UT President's Wife in Hot Water

I've heard from a number of sources over the past several years of the, sometime, abusive nature of Carol Petersen toward UT staff. None of it, in my opinion, rose to the level of a news story.

This latest revelation regarding a major University donor, and Petersen's "verbal abuse" of the donor, however, does.

It's one thing to snap at an employee about the use of a certain caterer, but it's quite different to bring a prominent donor to tears. Especially one who's committed millions of dollars to UT.

I've noticed some of the comments to our story make fun of the situation, describing it as a 'cat fight' among wealthy women.

With the economy in the dumps and more and more people getting laid off every day, I can understand why some people can't or won't take this story seriously.

But let's not forget that state funding for higher education is getting smaller, not larger. The University system, UTK in particular, is feeling the pinch.

As an alum, I want the University to thrive, and not just because I went to school there. When the University is financially healthy, the local economy tends to follow. UT is that important to Knoxville and the state.

Much needed improvements on campus have always relied heavily on private donations. So, it's not good strategy to be running off donors.

The Petersen's have apologized to Laura and Steve Morris about the October incident.

Steve Morris told 6 News reporter Jill McNeal that they've accepted the apology and Laura is considering returning to her volunteer role for the University.

Let's hope that's the end of this story.