September 02, 2009
To: UT System-wide Faculty and Staff
From: Interim President Jan Simek
The UT Health Science Center is today announcing plans for Dr. Hershel
P. Wall to step down as chancellor and for a new search for a permanent
chancellor to begin immediately.
I have asked Dr. Steve Schwab, executive dean for the UT College of
Medicine, to serve as interim chancellor after Dr. Wall steps down on
Sept. 30.
The search for a permanent UTHSC chancellor was suspended in January
2008, and I believe it is time to begin the search anew.
A new committee will undertake the national search and make
recommendations on possible candidates. The search committee will
include leaders from partner organizations in the Memphis health care
community; UTHSC faculty and student representatives from among its six
colleges; non-exempt staff, and team members who represent the other two
major UTHSC campuses in Knoxville and Chattanooga.
A long-term permanent chancellor is critical to the future of the UT
Health Science Center and the pursuit of our goal to increase its
research capacity, outreach in the community and commitment to providing
the best possible education for the future health care workers in our
state.
I am grateful to Dr. Wall for his outstanding service to the University.
He has been a member of the Health Science Center team since he began
medical school on the Memphis campus more than 52 years ago.
Dr. Wall will return to the faculty and continue to serve UTHSC as the
Special Assistant to the President in support of Alumni Affairs and
Development. His responsibilities will include fundraising, capital
development and alumni relations.
Dr. Schwab joined UTHSC as the first-ever executive dean for the UT
College of Medicine in July 2006 to lead the center's largest college.
In this role he has assumed all administrative responsibility for the
Health Science Center's College of Medicine campus locations in Memphis,
Knoxville and Chattanooga. In 2007, he absorbed direct responsibility
for the College of Medicine Memphis campus due to a vacancy in the
Memphis dean's office.
In addition to serving as interim chancellor, Dr. Schwab will continue
in his role as chair of the UT Medical Group Board of Directors, a
position he has held for three years.
I look forward to working with Dr. Schwab and Dr. Wall in their new
roles.
The University of Tennessee is committed to helping the Health Science
Center build upon its current successes and achieve even more in the
years ahead.
As always, you can submit questions and comments via UTALK at
http://president.tennessee.edu/utalk/.
