Chancellor Roger Brown
Dr. Roger G. Brown, UTC chancellor since 2005, has announced his retirement. He serves as the 15th head of UTC.
Dr. Brown has agreed to remain in place until a new chancellor can be sworn in or until March 31, 2013.
UT President Dr. Joe DiPietro said, "After a successful career in higher education including a dynamic and productive seven years at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chancellor Roger Brown informed me earlier today of his plans to retire.
"I have enjoyed working with him since 2006, when he and I both were chancellors.
As chancellor, Roger has done an excellent job leading UT Chattanooga and ensuring its success in fulfilling a mission that is vital to the city, the region, and the state.
"He is a proud UT alumnus, and his rapport with the community has established a solid foundation for future opportunities. I know community leadership will join us – both in reluctance to see him go and in wishing Roger the very best going forward.
"I am grateful Chancellor Brown has agreed to remain in office until his successor is chosen, or until March 31, 2013, whichever is first. We will begin immediately to put a search process in motion and expect to fill the position prior to that end date.
"I look forward to continuing to work with Roger during this transition time. Plans were under way to search for a successor to Dr. Phil Oldham, who has done an excellent job as provost. As a result of the Chancellor's plans to retire, we both agree to suspend the search for a new provost until after the next Chancellor is selected.
"This is an important time for UTC, which is a key component of the UT System. Be assured that these priorities will have my highest attention. I, senior leadership, and our Trustees all are fully committed to making certain this campus' momentum and missions of excellence continue."
Under Dr. Brown's leadership, UTC enrollment has increased 19.6 percent in six years, surpassing more than 10,000 students in the fall of 2009. In the fall of 2011, enrollment increased to 11,438 students.
Dr. Brown has also encouraged the growth of UTC as a metropolitan university. In October 2012, UTC will host the Coalition of Urban and Metro Universities 18th national conference in Chattanooga, “Working Together Works: Partnering for Progress.”
In 2008, UTC earned the Community Engagement Classification designation from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and in 2009, the campus was named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. UTC has completed a strategic planning initiative to focus campus efforts on the power of partnerships, especially relationships within the learning laboratory of Chattanooga. In 2011, UTC received the reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
More than $100 million in construction and capital improvements have occurred on the UTC campus since Dr. Brown became chancellor with a new library as the centerpiece. The $48 million academic hub of the campus is being built at the corner of Vine and Douglas Streets and is scheduled for completion in 2013.
During his tenure, the university’s external grant funding has increased, climbing to $12.2 million in fiscal year 2011.
Dr. Brown said, “There is still much to be done this year. All indications point to another record enrollment this fall. New academic programs have launched and others are in the works. I pledge to do everything in my power to keep the Chattanooga spirit of achievement strong as I prepare to relinquish the reins to a new leader in the spring.”
Dr. Brown came to Chattanooga from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where he served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs since 2000. Previously, he had served since 1991 in various academic and administrative capacities with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He left UNC Charlotte in 2000 as senior associate provost and associate vice chancellor for academic affairs.
A political scientist with particular academic emphasis in American government, Dr. Brown earned the 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.
He has served as a member of Rotary International. He was named to the United Way of Greater Chattanooga Board of Directors, the RiverCity Company Board, and the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He is a commissioner of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and has been appointed to the Southeast Tennessee PreK-16 Education Council.
His wife, Dr. Carolyn Thompson, died earlier this year following a long battle with myelofibrosis, a cancer of the bone marrow.
Chancellor Brown sent this email to those on the UTC campus:
Dear Campus Colleagues,
As all of you know, this has been a tremendously difficult year for me personally, and yet, throughout all of the ups and downs, Carolyn and I received so much love and support from our campus and community families. You will never know how important this has been for me.
And that is why I wanted to make sure you received this announcement from me personally as soon as I was able to let you know that I have decided to retire from the position of Chancellor of this wonderful campus.
It has truly been a privilege to work at UTC and to be welcomed in the hearts of so many. From the beginning, Carolyn and I felt the friendship and warmth from both the campus and the community. As many of you know, we had already begun to make arrangements to retire and make Chattanooga our home, and I certainly plan to still do so.
With the search for a new provost already in the hatching stage, this year already promised to be a busy one. After talking to President DiPietro, we have agreed that the search for a new chancellor should take precedence so that the new leader can have input into the selection of a new provost. With that idea in mind, I anticipate that President DiPietro will name a chancellor search committee soon with the hope of having a new chancellor in place in spring 2013. I have agreed to remain in place until a new chancellor can be sworn in or until March 31, 2013.
Given this timetable, I suspect that a provost search for this campus will begin a little later than earlier reported, perhaps mid-fall semester, with the thought being that final provost candidates could be identified soon after a new chancellor is selected. This would allow for President DiPietro's wish that the new chancellor be involved in the provost selection.
I realize that this announcement comes while many of you are away for the summer, and I wish I could tell each of you individually, but that is just not possible.
In closing, there is still much to be done this year. All indications point to another record enrollment this fall. Construction projects are spread across campus. Our retention rates are improving. New academic programs have launched and others are in the works.
I appreciate all you do for our students and I pledge to do everything in my power to keep the Chattanooga spirit of achievement strong as I prepare to relinquish the reins to a new leader in the spring.
We shall achieve!
Sincerely,
Roger Brown