By Josh Abner
President John Shumaker accepted the presidency at the University of Tennessee on Friday, March 1, leaving U of L searching for a new chief executive for the first time in seven years.
Shumaker’s announcement completed a nine-day saga from the time he was announced as a candidate for the UT position until his acceptance last Friday. The rapid succession of events has left much of the U of L community numb.
“I was really amazed at how fast it all played out. All of a sudden he’s leaving,” said freshman political science major Rick Curtsinger.
Shumaker made his announcement after visiting with students, faculty and staff at the UT-Knoxville campus. After calling U of L officials and Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist, Shumaker announced his decision to the crowd.
“Serving as president offers an opportunity to lead a great university and state system toward even greater levels of academic excellence and achievement,” Shumaker said. “Lucy and I look forward to being a part of the Tennessee family and its rich tradition in education, public service, research and athletic endeavors.”
UT is Tennessee’s flagship university, encompassing 5 campuses statewide and 42,000 students, nearly twice as many as U of L.
In a statement to the U of L community following his announcement, Shumaker emphasized his desire to take on new challenges.
“The University of Louisville is well on pace to meeting its potential as a highly respected metropolitan research university, and I have always looked forward to the prospect of continuing to contribute to its progress as president. As I weighed this very personal and professional decision, however, I realized that the University of Tennessee offers an opportunity for me to take on new challenges at a very fine university and system where I can make a positive difference,” he said.
U of L will now begin its search for a new president. Shumaker has said he will assist the university during the search.
“I anticipate that U of L won’t miss a beat as it continues to move forward, and I will always be proud to have been part of its success,” Shumaker said.
Chairperson of the U of L Board of Trustees Jessica Loving said that the search would officially begin after the Board next meets to discuss the process and that no timetable has been established for choosing a new president. Loving also mentioned that the university has no list of possible candidates and that the search would be national in scope. “We’re going to do it right and we’re going to do it well,” said Loving.
