NASHVILLE – The head of the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Agriculture, Chancellor Larry Arrington, plans to retire in September, spurring an immediate search for a replacement, UT President Joe DiPietro announced today.
Arrington, chancellor since 2011, leaves the UTIA, under which all of the university system’s agriculture programs operate, on Sept. 1, UT said in its news release today.
DiPietro has selected UT Extension Dean Tim Cross to serve as interim chancellor until Arrington’s successor is found.
DiPietro said he hopes to have a candidate to recommend to the UT Board of Trustees by January and to have the new chancellor on board during the first quarter of 2017.
UTIA, with its presence in every Tennessee county through the UT Extension service, is among the most visible of the UT system’s enterprises and officials say it makes the biggest contribution to fulfilling the public university’s mission to conduct outreach to all Tennesseans.
In addition to UT Extension service, which has agricultural agents across the state, UTIA also includes UT AgResearch, the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the College of Veterinary Medicine.
UTIA conducts more than $54 million in research, offers educational outreach to more than three million Tennesseans and provides veterinary services to more than 21,000 animals annually.
“Chancellor Arrington has been a skilled leader who understands and has very effectively guided the Institute of Agriculture in its service to an extremely large and wide-ranging group of stakeholders and clients,” said DiPietro, who himself served as UTIA head before becoming UT system president. “He has facilitated its great success in delivering real-life solutions to people across the state every day.
During Arrington’s tenure, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine completed a $20.9 million renovation of animal hospital facilities required to maintain full accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education.
Enrollment in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources has soared 40 percent in the last five years.
“I know, from experience, being chancellor of the UT Institute of Agriculture is one of the best and most-rewarding leadership positions within the University,” DiPietro said.
DiPietro said the institute “has been in smart, capable hands with Chancellor Arrington, and we will have no lack of talented candidates to succeed him. Further, the institute will be in great hands with Tim Cross as interim chancellor, and our priority going forward will be to ensure the next chancellor has the capabilities to maintain the tremendous momentum in place now.”
A national search will be conducted to fill the position, with UT human resources coordinating the process, which will involve a search committee of internal and external stakeholder representatives.
UT agriculture Chancellor Larry Arrington to retire and the search is on for a replacement
