Nate Tucker It all started when Nate Tucker was in junior high. Mom and Dad bought him a Commodore 64 computer, and the rest, as they say, is history. Today, twenty-odd years later, Tucker is the Associate Director for Lee University’s Office of Information Services and Technology. Tucker came to Cleveland in 1990 from Washington, D.C. to study at Tomlinson College and transferred to Lee in the fall of 1992. He began his career at Lee as a student worker but quickly obtained the part-time job of AS/400 Systems Operator. This made him responsible for running all of the university reports that issued from the university’s administrative database system. By the time Nate graduated in ’95, he had earned a full-time position with many of the same responsibilities and more. Since then, Nate has been involved with several important technology related projects at Lee. Moving up through the ranks along the way, he was directly involved with the introduction of Internet services to campus, overseeing the installation of Lee’s first T1, a high-speed connection designed for heavy traffic. In 1996, Tucker was directly involved in the introduction of www.leecollege.edu, Lee’s first web presence, with roughly 30 web pages. In 1997, Lee began doing all of its web design in-house, and Nate not only worked to install the necessary equipment and software to host a growing website, but he also oversaw the addition of content. In 1999, Tucker was named as Lee’s webmaster.  Since the time of Nate’s initial work on the website, Lee now has 8000 pages and a connection the equivalent of twenty eight T1s. Several other online initiatives have also been included, like Faculty Toolbox, online coursework and LeeOnline, the web-based account management and registration for students. He also served as a member of the Staff Advisory Committee and chaired the committee in 1998. All along the way, Nate has been well-known for his positive outlook, his tireless work ethic and his love for Lee. “I like the university’s go-getter attitude,” he said. “I like its ability to accomplish more with the same resources, to set a goal and finish it.” Tucker now oversees the development team for IS&T which manages the website, Champlain and any other programming projects that Lee takes on. His main focus right now is the ongoing Datatel transition, a 24-month project during which Lee’s information management system, Champlain, is being systematically taken out of use and replaced with a product by Datatel. He is also pursuing an M.B.A. from University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. After sixteen years, the kid from D.C. has become a Cleveland man. “I like the small-town atmosphere and the southern hospitality,” he said. He liked the south so much, in fact, that he married a southern girl, another Lee graduate. His wife of six years, Stacey Ussery of Lexington, Ky. is working on her Ph.D. in Sociology at UTK. She was the Bradley County planner for two years. So if the Help Desk is on your speed dial or you thought Commodores were English naval officers or an old music group, don’t worry about the welfare of Lee’s technology. We have Nate Tucker.   Posted on - 02/01/2008