UTM Chancellor to step down

Dr. Tom Rakes, UTM Chancellor since 2007, will step down from his position and return to teaching, effective May 31.

Rakes has held various administrative positions during his 23-year tenure at the University of Memphis through 1995. He came to UTM in 2002 from the University of Louisiana at Monroe where he was provost and vice president for academic affairs and interim president. Rakes came to UTM to serve as vice chancellor for academic affairs and professor of educational studies. He was named provost in 2005, followed by his election as chancellor two years later by the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees.

The university has registered notable growth during his administration in online enrollment and the completion of over $100 million in capital and maintenance projects. Academic successes by students and student-athletes both in competition and in the classroom also marked his time at UTM.

“The university is solid financially, and the main campus infrastructure and extended-campus centers are in excellent condition,” said Rakes. “I am proud to have been a part of this university. I believe this is an exciting time for UT Martin and look forward to seeing the campus move forward under new leadership.”

UT System President Joe DiPietro described Rakes’ service as chancellor as a time of major milestones.

“Chancellor Rakes has served UT Martin both in his current capacity and for five years as provost, and I am glad he has chosen to continue to serve in the classroom as he enters this new chapter. He is a strong advocate for the needs of students, and he has a great understanding of both the student population and its needs that UT Martin serves.”

Specific milestones during Dr. Rakes’ administration include the university’s highest-ever enrollment of 8,469 students in the fall of 2010, the opening of a new Student Recreation Center during that same year, the expanded Fine Arts Building in 2013, and a major renovation and remodeling of the university’s dining facilities and bookstore that reopened in the fall of 2014 in the Boling University Center. Expansions were also completed at UT Martin centers in Parsons, Ripley, and Selmer. A new Jackson Center location opened in the fall of 2011.

“I look forward to returning to the faculty and working more directly with UTM students,” said Rakes, who during his university teaching career has over 160 refereed presentations and publications along with 24 books to his credit. “The University of Tennessee at Martin has a bright future, and I look forward to my new role within the institution.”