KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Beverly Davenport, the eighth chancellor of the University of Tennessee, as of Wednesday, Feb. 15, said she lives her life by semesters.
At 62, Davenport – who was sworn in unanimously by the UT Board of Directors in December to replace former Chancellor Jimmy Cheek – has spent the larger part of her life on college campuses.
“I’m really excited to feel the rhythms of this campus,” Davenport said. “I really haven’t gotten out to walk the campus yet, but I came up the elevator this morning and knew all the people in the elevator were students, and I love the feel of a campus.”
As an undergraduate student at Western Kentucky University, Davenport studied communication and journalism before going on to earn a Ph.D. in communication studies from the University of Michigan.
Davenport said she was set on law school, “like many people who study communication and forensics and debate,” but through the guidance of a close undergraduate professor, found her true calling in teaching and hasn’t looked back since.