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The University of Tennessee College of Engineering 114 Perkins Hall Knoxville, TN 37996-2012 |
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| Newsletter
of the UT College of Engineering |
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Dr. John W. Shumaker Named New UT President
The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees has unanimously elected Dr. John W. Shumaker as the 21st president of the University of Tennessee.Shumaker replaces Dr. J. Wade Gilley, who resigned from the position in June of 2001 for personal and health reasons.
Shumaker comes to UT from the University of Louisville, where he has served as president since 1995. Shumaker's successful record at Louisville includes raising the university's endowment from $183 million to $500 million.
Shumaker earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh and his master's and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He began his academic teaching career at Ohio State University, and left in 1977 to become dean of humanities and fine arts at the State University of New York.
He was vice-president for academic planning and development at SUNY before his appointment in 1987 as president of Central Connecticut State University.
Tennessee Governor Don Sunquist, chairman of the UT board and the presidential search committee, said that the university has found an outstanding president in Shumaker.
"This is an exciting time for the University of Tennessee," Sundquist commented. "Dr. Shumaker has an outstanding track record when it comes to keen vision and strong leadership. I look forward to working with him in making our university the best it can be."
Shumaker met with university students, faculty and staff in an open forum on March 1, and also answered questions in a public session on March 6, which was simulcast over the Internet.
Shumaker hopes to be on the job by May. He said that he foresees spending the rest of his career leading the UT system.
"We've got to commit ourselves to giving Tennessee the very best university it can afford and encourage Tennesseans to afford the very best. That's the philosophy that I'll bring to this very challenging position," Shumaker added.