To: University of Tennessee Faculty, Staff and Students
This message is to inform you of UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy Cheek’s decision to step down from his position and return to the faculty.
Chancellor Cheek and I have had several conversations related to this decision over the past few months, and I am very appreciative of his leadership in moving our flagship campus through a seven-year period of unprecedented growth and forward momentum.
Leading a campus with thousands of employees, students and stakeholders is a demanding role that comes with numerous challenges, but it also has many rewards. Chancellor Cheek has served us well, and I am grateful for the energy and vision he has brought to the University of Tennessee and our Knoxville campus.
During his tenure, Chancellor Cheek has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to enhancing the overall living and learning experience for students and creating the kind of professional environment that has attracted some of the world’s most outstanding faculty and staff.
He has made tremendous strides in increasing UT Knoxville’s capacity as one of the country’s most prolific research institutions and has helped ensure that our relationship with Oak Ridge National Laboratory has remained strong and productive. The latter is evidenced by exponential growth in the number of joint appointments and exceptional programs currently shared between the Lab and the University.
Under the Chancellor’s watch, UT Knoxville has recorded record-breaking fundraising success in support of strategic institutional goals and objectives, and the campus has experienced unprecedented new construction and building renovation, including a new student union, a redeveloped residence hall village and a number of new classrooms and laboratories.
Given the Chancellor’s commitment to the University, its students and personnel, I am grateful that he has agreed to remain on board as Chancellor until we identify his replacement.
The search for his successor will begin shortly after the Board of Trustees meeting this month in hopes of recommending a candidate to the Board by spring 2017.
When opportunity permits, I hope you will thank Chancellor Cheek and his wife, Ileen, for their service to the University and the broader community and for their ongoing dedication as Tennessee Vols.
All the best,
Joe
This message is to inform you of UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy Cheek’s decision to step down from his position and return to the faculty.
Chancellor Cheek and I have had several conversations related to this decision over the past few months, and I am very appreciative of his leadership in moving our flagship campus through a seven-year period of unprecedented growth and forward momentum.
Leading a campus with thousands of employees, students and stakeholders is a demanding role that comes with numerous challenges, but it also has many rewards. Chancellor Cheek has served us well, and I am grateful for the energy and vision he has brought to the University of Tennessee and our Knoxville campus.
During his tenure, Chancellor Cheek has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to enhancing the overall living and learning experience for students and creating the kind of professional environment that has attracted some of the world’s most outstanding faculty and staff.
He has made tremendous strides in increasing UT Knoxville’s capacity as one of the country’s most prolific research institutions and has helped ensure that our relationship with Oak Ridge National Laboratory has remained strong and productive. The latter is evidenced by exponential growth in the number of joint appointments and exceptional programs currently shared between the Lab and the University.
Under the Chancellor’s watch, UT Knoxville has recorded record-breaking fundraising success in support of strategic institutional goals and objectives, and the campus has experienced unprecedented new construction and building renovation, including a new student union, a redeveloped residence hall village and a number of new classrooms and laboratories.
Given the Chancellor’s commitment to the University, its students and personnel, I am grateful that he has agreed to remain on board as Chancellor until we identify his replacement.
The search for his successor will begin shortly after the Board of Trustees meeting this month in hopes of recommending a candidate to the Board by spring 2017.
When opportunity permits, I hope you will thank Chancellor Cheek and his wife, Ileen, for their service to the University and the broader community and for their ongoing dedication as Tennessee Vols.
All the best,
Joe
