After a decade at the helm of UTC's College of Business and helping bring the school's business program from relative obscurity to national prominence, Dr. Richard Casavant said he plans to retire as dean at the end of the year and return to teaching.
"I did some soul-searching," said Dr. Casavant, who turns 68 in a few weeks. "We are now a nationally recognized college of business. It is a good time to turn the reins over to someone else."
Dr. Casavant's decision comes of the heels of his recent failed bid for re-election for his seat on the Hamilton County Commission. He was first elected to the commission in 1998.
"I would have rather gone out on my own terms," he said. "It got me to thinking even harder about what I should do."
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chancellor Roger Brown said Dr. Casavant is leaving the school with a solid foundation. Over the years, Dr. Casavant's close relationships in the community helped strengthen UTC's reputation and build well-known programs in entrepreneurial development, he said.
"We will miss him," he said.
Over the summer, Dr. Brown said officials will begin looking for dean applicants, and he is confident the job will attract quality candidates because of the college's reputation.
Both Business Week and the Princeton Review have recognized UTC's business program as one of the top 100 nationally.
Dr. Casavant, who began teaching at the college in 1977, said he plans to teach courses for a year or more after his resignation, but is looking toward retirement. He said the number of courses he will teach hasn't been negotiated.
"I think the faculty and the staff have done a lot of good work, and it pleases me to no end to see our students proud of where they go to school," he said. "It is no longer a college where people have to go. It is a college of destination."