The search for a new chancellor of the University of Tennessee campus will begin this week when the university announces that the search to replace Beverly Davenport is officially underway. Davenport was abruptly fired last May after what can only be called a series of personnel debacles that made the school the butt of jokes nationwide involving the athletics department and the school’s search for a new athletic director and a new head football coach.

When Davenport departed, UT turned to Dr. Wayne T. Davis, the former dean of the Tickle College of Engineering who has been at UT for 47 years, to step in and become the interim chancellor.

“These have been very unsettling times at UT,” Davis told the Rotary Club of Farragut at their meeting at Fox Den Country Club. “There are leadership changes in process on a number of levels. We’ve got to stabilize the ship.”

Davis had been planning to retire for a year when his life changed. “It was my worst fear, to have to suddenly change directions and step into this job,” he explained. “I was brought in to stabilize the campus so the next chancellor would not have to hire an athletic director and three vice chancellors. I’ve been here a long time and my blood truly runs orange and I wanted to help the university.”

Davis made it clear that he will not become the permanent chancellor. “I signed on for one year and I have told the university that they need a real chancellor, not someone who will be here for only two or three years. We need stable leadership.”

In addition to the chancellor’s position, the University of Tennessee System is about to begin a search for a new president. In September, Dr. Joe DiPietro announced that he will retire effective Feb. 14. DiPietro, who has been president since 2011, will step down from active employment on Nov. 21 and use his remaining vacation time until February, according to UT.

In late September, Randy Boyd, Knoxville businessman, philanthropist and former Republican candidate for governor, was named to succeed DiPietro. The UT Board of Trustees has named him the system’s interim president to serve for one or two years. Davis said Boyd is already working.

“You have to also realize that when a new chancellor is hired he or she will probably be working for a new boss, an interim president,” Davis added.

He shared some interesting facts as well:

  • This year’s freshmen class has 5,213 students and their average entering grade point average was 3.98 and the average score on the ACT was 28.
  • 19 percent of those freshmen are first-generation college students in their families.
  • UT is retaining 87 percent of those freshmen as they become sophomores.
  • UT currently has 91 faculty positions open.
  • 50 percent of UT grads remain in Tennessee and work.
  • UT has had its best year ever in the development area with contributions to the university of $234 million.

Work has begun on the new $129 million, six-story College of Engineering Building that will be next to Neyland Stadium. “It can only be six stories high so it doesn’t block the stadium skyboxes,” Davis said.

Plans are already underway for the celebration of the university’s 225th anniversary in the fall of 2019.