Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek today announced a change in leadership over Alumni Affairs and Development.
Long-time UT fundraiser Chip Bryant has been named interim vice chancellor for alumni affairs and development effective August 1. He will replace Scott Rabenold, who is leaving on August 12 to become vice president for university development at the University of Texas at Austin.
“We appreciate Scott’s strong leadership and exemplary service, and we wish him well in his new endeavor,” Cheek said. “Our fundraising has reached unprecedented levels in recent years.
“I’m very pleased that Chip has agreed to step up and serve as our interim vice chancellor. He is a proven leader with a strong record of successful fundraising, and I’m confident he will guide us through this transition period and continue our upward momentum in alumni and fundraising efforts.”
Bryant is currently the executive director of development for the Haslam College of Business. He is also director of campus-wide campaigns.
Under Bryant’s leadership, the Haslam College of Business development team has received more than $200 million and the Haslam College of Business endowment has grown from $42 million to $102 million.
Bryant led the college’s development office during the Campaign for Tennessee, through which the college received over $122 million. During its current campaign, Investing in the Journey to the Top 25, the Haslam College of Business has received $145 million toward a $175 million goal.
As director of campaigns, Bryant has been leading the campus-wide campaign strategy to secure the key funds for the university to become a Top 25 public research. More than $640 million has been received toward the campaign’s priorities since 2012.
Bryant has been at UT for more than twenty years. He arrived as a freshman in 1988 and graduated in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in education. He spent eleven years with UT Athletics as assistant athletics director for marketing, managing the corporate partner program and contracts.
In addition to leading campus fundraising efforts, the vice chancellor for alumni affairs and development is part of the leadership team of the UT Foundation, the nonprofit corporation that collaborates with each campus to raise money for scholarships, professorships, research, outreach programs, and other initiatives.
Rickey McCurry, vice president for development and alumni affairs and programs and president and CEO of the UT Foundation Inc., said he has appreciated Rabenold’s efforts and is pleased he’ll be working with Bryant going forward.
“More than ever, alumni support and private giving are critical to a university’s success,” McCurry said. “Like Scott, Chip is extremely good at communicating UT’s mission and vision and garnering support—monetary and otherwise—that will keep the Knoxville campus and our UT System thriving. I look forward to the successes that lie ahead.”
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CONTACT:
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)