3.2.8 Qualified administrative/academic officers
The institution has qualified administrative and academic officers with the experience, competence, and capacity to lead the institution.
Judgement of Compliance:
Compliance
Narrative:
The administrative and academic officers of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) include the Chancellor, the Vice Chancellors and other members of the Chancellor’s Staff and Executive Council, the Academic Deans, and other key members of the Deans Council. All are highly qualified with the experience, competence, and capacity to lead as documented below.
Chancellor’s Staff and Executive Council
UTC has a highly experienced and well qualified administrative team with strong academic credentials and successful track records of professional and civic engagement. Highlights of their credentials are as follows.
- Chancellor Roger G. Brown, a proven academic leader and native Tennessean, is the fifteenth Chancellor of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. His appointment was celebrated by the campus in February of 2006. Brown came to Chattanooga from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where he served as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs beginning in 2000. During his tenure at Pembroke, the campus experienced a 60 percent growth in student enrollment and added degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Previously he had served since 1991 in various academic and administrative capacities with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. At UNC Charlotte, Brown held the positions of Coordinator of the Master’s of Public Administration Program, Chair of the Department of Political Science, and Senior Associate Provost and Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. A political scientist with particular academic emphasis in American government, Brown earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Political Science from The University of Tennessee and the Ph.D. in Political Science from The Johns Hopkins University. He began his teaching career at Iowa State University in 1983 before joining the UNC Charlotte faculty in 1985.
- Philip B. Oldham is Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Freed-Hardeman University in 1980 and his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Texas A&M University in 1985. He spent a year following his graduate work as a Wellcome Research Fellow at Burroughs Wellcome Company (Glaxo Smith-Kline), Research Triangle Park, NC, before joining the faculty at Mississippi State in 1986. Phil served as head of the Department of Chemistry at Mississippi State University for five years prior to becoming Dean of Arts & Sciences at MSU in 2001. In 2007, he accepted his position of Provost at UTC.
- Dr. Richard Brown, Jr., serves as Vice Chancellor for Finance, Operations, and Information Technology. As a member of the senior planning and leadership team for the Chancellor, he brings over 24 years of progressive business management and operational experience as the Institution’s Chief Business Officer. Dr. Brown manages the majority of business and administrative support units at UTC to include business operations, bursar, IT, finance, facilities planning, and operations. Dr. Brown earned the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Criminal Justice in 1980 and 1982 and an MBA in 2009. He is a graduate of the UT Knoxville College of Business Executive Development Program. He was conferred the Doctor of Education Degree with the distinction of the “Dissertation Excellence” Award for scholarly research with a focus on leadership, organizational planning, and strategic management from Trevecca Nazarene University in 2005. Dr. Brown was recognized in 2007 by 100 Black Men, Inc., for outstanding contributions to the field of education. Dr. Brown is actively engaged in community service as a member of the Board of Directors for Chattanooga United Way, Hamilton County 911, Siskin Rehabilitation Hospital, the Chattanooga African American Museum and the Tennessee Aquarium.
- Bob Lyon is the Vice Chancellor for University Advancement. He joined UTC in 2004 after serving 16 years as Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement at the College of Charleston and four years at Vanderbilt University as an Associate Vice Chancellor for University Development. He holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from the University of Tennessee and a master’s degree in higher education administration from Vanderbilt University. He is active in community affairs, including the Rotary Club of Chattanooga, having served as Rotary Club president and assistant district governor in South Carolina. He has served as council board member and officer for the Boy Scouts and was active with an ecumenical relief program providing food and other services to those in need. His civic activities have also included board membership for District III of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.
- John Delaney has served as the Vice Chancellor for Student Development at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga since 2007, having previously served as Assistant Dean of Students at UTC from 1990 through 1994. Prior to returning to UTC, he was Dean of Students at Ohio Wesleyan University for seven years and has also worked in student affairs positions at Sam Houston State University in Texas and Brevard College in North Carolina. He completed his undergraduate work in English at Rice University in Texas and his master’s and doctorate work in Higher Education Administration at Vanderbilt University. He is an active member of numerous professional associations, including NASPA-Student Administrators in Higher Education and the Association of Student Judicial Affairs. He has been involved in a variety of civic activities, including serving as a board member for a county-wide alcohol and drug abuse council and as a member of a community task force on domestic violence and sexual assault.
Deans Council
The Deans Council constitutes the leadership team in academic affairs reporting to the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Its membership is composed of deans with extensive experience in teaching, research, and scholarly presentations.
- Dr. Richard Casavant, who is the John Stagmaier Chair of Business, is the Dean of the College of Business at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He earned his MBA in Marketing from the Wharton Graduate School, University of Pennsylvania, and his Ph.D. in Marketing from Georgia State University. He has over 30 years of distinguished leadership within the university including nine years as dean. He published widely as a professor of marketing. He is very active in the Chattanooga community and serves on the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners.
- Dr. Herbert Burhenn joined the UTC faculty in 1970 after receiving the Ph.D. in Philosophical Theology from Yale University. He has served as head of the Department of Philosophy and Religion and, after two stints as acting dean, has been Dean of Arts and Sciences since 2000. During 2006-07, he was acting Provost. For fifteen years, he served as Executive Director of the Southeastern Commission for the Study of Religion and has been President of the Southeastern Region of the American Academy of Religion.
- Dr. Mary Tanner holds a Ph.D. from The University of Georgia, Athens in Family and Child Development and a M.Ed. and B.S. from UTC in Education (Elementary and Secondary). In her 35 years at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Dr. Mary Tanner has served as an instructor in the Department of Human Ecology, acting dean in 1994, and since 1995, Guerry Professor and Dean of the College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies. During her tenure as dean, she has launched more than sixteen initiatives benefiting students, including a doctoral program in Learning and Leadership, and the first online learning opportunity for UTC. She currently serves on the national board of Kid Fitness and sits on the boards of eight local nonprofits.
- Dr. William Sutton accepted the position of Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at UTC in 2008. Dr. Sutton previously served as Professor and Department Head of Mechanical Engineering (ME) at the University of Alabama since 2003. Prior to his position at Alabama, Dr. Sutton was professor in the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. He received his BSME in 1973, his MME in 1975, and his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 1980, all from North Carolina State University. He is a licensed professional engineer in North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Alabama.
- Theresa Liedtka, Professor and Dean of Libraries, has 20 years of leadership experience in academic libraries, including the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; California State University, Fullerton; Georgetown University; and Simmons College. Dean Liedtka is active professionally in the American Library Association and is a frequent presenter, author, and reviewer. She has a master’s in Library and Information Science from Simmons College, a master’s in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University, and Bachelor of Art in History from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
- Dr. Stephanie L. Bellar, Interim Dean of The Graduate School, has worked in graduate education for eight years, serving as the associate dean and as director of recruitment and retention. Dr. Bellar is currently serving as the president of the Tennessee Conference of Graduate Schools. Her academic area is public administration where her research has focused on women’s leadership and public sector budgeting. She earned her doctorate in political science from the University of Kentucky. Dr. Bellar is highly engaged in the community where she is an executive officer on the board of directors of the Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute.
- Dr. Jocelyn Sanders is Associate Provost for Academic Affairs. She earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in performance from the University of Wisconsin and a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University. She completed advanced horn performance studies at Indiana University and the Yale Summer School of Music and Art. Before her appointment as Associate Provost, Dr. Sanders served as Acting Associate Provost for Academic Affairs for five years. Previously, she served as head of the Department of Music for eight years and has been a member of the music faculty since 1980. Dr. Sanders was Principal Horn of the Chattanooga Symphony for 16 years and was a featured soloist with the orchestra in 1984 and 1992.
- Dr. Fran Bender is Assistant Vice Provost for Student Retention and Success. She is a UTC Mildred Routt Distinguished Teaching Professor. She has been a member of the university faculty for more than 30 years. She holds a master’s degree from Wake Forest University and an Ed.D in administration and management of higher education from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Dr. Bender has been a member of the English Department since 1981 after a stint as head of the Department of Human Services Management.
Administrative and Academic Officers
Title |
Name |
Highest Degree |
Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
Chancellor |
Roger G. Brown |
Ph. D. Political Science |
John Hopkins University |
Chancellor’s Executive Team |
|
|
|
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs |
Philip B. Oldham |
Ph. D. Analytical Chemistry |
Texas A&M University |
Vice Chancellor for Finance , Operations, and Information Technology |
Richard Brown, Jr. |
Ed. D. Professional Practices |
Trevecca Nazarene University |
Vice Chancellor for University Advancement |
Bob Lyon |
M. S. Higher Education Administration |
Vanderbilt University |
Vice Chancellor for Student Development |
John Delaney |
Higher Education Administration |
Vanderbilt University |
Director of Athletics |
Rick Hart |
BA Physical Education |
UNC Chapel Hill |
University Planning Coordinator |
Deborah Arfken |
Ed. D. Education and Administration Supervision |
UT Knoxville |
Director, Equity and Diversity |
Bryan Samuel |
Ph. D. Educational Administration |
U. Nebraska, Lincoln |
Assistant Vice Chancellor for University Relations |
Chuck Cantrell |
M. P. A. Public Policy |
UT Chattanooga |
Provost’s Deans Council |
|
|
|
Dean, College of Business |
Richard Casavant |
Ph. D. Marketing |
Georgia State University |
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences |
Herbert Burhenn |
Ph. D. Philosophical Theology |
Yale University |
Dean, College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies |
Mary Tanner |
Ph. D. Family and Child Development |
University of Georgia |
Dean, College of Engineering and Computer Science |
William Sutton |
Ph. D. Mechanical Engineering |
North Carolina State University |
Dean of Libraries |
Theresa Liedtka |
M.S. Library and Information Science, |
Simmons College, |
Interim Dean, Graduate School |
Stephanie Bellar |
Ph. D. Political Science |
University of Kentucky |
Associate Provost for Academic Affairs |
Jocelyn Sanders |
D.M.A. Performance |
University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Assistant Provost for Student Retention and Success |
Fran Bender |
Ed. D. Administration and Management of Higher Education |
University of Tennessee at Knoxville |
References
- Credentials on file in HR and Faculty Records (Off-site reviewers refer to the USB drive)
