NASHVILLE - University of Tennessee system President Joe DiPietro today named a long-time leader at UT-Knoxville as the campus' interim chancellor follow DiPietro's firing of Chancellor Beverly Davenport on Wednesday.
Wayne Davis, dean of UT-Knoxville's Tickle School of Engineering, assumes the post Monday, having agreed to serve as interim chancellor for a six-to-eight month period as officials look for a replacement for Davenport.
Wayne DavisIn a news release, DiPietro called Davis "a proven and respected University leader" who has served the flagship campus in numerous capacities for more than four decades, most recently as dean over the engineering school which DiPietro said has thrived and grown in terms of enrollment, research productivity and "achieving new heights of national recognition.
"I greatly appreciate Wayne and his wife, Sylvia, postponing retirement to continue serving their alma mater during this critical time," DiPietro said.
A day earlier, DiPietro fired Davenport, telling her in a letter that "it is in the best interest of The University of Tennessee to change the leadership of our flagship campus and terminate your appointment as Chancellor of The University of Tennessee, Knoxville."
In his letter, DiPietro cited a blistering evaluation of Davenport in which he sharply criticized her management and leadership skills.
Davenport became UT-Knoxville's first female chancellor on Feb. 15, 2017.
Left unsaid by DiPietro was Davenport's handling of a UT Vols football coaching controversy as well as socially conservative Republican state lawmakers' attacks on the Knoxville campus, which preceded Davenport's appointment, over programs like the the student-led annual Sex Week.
Republicans blew up this year over Davenport's participation in a fundraiser for the campus' LGBT Center which had lost its funding prior to her arrival after state lawmakers cut support for the UT-Knoxville's Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Gov. Bill Haslam, meanwhile, wasn't happy when Davenport opted not to participate in the governor's statewide facilities out-sourcing contract for higher education.
But the governor has said while he disagreed with the outsourcing rebuff, he said that and other issues including continued legislative attacks and the coaching controversy were not factors in his decision this year to shake up the UT system's governing Board of Trustees. His proposed legislation, now a law, reshapes the UT system governance system.
Davenport had previously served as an interim president at the University of Cincinnati.
Now-interim Chancellor Davis, who is postponing retirement to assume his new duties, has spent decades in the higher education system.
In a statement, Davis said it "is always unsettling when there is a sudden change in a senior leadership position within the university, and this situation is no exception. The University of Tennessee holds a special place in my heart."
He said as an alumnus, faculty member and UT administrator, "I have been committed to this great University and its journey toward excellence for more than 45 years. I am deeply honored to be asked to serve in this interim role as the university identifies the next steps toward its search for a new chancellor."
Davis has served in faculty and administrative roles at UT for 44 years, including as assistant dean of the Graduate School from 1985 through 1988 and as its associate dean from 1988 through 1991.
He became interim dean of the Tickle College of Engineering in 2008 before assuming the role permanently in 2009. Enrollment has increased by nearly 2,000 under his tenure, according to UT, while there has been a near doubling of doctoral enrollment and graduation rates.
The college also doubled its endowed faculty positions, now 37, which are supported by $19 million in gift funds. There's been an increase of 42 full-time faculty positions and a doubling of research expenditures to more than $70 million annually.
The university has boosted the number of partnerships and amount of research done with the federal Oak Ridge National Laboratory as well as businesses throughout Tennessee, according to UT.
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 616-255-0550. Follow on Twitter @AndySher1.