UT announces two search committees for Tickle College, College of Social Work deans

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has announced the search committees for two dean positions at the university. 

The search committees have been formed to find deans for the Tickle College of Engineering and the College of Social Work. The Tickle College dean search is chaired by Steve Mangum, dean of the Haslam College of Business. The College of Social Work dean search is chaired by Theresa Lee, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. 

The committees will work with an executive search firm to conduct national searches to fill the dean positions, according to a news release from UT. 

Mark Dean, interim dean of Tickle College, and David Dupper, interim dean of the College of Social Work, will continue to serve as interim deans until a permanent dean is selected, according to the release. 

In an email, Amy Blakely, assistant director of media relations, said the search committees have just started meeting and "both searches are just now launching."

Blakely said they hope to announce finalists in these searches sometime in February or March of 2019 "with the new deans in place by the beginning of the 2019-2020 academic year."

The search for the dean of Tickle College is made up of 14 professors and professionals in engineering fields. The search for the dean of the College of Social Work is made up of 13 professors, students and employees in the social work program. 

Other open positions

These searches bring the number of searches for positions in the UT System and UT Knoxville to seven. Some of the seven searches are ongoing, while others have not yet started or have been suspended. 

UT System President Joe DiPietro announced his plans to retire in September. His last day of active employment will be Nov. 21, and he will officially retire on Feb. 14.

Randy Boyd will begin serving as interim system president on Nov. 22, which is Thanksgiving, and his first day in office will be Nov. 26. He will serve as interim president for 12 to 24 months, or until the position is filled. The search for system president has not yet begun. 

The search for vice president for human resources was suspended in August. At the time, UT Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Tonjanita Johnson said the search would likely start back up after the fall Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 2. 

The chancellor of UT Knoxville is will also be filled, with Wayne Davis currently serving as interim chancellor. In an email sent to faculty and staff, DiPietro said Boyd will "establish a search advisory committee in preparation for a national search beginning in January," and more information would be available in December. 

UT Knoxville has selected three candidates for the position of vice chancellor for communications. The first candidate visited campus on Monday, and the next two candidates will be on campus next week. Each candidate is holding an open forum while on campus. 

UT Knoxville suspended the internal search for the vice chancellor for research position on Oct. 3. In an email to faculty and staff, Davis said Robert Nobles will serve as interim vice chancellor for research until the position is filled.

Stacey Patterson, vice president for research, outreach and economic development and chair of the search committee, said Davis thought it was best to suspend the internal search and restart it as a national search after a permanent chancellor has been selected.