University of Tennessee president recommends UT Health Science Center chancellor candidate

Becca Wright, Knoxville News Sentinel
·1 min read
University of Tennessee System President Randy Boyd will recommend Dr. Peter F. Buckley as the new chancellor of the UT Health Science Center in Memphis.
University of Tennessee System President Randy Boyd will recommend Dr. Peter F. Buckley as the new chancellor of the UT Health Science Center in Memphis.
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University of Tennessee System President Randy Boyd will recommend Dr. Peter F. Buckley to be the new chancellor of the UT Health Science Center.

Buckley will start on Feb. 7 if he's approved by the UT System Board of Trustees, according to information in a news release. The board will consider the recommendation at a special Dec. 6 meeting.

“One of the most important responsibilities the UT president has is to hire great leaders,” Boyd said in the release. “I have tremendous confidence that Dr. Buckley will build on our successes, while also providing innovative ideas to move UTHSC into the future.”

UT System President Randy Boyd speaks during a town hall meeting at the University of Tennessee Student Union in Knoxville, Tenn. Boyd will recommend a new chancellor for the UT Health Science Center in Memphis.
UT System President Randy Boyd speaks during a town hall meeting at the University of Tennessee Student Union in Knoxville, Tenn. Boyd will recommend a new chancellor for the UT Health Science Center in Memphis.

Buckley will replace Chancellor Steve Schwab, who announced his retirement in June. Schwab has worked at UT for 15 years and has served as chancellor since 2010.

A 14-member committee began a search process for the chancellor in late July with the help of an executive search firm. In November, two finalists visited the UT Health Science Center for open forums.

In January 2020, Buckley was appointed as interim CEO of the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System and led its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Buckley has served as dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine since 2017. Before that, he was the School of Medicine dean at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.

Buckley is a psychiatrist and an international expert in schizophrenia.

Alicia D. H. Monroe serves as the provost and senior vice president of academic and faculty affairs at the Baylor College of Medicine.
Alicia D. H. Monroe serves as the provost and senior vice president of academic and faculty affairs at the Baylor College of Medicine.

The other finalist for the position was Alicia D. H. Monroe, who serves as provost and senior vice president for academic and faculty affairs at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

Becca Wright: Higher education reporter at Knox News
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee president recommends Health Science Center chancellor