DiPietro Named UT President

The Chancellor of UT’s Institute of Agriculture was promoted today to lead the entire University of Tennessee system.

Joe DiPietro narrowly edged out the other nominee for president in an 11 to 10 vote of the UT board.

DiPietro is a veterinarian by training. Before coming to Tennessee, he was an administrator at the Universities of Illinois and Florida. Since 2006, he has headed the Agriculture Institute, which oversees the state’s agricultural extension service to farmers as well as UT’s academic programs in agriculture and veterinary medicine.

The other main contender was Brian Noland, a UT alumni and one-time administrator at the Tennessee Higher Education Commission who currently heads a similar government agency in West Virginia.

Several board members referred to Noland as a “superstar” with a bright future in higher education. But in the end, DiPietro’s track record within the UT system was a deciding factor.

As UT president, DiPietro will oversee four university campuses and UT’s institutes for public service, space, and agriculture.