The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga announces Dr. Jerald Ainsworth has been named Dean of the UTC Graduate School, effective November 1.
Ainsworth comes to UTC from Southeastern Louisiana University where he most recently served as Dean of Research and Graduate Studies.
“Dr. Ainsworth brings an impressive scholarly record and many years of administrative experience to our Graduate School,” said Dr. Phil Oldham, UTC Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. “During his time at Southeastern Louisiana, he improved the graduate admissions process and increased stipends for graduate assistantships. I believe he has the same type of vision for the UTC Graduate School.”
Ainsworth received a B.S. in biophysics from Delta State University and a M.S. in immunopathology and Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He also completed a NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, Department of Medicine.
Prior to joining Southeastern Louisiana University, he held various positions at Mississippi State University, including Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies and head of the Department of Basic Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Ainsworth has published extensively and has served as a manuscript reviewer for publications such as the Journal of Aquatic Animal Health, the Journal of Fish Biology, the Journal of Wildlife Diseases, and the American Journal of Veterinary Research. He received the SmithKline Beecham Award for Research Excellence in 1990 and 1992.
“As we welcome Jerald to UTC, I want to thank Dr. Stephanie Bellar for her outstanding service as interim dean for the past few years. Her leadership and promotion of graduate education at UTC was very important and productive during a time of great fiscal challenges,” said Oldham.
Under Bellar’s leadership, the Graduate School added a new master’s degree in mathematics and doctorate in nursing as well as initiated a regional tuition rate for selected counties in Georgia and Alabama.
