Search Begins for Next UT Martin Chancellor

KNOXVILLE – The University of Tennessee System has announced the search for the next chancellor of UT Martin.

The UT Board of Trustees approved the search process, timeline, and statement of qualifications for the position on Feb. 24.

The successful candidate will succeed Chancellor Keith Carver, who held the role for more than six years, as he moves into a new position as senior vice chancellor/senior vice president of the UT Institute of Agriculture.

The UT Martin chancellor is the chief executive officer of the campus and serves on the University of Tennessee System leadership team, reporting directly to the UT System president. A successful candidate will be recommended by the president and approved by the UT Board of Trustees.

The primary responsibilities of the position are to promote academic excellence, and to provide leadership and administration of the Martin campus. The chancellor is expected to provide visionary leadership in strategic initiatives to enhance the standing of the University, budget planning and accountability, shared governance, enhancement of diversity and resources, engagement of the University with the wider community and other elements of administrative policy.

UT Martin is a comprehensive, public university with more than 7,000 students. UT Martin has five colleges offering more than 100 academic areas of study within 18 undergraduate degree programs. The campus also offers five graduate degrees within 17 specialized concentrations. Focused on providing access to higher education, UT Martin has more off-campus centers than any public four-year university in the state and is the UT System’s largest provider of online education.

The search committee is chaired by UT System Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer David Miller. The committee includes members of faculty, staff, student and alumni communities:

• Petra McPhearson, senior vice president for finance and administration
• Kurt McGuffin, vice chancellor and director of athletics
• Andy Lewter, vice chancellor of student affairs
• Philip Smartt, professor, Department of Agriculture, Geoscience, and Natural Resources
• Ahmad Tootoonchi, dean of the College of Business and Global Affairs
• Destin Tucker, director of admissions
• Anderson Starling, associate professor of political science
• Kiara Castleman, assistant registrar
• Dominique Crockett, Office of Equity and Diversity and Title IX coordinator
• Debi Adcock, administrative assistant to the vice chancellor
• Kelli Deere, director, UT Martin Parsons Center
• Jerry Reese, UT Martin alumnus
• Dawson Gremmels, UT Martin student

A search website has been established that provides a job description, timeline and outlines the qualities and characteristics for the next UT Martin chancellor. UT will use the search firm WittKieffer in partnership with its own executive recruitment team to identify candidates for the position. Once a finalist(s) is selected, UT will make a broad announcement and post resumes to the search website.

To learn more about the position and to apply, please visit our search website.