KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — University of Tennessee President Joe DiPietro announced today that he will retire Feb. 14, 2019.
He will step down from active service Nov. 21 to use his remaining vacation time.
DiPietro has led the University of Tennessee System as UT’s 25th president since January 2011. He serves as the chief executive officer of UT and its campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Martin, the Health Science Center in Memphis, the statewide Institute of Agriculture and the Institute of Public Service.
“I am very proud of all we have accomplished together, which would not have been possible without the important efforts of our talented faculty, students, staff and administrators and the steadfast support of the Board of Trustees,” DiPietro said. “The university is well positioned for success—we are coming off a record-breaking year in research funding as well as private fundraising, and we have a committed group of chancellors and system administrators to move the university forward.”
John Compton, chair of the UT Board of Trustees, praised DiPietro. “We should all be thankful for Joe’s leadership. He and the former Board of Trustees accomplished a great deal together. All stakeholders in the university system have been well-served by his tireless commitment to continual improvement across all of our campuses. Our new board will convene soon to discuss next steps in selecting a new leader for the University of Tennessee System,” he said.
During DiPietro’s tenure, he oversaw a record four years of low tuition increases, including a zero percent tuition increase this year for UT Knoxville and UT Chattanooga. In 2017, UT research achieved a record-high, system-wide $481 million in sponsored-program expenditures. The UT Foundation experienced a record fundraising year of more than $397 million given
during the 2017-2018 fiscal year. The record year of giving included the naming of two colleges at the UT Institute of Agriculture and UT Chattanooga, which join two other colleges named at UT Knoxville since 2014. The UT Institute of Agriculture and Institute for Public Service made more than five million contacts with Tennesseans statewide.
(PHOTO: Joe DiPietro)
