University of Tennessee President Joe DiPietro has announced he will step down in November and officially retire in February 2019.
DiPietro has led the UT system since January 2011, but the time has come for him to step down, he said in a news release Monday.
"I am very proud of all we have accomplished together, which would not have been possible without the important efforts of our talented faculty, students, staff and administrators and the steadfast support of the Board of Trustees," DiPietro said in a statement. "The University is well positioned for success - we are coming off a record-breaking year in research funding as well as private fundraising, and we have a committed group of chancellors and system administrators to move the University forward."
Steve Angle, chancellor of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, one of the regional campuses in the system, said whoever comes after DiPietro has big shoes to fill.
"Joe has done a phenomenal job in seizing the opportunity and setting the system up for success," Angle said.
Though it joined the UT system in 1969, UTC still has a strong foundation and a local identity.
"We're hoping to continue the momentum that we've had in working with President DiPietro," Angle said. "The biggest thing that he did was help us develop an identity as part of the UT system but also an individual identity as being a part of Chattanooga."
Angle does not see a move to Knoxville in his future, saying he is "fully entrenched" in Chattanooga, but he looks forward to whoever the UT Board of Trustees appoints to the position.
UT Board of Trustees Chairman John Compton praised DiPietro.
"We should all be thankful for Joe's leadership. He and the former Board of Trustees accomplished a great deal together. All stakeholders in the University system have been well-served by his tireless commitment to continual improvement across all of our campuses," Comptom said in a statement. "Our new board will convene soon to discuss next steps in selecting a new leader for the University of Tennessee system."
DiPietro received criticism for the ousting of UT-Knoxville Chancellor Beverly Davenport in May, when he effectively fired the head of the flagstaff campus saying it "needed a change."
The Faculty Senate responded by accusing him of failing to be transparent on controversial issues such as outsourcing jobs on campuses and the post-tenure review of professors, but later that month DiPietro received a vote of confidence from the system's Board of Trustees.
Angle said some of these controversial things have gotten people's attention, but he hopes they will "really understand the gem the state of Tennessee has with the UT system."
During his tenure, DiPietro advocated for record low tuition increases, including no increase for the 2018-19 school year.
The UT Foundation also experienced record-high fundraising, including more than $397 million given during 2017-2018 fiscal year. That fundraising has resulted in four named colleges across the system, including the Gary W. Rollins College of Business at UTC.
DiPietro also oversaw the construction of the Cherokee Farm Innovation Campus and the deepening of the system's partnership with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Angle said DiPietro set a high bar for performance and the next president will have to continue that momentum.
DiPietro led the system's Institute of Agriculture for five years from 2006 until he became president in 2011. He previously served as dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida and was a tenured professor and associate dean for research at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.
He plans to retire to Illinois and spend time with his wife, their three children and six grandchildren, according to a news release.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Contact staff writer Meghan Mangrum at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.