Dear Dr. Beverly Davenport,
Welcome to Knoxville and becoming the first female chancellor in UTK history. Our wonderful University has been run too long by the "good ole boys," network which has brought in a succession of mediocre at best presidents/chancellors. You have a great opportunity to lead the Knoxville campus to its goal of becoming a Top 25 public university.
One of your first duties is to hire a new athletic director. You have a chance right out of the gate to demonstrate your determination to take the university in a bold new direction by hiring David Blackburn as our AD. David is the perfect candidate, being a UT grad and having worked in our athletic department but most importantly having a remarkable record here at UTC in both hiring coaches and running the department on a limited budget.
We know you are under pressure from the ,"good ole boys," to hire one of their own. The last person we need as AD is a person who will be 67 years old when football season starts, has never been an AD and was fired in his last position within the Athletic Department. In addition there is even a cup given in his name to the team that has the most arrests every year. This we do not need in today's environment.
Once again congratulations to you and best wishes as you assume the mantle of leadership at our university.
Douglas Jones (a good ole boy)
Ooltewah