Matthew Theriot will begin serving as UT’s interim vice provost for faculty affairs on August 1. He also will continue to serve as associate provost for teaching and learning innovation.
The appointment was announced today by Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Susan D. Martin.
The move completes a series of administrative changes prompted by Martin’s decision to return to the faculty of the Department of Classics. John Zomchick, who has been the vice provost for faculty affairs, will become interim provost and senior vice chancellor.
As interim vice provost, Theriot will oversee and facilitate processes related to faculty recruitment, retention, evaluation, promotion, and professional development. He also will lead campus efforts on faculty-related aspects of the Vol Vision 2020 Strategic Plan.
A professor of social work, Theriot last year took on a three-year appointment as associate provost for teaching and learning innovation. In this role, he’s been leading the implementation of Experience Learning and administration of the Tennessee Teaching and Learning Center and UT Service-Learning.
“In his current role with the provost’s office as well as his work leading the team that developed Experience Learning for our reaccreditation process with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, Matthew has been an effective liaison between administration and faculty,” Martin said. “We’re confident he’ll keep us on the journey outlined in Vol Vision 2020 during this time of transition as our university recruits a new chancellor and provost.”
Theriot received his doctorate in social welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. He received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in social work from the University of Texas at Austin. He came to UT in 2003. He served as director of the College of Social Work’s undergraduate program from 2006 to 2013 and then served for three years as director of the college’s PhD program.