Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Artanya Wesley came to UTC from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she had served as vice chancellor for student affairs since 2019. Photo by Angela Foster.
Understanding the driving force behind your ambitions, from earning a degree to scoring a promotion, is crucial for success.
“If you know your why, you know your way,” said Dr. Artanya Wesley, the new vice chancellor for enrollment management and student affairs at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
It’s a philosophy Wesley adopted when she was a first-generation psychology student in the early 2000s. A young Black woman at a predominantly white college, Wesley said she felt out of place at the start of her freshman year.
“I was unsure of who I was and what I wanted to be and how to show up in a space unfamiliar to me,” said Wesley, who arrived at UTC in early February. “But when I got there, I had so many people—faculty, staff, administrators—who helped guide my path. They took the time to listen to me and went above and beyond for me, and if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here today.
“I want to show up for our students in the same way that employees showed up for me. There are so many students who are trying to figure out who they are and find their place when first coming to college and sometimes throughout their college experience. I want to help students be successful both in and outside of the classroom. That is my why. It is the reason why I have stayed in higher education for 19 years and it is why I thrive in the work that I do.”
Wesley got her start in 2006 as a student affairs specialist and resident hall director at her alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. She progressed up the student affairs ladder, rising from assistant dean of students to assistant to the assistant vice chancellor for student affairs, then to dean of students.
Wesley came to UTC from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she served as vice chancellor for student affairs for almost five years.
She was selected for the UTC vice chancellor role in late December after a highly competitive national search to replace Dr. Yancy Freeman, now the chancellor at UT Martin.
“Dr. Wesley is the ideal candidate to direct UTC in this crucial position, bringing a wealth of experience, insight and relational resources to our campus,” UTC Chancellor Steven R. Angle said at the time of her appointment. “She will challenge and inspire us to continue transforming and growing our student-focused campus culture and dramatically expand engagement within our campus community.”
A native of Wisconsin, Wesley was drawn to UTC’s values and mission because “they speak to the understanding that professionals in higher education institutions exist because of the students,” she said.
“We have the opportunity to change students’ lives, to help them thrive, to help them identify their interests and passions to achieve their goals and to seek out their dreams. To have an opportunity to be a part of that every day, that’s why I do this work,” Wesley said.
Wesley’s main charges include growing enrollment, supporting student success and retention, and providing a well-rounded, co-curricular educational experience for UTC’s student body that is engaging and preparing them to be leaders of the future.
“The value of higher education is not only in giving students the opportunity to explore who they are as individuals but also the skills to think critically, connect, communicate and network with people and to step into unknown and unfamiliar places and situations with confidence,” she said.
“We have the wonderful privilege and opportunity to help students define what success means to them and create a living and learning environment where they can thrive here at UTC.”
