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UTM hosts UT Board of Trustees


UTM hosted the quarterly board meeting of the UT Board of Trustees this week. Among top business: countdown for the selection of a new UT president.

Two applicants for the position of president of UT have direct ties to UTM. Dean James Byford of Agriculture and Applied Sciences has made his candidacy known. Alumnus and Weakley County native Dennis D. Cavin of the U.S. Army has also applied for the position.

The application pool is expected to be about 40 people.

According to the search Web site, 24 candidates so far have submitted application materials.

Gary L. Daughtery, senior vice president with Baker-Parker Inc. of Atlanta, reported on the current situation with the search process. Daughtery’s briefing took place during the committee meetings on Wednesday at UTM.

The search process for the new president is continuing with its commitment to openness. The search committee consists of four trustees, four students, four alumni, four professors and two staff members from across the state.

This committee will select 10 candidates for interviews in mid-April by a separate search committee.

A new president is expected to assume duties by July 1. During the trustees’ visit to UTM, the members had the opportunity to become acquainted with the campus. Dr. Joe Johnson, interim president of UT, and other members listened to presentations given by faculty, students and athletic representatives.

Other news concerning the Board of Trustees is the fact that UTM will soon have student representation on the board. Students wishing to apply to be on the board should submit their applications in the ballot box located in the SGA office by Tuesday, March 9.

Applications can be picked up from the SGA office as well. SGA campus observations chair Joey Pierce said in a campuswide e-mail, “It is an important opportunity to represent approximately 42,000 students and make decisions that will affect the life of every UT student.”

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