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UConn Provost named as next UT President


The Board of Trustees announced today at a 1 p.m. meeting that John Petersen has been named the 23rd president of the University of Tennessee.

Petersen is expected to be in Martin tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. (CST) for a question and answer session as he makes his way across the state.

Jetersen had served as the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Connecticut.

Prior to coming to the University in June 2000, Dr. Petersen was Dean of the College of Science and Professor of Chemistry at Wayne State University from 1994-2000. Previously he held posi-tions as the Department Head of Chemistry, and Associate Dean for Research, College of Sciences at Clemson University (1983–1993) and Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Kansas State University (1975-1980).

He received his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from University of California at Santa Barbara in 1975 and his BS in Chemistry from California State University at Los Angeles in 1970. Dr. Petersen’s research activities have focused on the preparation of complex polymetallic, transition metal complexes with the goal of covalently coupling the molecular components necessary to absorb visible light and to convert the incident energy into either chemical fuel or chemical potential energy.

He is active in the American Chemical Society, Council for Chemical Research, and sits on the Executive Committee for chief academic of.cers for the National Association of State Universitites and Land Grant Colleges.

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Updated: April 21, 2004 1:20 p.m.