Roger Brown, the Chancellor for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga says he is retiring.

Chancellor Brown e-mailed a letter to the entire campus Friday afternoon.

He said he would remain in place until a new chancellor can be sworn in, or until March 31, 2013.

Chancellor Roger Brown's e-mail to the University:

Dear Campus Colleagues,

As all of you know, this has been a tremendously difficult year for me personally, and yet, throughout all of the ups and downs, Carolyn and I received so much love and support from our campus and community families. You will never know how important this has been for me.

 And that is why I wanted to make sure you received this announcement from me personally as soon as I was able to let you know that I have decided to retire from the position of Chancellor of this wonderful campus.

 It has truly been a privilege to work at UTC and to be welcomed in the hearts of so many. From the beginning, Carolyn and I felt the friendship and warmth from both the campus and the community. As many of you know, we had already begun to make arrangements to retire and make Chattanooga our home, and I certainly plan to still do so.

 With the search for a new provost already in the hatching stage, this year already promised to be a busy one. After talking to President DiPietro, we have agreed that the search for a new chancellor should take precedence so that the new leader can have input into the selection of a new provost. With that idea in mind, I anticipate that President DiPietro will name a chancellor search committee soon with the hope of having a new chancellor in place in spring 2013. I have agreed to remain in place until a new chancellor can be sworn in or until March 31, 2013.

 Given this timetable, I suspect that a provost search for this campus will begin a little later than earlier reported, perhaps mid-fall semester, with the thought being that final provost candidates could be identified soon after a new chancellor is selected. This would allow for President DiPietro's wish that the new chancellor be involved in the provost selection.

 I realize that this announcement comes while many of you are away for the summer, and I wish I could tell each of you individually, but that is just not possible.

In closing, there is still much to be done this year. All indications point to another record enrollment this fall. Construction projects are spread across campus. Our retention rates are improving. New academic programs have launched and others are in the works.

I appreciate all you do for our students and I pledge to do everything in my power to keep the Chattanooga spirit of achievement strong as I prepare to relinquish the reins to a new leader in the spring.

We shall achieve!

Sincerely,
Roger BrownUTC Chancellor Retire