Candidates complete open forum
The open forums are complete for the position of UTM vice chancellor for Student Affairs, and the recommendation now rests with the search committee.
Dr. Todd Winters, committee chair and dean of the College of Agriculture, Geosciences and Natural Resources, said the committee would submit its recommendation on Thursday, Oct. 11, to Dr. Keith Carver, UTM chancellor.
Carver will make the final decision.
For those who could not attend the forums, the livestream of each meeting can be viewed at utm.edu/vcsasearch. Feedback surveys on each of the candidates also are available on the website, as is the makeup of the search committee, which included UTM faculty, staff and students.
The finalists – Dr. Brandon Frye, Dr. Andy Lewter, Dr. Jamie Mantooth and Dr. Mark McCloud – were determined after a national search was conducted. Each man appeared on campus this week for extensive interviews and the open forums.
Frye is associate vice president for enrollment and student affairs, dean of students and deputy title IX coordinator at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. He accepted this position in 2017 after serving as assistant vice president for student affairs since 2013.
In his current role, Frye has played an active role in the development and implementation of the university’s strategic plan; created new programs and services to support student retention; and formed a new Office of Student Involvement to engage more than 70 percent of the first-year class during the past academic year.
Frye holds a bachelor’s degree in History and Secondary Education and a master’s degree in Student Development from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, as well as a doctoral degree in Student Affairs Administration from the University of Georgia in Athens.
Mantooth has led the UTM Office of Enrollment Services and Student Engagement as executive director since 2015 after spending three years as director of retention services at Murray State University.
In his current role, Mantooth has helped improve fall-to-fall retention rates of first-year students 1.6 percent from fall 2015 to fall 2017; supervised the recruitment of the largest class of first-year students since fall 2014; and restructured merit-based scholarships to award more students, including transfer students.
Mantooth holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from UTM, a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, and a doctoral degree in Educational Psychology from Auburn University in Alabama.
Lewter has been dean of students at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville since 2013, and he previously spent 17 years in student affairs at Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee.
In his current position, Lewter has created a bias incident response process; supervised the move of several departmental units into the division of student affairs; and opened The Hub, which houses the university’s Cultural Center, Women’s Center and LGBT programs.
Lewter holds both a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from UTK. He also earned a Master of Education in Student Personnel Services from the University of South Carolina in Columbia.
McCloud moved to the position of interim assistant vice chancellor for Student Affairs and dean of students at UTM this year after serving two years as director of the Office of Career Planning and Development. He spent nine years as assistant director for career development at the University of Mississippi in Oxford before working with UTM.
In his current position, McCloud oversees university career services; student conduct; student life and multicultural affairs; the Student Concern Team; and evaluation and assessment within the Division of Student Affairs.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from UTM, and both a master’s degree in Higher Education and a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Mississippi.
The vice chancellor for Student Affairs is the primary student advocate within the UTM community.
The position provides supervision and leadership development for the areas of student affairs, residential and student life, dining services, student health and counseling services, student conduct, career planning and development, multicultural affairs, and student affairs evaluation and assessment.
The vice chancellor supports the development, assessment and improvement of student services to meet expectations of the university’s mission and strategic plan.
More information on each candidate is available at utm.edu/vcsasearch.
The position of vice chancellor for Student Affairs was left open by the retirement of Dr. Margaret Toston earlier this year. John Abel has served as interim vice chancellor since Toston’s retirement in June. He will return to his position as assistant vice chancellor for Student Affairs and dean of students when the vice chancellor’s position is filled.
Ashlie Czyz, director of human resources programs and executive recruiter for the UT System, is serving as executive recruiter for this position.
For more information, contact Czyz at aczyz@tennessee.edu.
