UT: DiPietro given emeritus status, tenure policies approved at board meeting

The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees granted retiring President Joe DiPietro emeritus status and approved tenure policies for all campuses at their fall meeting on Friday. 

The board also ratified a special committee that will oversee the athletics department, to be headed by former trustee and UT booster Charlie Anderson. 

DiPietro's last board meeting

Friday's meeting was DiPietro's last as president, and he presented his final president's address. He highlighted some of his accomplishments, including increased enrollment throughout the system and four years of tuition increases under 3 percent. 

"I'm really, really proud of what we've done together," DiPietro said. 

His last day in office will be Nov. 21, and he will officially retire on Feb. 14. Randy Boyd will be in office as interim president on Nov. 26. 

"Everybody says you know when it's time, and it's time," DiPietro said. "It's time for me to focus on family and not work."

DiPietro received a standing ovation following his address. 

Board of Trustees Chairman John Compton presented a resolution before the board and DiPietro was given president emeritus status. Former President Joe Johnson also holds president emeritus status. 

"This university is in great hands ... and I know you'll do great things for Tennessee and beyond," DiPietro said after being given emeritus status.

Tenure policies approved

The Education, Research and Service Committee met on Friday morning and approved tenure policies at all UT campuses.

The policies and procedures for application for tenure before the probationary period and enhanced tenure track review were not complete for the Knoxville campus and the Institute for Agriculture, "because of a miscommunication and misunderstanding," DiPietro said at the meeting.

Compton asked if it happened during the transition between Beverly Davenport, the former chancellor at UT Knoxville, and Wayne Davis, the interim chancellor, and while a new provost was being hired. DiPietro said those circumstances contributed to the miscommunication.

"It was a very legitimate and honest set of circumstances," DiPietro said. "The other issue as well was that ... the tradition of the senate, the faculty senate, is to have two readings."

DiPietro said he thought it was important for the senate to have that opportunity before it returns the policy to the board. 

The Knoxville campus and Institute for Agriculture were granted an extension until Feb. 15 to approve those policies and procedures, and they will come to the board for consideration at the March 1 meeting. 

Post-tenure review policies were also approved for each campus, including the Knoxville and Institute for Agriculture. Those policies were approved for UT Knoxville and the Institute for Agriculture at the Oct. 15 faculty senate meeting. 

On Oct. 15, the faculty senate also passed a resolution asking the board to reconsider the system-wide post-tenure review policy requirements. After the board meeting, Compton said he was not aware of this resolution. 

Each policy was created using a template from the board, but was tailored to best meet the needs of the culture at each campus. Campus chancellors were on hand to speak about the policies and how they were developed. 

All policies were approved by the full board unanimously. 

Athletics committee reinstated

The formation of a special committee for UT athletics was also approved unanimously. The committee was eliminated under the FOCUS Act, but Compton said he wanted to bring it back because he thought some of the work the committee intended to do before being dissolved was still needed. 

“I think this, personally, is an important committee," Compton said. 

The board also approved extending the lease with the University Health System of the UT Medical Center until 2099. In 1999, the board approved a 50 year lease, to end in 2045. The board approved continuing the lease payments for the next 30 years of the lease. In 30 years, the payments will be reevaluated based on the hospital's bond ratings. 

Compton also asked the members of the board to send him a list of priorities to discuss with Boyd. Compton said he'd like them to be 3 to 5 year goals for the university, and that he would sit down with Boyd to discuss them. 

The next full board meeting will be on March 1 at the UT Martin campus.