Dr. Ethan Carver (photo credit: Angela Foster)
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga today announced that Dr. Ethan Carver has been appointed associate provost for academic affairs and dean of the Graduate School, effective immediately.
Carver, who has worked closely with graduate programs and the Graduate School since 2016—first as assistant dean and then as associate dean—had been serving as interim dean since January.
Dr. Jerold L. Hale, UTC provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, announced the appointment.
“Dr. Carver’s transition from interim to permanent dean comes as a result of his exceptional leadership over the past eight months,” Hale said. “Since he stepped into the interim role in January, UTC has seen a notable increase in graduate enrollments compared to last year. His ability to assemble an outstanding team for the Graduate School and address key vacancies has been instrumental in this success.
“It’s a natural progression to lift the interim designation and let him continue to do the work that needs to be done.”
Carver has 20 years of faculty and administrative experience at UTC, and his research background includes stints at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, and the Jackson Laboratory in Maine.
“I’m honored to serve in this position, and I’m looking forward to continuing my interactions with graduate students, faculty, staff and programs to help elevate graduate education,” Carver said. “Our unit has been working to introduce new professional development opportunities for all graduate students. We’ve been working with programs to bolster their enrollments and to find areas that we can contribute more to their success.”
Carver first came to UTC as an undergraduate, receiving a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1991. He later earned a Ph.D. from the UT-Oak Ridge Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
In 2005, he returned to UTC as an assistant professor of biology—and was promoted to associate professor in 2011 and professor in 2017. Since 2013, he has been the Lewis and Robert Collins Professorship for Distinguished Teaching in Biological and Environmental Sciences.
“When I first started with the UTC faculty, I was hopeful to learn more about administration, and I was lucky enough to find my way to the Graduate School,” Carver recalled. “The dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Joanne Romagni, turned out to be a wonderful mentor and friend who helped me move forward, recognize potential and start building up my professional and leadership skills. Dr. Romagni was a key player in positioning me to succeed, and I view her as an ongoing mentor and a cherished friend.”
Highlights of Carver’s time at UTC have included serving on six master’s student committees, 28 undergraduate Honors student committees, as chair of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and in an oversite role for all graduate programs—leading graduate recruitment and marketing efforts.
“As I move into this new role, I want to continue that trajectory to highlight, uplift and assist graduate education across UTC,” he said. “I want everybody on campus to know that the Graduate School is here to support student endeavors and faculty work programs. Our door is always open and we want to help.”
