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Sally McMillan
Sally McMillan

KNOXVILLE — Sally McMillan has been named vice provost for academic affairs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Provost Susan Martin announced today.

McMillan is the associate dean for academic programs for the College of Communication and Information and a professor in the School of Advertising and Public Relations. She will begin her new role on Jan. 4.

As vice provost for academic affairs, McMillan will oversee undergraduate programs and curriculum, including general education, service learning, freshman seminars, learning communities and distance education. She also will oversee academic program review and will coordinate academic programs such as summer school, Life of the Mind and undergraduate research.

“Sally brings a broad range of administrative experience, as well as faculty leadership experience, to this new role,” Martin said. “She brings a wealth of experience from her work in communications both inside and external to the university. She understands the needs of our faculty, as well as those of our students, and will bring a broad strategic perspective to our academic programs and our efforts to help our students succeed.”

McMillan joined the UT Knoxville faculty in 1999 as an assistant professor. She has provided leadership for the college since 2005 by working closely with faculty and administration to develop strategic and curricular priorities for undergraduate and graduate programs. Prior to UT, McMillan taught at Boston University, the University of Oregon and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

“The students, faculty members and administrators at UT Knoxville are all top-notch,” McMillan said. “I welcome the challenge of working with the university community to identify ways to be more efficient and effective while promoting excellence in academic programs.”

McMillan has published more than 40 scholarly articles and has been honored for both her teaching and her research, which focuses primarily on health communication and the impact of new communication technologies on individuals, organizations and society. In 2003, her faculty colleagues elected her to the UT Knoxville Faculty Senate, where she chaired the budget and planning committee for two years.

McMillan has a bachelor’s degree in English from Southern Adventist University and a master’s degree in journalism and public relations from the University of Maryland. She has a doctorate in communication and society from the University of Oregon. Before entering the field of higher education, she worked for 15 years in the communication field including a job as a book editor in Washington, D.C., and as president of Delta Technology in Eau Claire, Wis.

McMillan is a member of the American Academy of Advertising, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the Association of Internet Researchers and the International Communication Association. View McMillan’s biography on the College of Communication and Information Web site.

C O N T A C T :

Rebekah Winkler (865-974-8304, rwinkler@utk.edu)