Dr. Linda Frost has been dean of the UTC Honors College since 2013. Photo by Angela Foster.
Dr. Linda Frost, the founding dean of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Honors College, will transition to a faculty role after the 2025-26 academic year.
Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Jerold L. Hale shared the news in a campuswide announcement that Frost, who has led the Honors College since coming to UTC in 2013, will join the Department of English following her time as dean.
“Over the past 12 years, Dr. Frost has overseen extraordinary growth in size, scope and impact, as the Honors College has become a signature part of the UTC experience for students across all majors and a nationally recognized model of interdisciplinary learning,” Hale said.
Frost told Honors College students in a recent video message that the timing of the announcement reflects both her confidence in the college’s trajectory and a personal desire to be back in the classroom.
“I’ve decided that it’s time for me to go back to the faculty to spend some time in the classroom where I learned to first love this work,” she said. “It’s been a hard decision for me to make, but I feel really confident that the Honors College is in a wonderful place.
“It has been an amazing ride and I’m grateful to all of you for all that you have given me, all the wonderful experiences, all of the friendship, all of the love, all of your earnest hard work.”
As the Honors College’s first dean, she worked with faculty and staff across campus to shape a structure that elevated honors education for students from all majors and expanded access to honors pathways. Under her leadership, UTC launched the campus’ initial office of undergraduate research and the University’s first Office of National Scholarships, connecting students to mentored research, creative activity and nationally competitive awards.
She helped establish one of UTC’s first intentional living-learning communities, High Achieving Mocs, a model that has since been adopted across campus. She also maintained the Honors College requirement of an honors thesis—emphasizing the expectation that students complete substantial, mentored scholarship or creative work. In curriculum, Frost led a shift from a small set of repeating offerings to faculty-designed honors seminars from across the University, opening teaching in the college to departments campuswide and creating new entry points for both first-time freshmen (Brock Scholars) and transfer/current students (Innovations in Honors).
“We have finally made real headway in our population growth,” she said. “We’re now at almost 400 students, so we’re on the trajectory to grow in the way that we should grow.”
That growth has been matched by new opportunities for students outside the classroom. Through the Innovations in Honors program, UTC established a contractual collaboration with the City of Chattanooga that uses the city as a learning laboratory—giving students opportunities to analyze challenges, propose solutions and see their work inform real projects.
During a spring break 2024 study abroad excursion to England, Honors College Dean Linda Frost, left, and students in the UTC travel party modeled Regency-era clothes at the Jane Austen Center. Photo courtesy of Anna Melby.
Among her proudest achievements is that UTC is home to “UReCA: The National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity.”
“UReCA,” she explained, “is managed by a student and faculty teams at UTC and Graceland University and is the most selective undergraduate journal in the nation, as well as the only one published by a national organization—the National Collegiate Honors Council.”
Hale noted that Frost—as an active board member, committee co-chair, conference chair and honors researcher with both NCHC and the Southern Regional Honors Council—“has helped position UTC as a leader nationally, with honors students regularly presenting at regional and national conferences and serving in elected leadership roles in professional organizations.”
Her leadership has also extended beyond the UTC campus. During her tenure, the Honors College strengthened philanthropic support and broadened access to scholarships. Brock Scholars awards have been secured for future cohorts, and Innovations in Honors is nearing comparable long-term support—ensuring students in both core programs can fully participate in the honors experience.
As dean, Frost has stayed closely connected to students through advising, teaching and mentoring.
“For myself, what I’m most proud of is maintaining a position as a dean with very close ties to students,” she said. “I am not the kind of person who wants to be separated from students.”
She also pointed to opening spaces and experiences once limited to a small University Honors cohort.
“I’ve worked really hard to open honors up,” she said.
Travel opportunities have been a hallmark of Frost’s approach to honors education. She has championed both study abroad and domestic “study away” experiences, often joining students on trips that blended coursework with immersive, real-world learning.
“For every reason, it’s transformative,” she said. “When you leave your home country and you go someplace else—whether it’s a country that’s struggling more than ours or one that’s figured out things we haven’t—it’s startling. Travel of any kind changes you. It changes how you see the world and how you see yourself.”
Hale said Frost leaves the Honors College financially secure, academically strong and well prepared for the future.
“Please join me in congratulating Dr. Frost on her extraordinary service, thanking her for the foundation she has built, and welcoming her continued contributions as a valued faculty colleague,” Hale said.
“A national search for the next dean of the Honors College will begin later this fall. As we prepare for this transition, there will be opportunities for the campus community to recognize her leadership and to celebrate the accomplishments of the college during her tenure.”
Frost encouraged student participation in the search for the Honors College’s next leader.
“It will be really, really important that you guys get involved in that search,” she said. “Tell them what you love about honors, what you hope never changes, what you would like to see changed, and tell them how great it is to be here so they understand what a wonderful, wonderful job this is.
“It’s a good time for me to pass the baton on to somebody else. UTC Honors remains one of the best honors programs in the country. It’s going to be a good job for somebody else—a really good job. It certainly was a dream job for me.”
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During a March 2025 visit to UTC, alumnus Richard Zhang, left, met with Honors College students and Dean Linda Frost.
