dollars it received, while experiencing a boom in campus building. Longtime former provost Larry Abele remembered Wetherell as courageous and determined to see things through, no matter how formidable the task.

“T.K. was an amazing man who was able to accomplish so much because of his boundless energy and his ability to focus and continue working through any challenge,” Abele said. “He was always optimistic that whatever project he was working on would be successful.”

Soon after assuming office, Wetherell launched the ambitious Pathways of Excellence initiative that included hiring additional faculty members in interdisciplinary clusters built around academic themes, significant investments in graduate-level programs and $800 million worth of new construction and renovations, including state-of-the-art chemistry, biological science, psychology and medicine buildings that transformed the northwest corner of campus into a research quadrangle.

Wetherell achieved a major coup in 2005 when Florida State lured the Applied Superconductivity Center from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where it had been housed for two decades. The center became the materials research division of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.

A new Alumni Center, new general classroom building, parking garages, residence halls, dining halls and other projects followed. Wetherell took special interest in the $33-million repurposing and renovation of Ruby Diamond Auditorium into one of the finest concert halls in the country.

Under Wetherell, the university saw its students reach unprecedented national academic recognition. He established the Office of National Fellowships in 2005, which guided students to win three Rhodes scholarships and dozens of other competitive national awards.

He established the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors, now called the Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement, which allowed undergraduate students to work directly with professors beyond the classroom, and innovative programs dramatically increased retention and graduation rates.

“In addition, beyond expanding academic programs and facilities, T.K. made sure that space for student life kept pace,” said former Vice President for Student Affairs Mary Coburn, citing the addition of the Dunlap Student Success Center, the Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement, and the Health and Wellness Center. “He was a tireless advocate for students and valued the importance of growth and learning beyond the classroom.”

Under Wetherell, the College of Medicine graduated its first class, in 2005, opened six regional campuses and established research collaborations with the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.

And it was Wetherell who pushed successfully for Florida’s public universities to assess a tuition differential in an effort to make up for budget shortfalls and continue to offer high-quality education to students. This laid the groundwork for preeminence funding later.