University of Tennessee President Joe DiPietro announced this morning in an email that UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy Cheek is stepping down from his post and will return to teaching.
Chancellor Cheek sent out his own email a short time later recounting his time as Chancellor and his choice to return as a faculty member at UT. The announcements recounted his accomplishments over his tenure at Chancellor, but offer little insight into what prompted the move.
During a press conference today, Cheek said he took the post as Chancellor with intentions to stay three to five years, and now is looking for a less demanding roll that would allow him to spend more time with “myself, my family, and my grandchildren.” He has held the position since February 2009, a little more than seven years.
Cheek also said that his decision to step down “had absolutely nothing to do” with recent controversies including issues legislators have had with UTK’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion or the federal Title IX lawsuit that alleges UT mishandles sexual assault cases, particularly when it comes to student athletes.
“I’m still going to do everything I can as Chancellor to push this university forward,” Cheek said, surrounded by a gaggle of reporters in Andy Holt Hall. He will remain Chancellor until a replacement is found, likely spring 2017, according to officials.
Over the past several month UTK’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion has come under fire from state legislators, some of whom have called for Cheek’s ouster after a series of blog posts turned into high-profile talking points. A bill defunding the ODI became law May 20 without a signature from Gov. Bill Haslam.
A pending federal lawsuit against the university was filed in February, alleging that UT had created a culture that “enabled sexual assaults by student-atheletes,” as the Tennessean and other media outlets have reported.
President DiPietro appeared along side Cheek during the press conference, offering praise for a list of accomplishments during his tenure as Chancellor. Most all of those accolades were also detailed in his email sent to university staff this morning, which you can read here. Read Cheek’s announcement here.
DiPietro said that he and Cheek have had conversations over the past several months, since February, about the him possibly vacating the position and returning as a faculty member. Cheek will return to teaching in the university’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, but it’s not yet known which courses he will teach.
Over the past several month UTK’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion has come under fire from state legislators, some of whom have called for Cheek’s ouster after a series of blog posts turned into high-profile talking points. A bill defunding the ODI became law May 20 without a signature from Gov. Bill Haslam.
Former Mercury staff reporter Clay Duda has covered gangs in New York, housing busts in Atlanta, and wildfires in Northern California. And lots of stuff about Knoxville.
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