UT Martin Chancellor Announced

Colleagues,

Today President Randy Boyd announced the appointment of our own Dr. Yancy Freeman as the next chancellor at the University of Tennessee at Martin. This is exciting news for the Freeman family, the UTM campus and community and all of us at UTC.  I believe that President Boyd has made an inspired choice, and I look forward to working with Chancellor Freeman in his new capacity.

Of course, Yancy’s departure also leaves a tremendous legacy – and a big gap to fill – here in Chattanooga. He is a three-time UTC alumnus and has been in some way affiliated with us for over three decades. While his move to Martin is in many ways a return to his west Tennessee roots (and his wife is a UTM alumna), Yancy and his family have meant a great deal to our campus and our community over many years.  I have enjoyed working with Yancy and will miss him.  

As we prepare to sustain and build upon the momentum that Dr. Freeman has helped to create here in Chattanooga, we will move with a sense of strategic urgency to identify our next vice chancellor of enrollment management and student affairs. I will be appointing an interim vice chancellor for EMSA in the next one to two weeks.

I have asked Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Jerry Hale to chair a search committee, which will work closely with an external recruiting firm to initiate an immediate search for a permanent successor. We will expect to have finalists on campus for visits this fall and an appointment finalized by the end of the fall semester. I look forward to a transparent, inclusive, and successful search – and I thank Jerry for his willingness to chair the search.  We will finalize membership of the search committee in the near future.

Now please join me in wishing Yancy our very best. I have treasured him as a friend and colleague and am grateful that his next step will keep him in Tennessee and the UT system.

These are exciting times for UTC, and I am sure we will rise to the challenges and opportunities ahead.