University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Interim Chancellor Jan Simek announced Wednesday that Susan Martin, currently senior vice provost at UT Knoxville, has agreed to serve as interim provost, effective Aug. 1.
Simek said Martin, who previously had announced plans to return to the faculty in the Classics Department, brings extensive experience to the position as the senior member of the provost’s staff.
"In speaking to people across campus about the best candidate to fill the position of interim provost, Susan’s name was consistently mentioned as a top candidate," said Simek. "She is both experienced and well-respected on our campus, and is without doubt the right person to take on this role at this important time in our institution’s history."
Martin has served in her current role since 2004, and Simek said that she has been intimately involved in recent academic successes on the campus.
"Susan has a keen understanding of the needs and requirements of the position, and we appreciate her postponing her plans to return to the faculty to support our institution at this important time," he said.
"Like many longtime faculty members, I have a lot invested in UT Knoxville," said Martin. "We all want to see the university forge ahead with its aggressive plans to enhance the educational experience we offer students as well as with our initiatives to improve achievement in research and in outreach to the community and state. I am eager to do whatever I can to move us forward on all fronts."
Prior to her current role, Martin served as the associate dean of the UT Knoxville College of Arts and Sciences from 2000 to 2004, and prior to that spent nine years as a department head. She joined the faculty at UT Knoxville in 1981.
Martin earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in classical studies from the University of Michigan. She earned bachelor’s degrees in comparative literature and classical philology at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on the legal history of the Roman Empire with particular emphasis on its relationship to the society and economy of Rome.
Since taking up administration full time in 2000, she has continued to teach courses in her area of specialization, including Roman law. She has served as president of the Tennessee Foreign Language Teaching Association (TFLTA) and as president of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South. She was the recipient of the Jacqueline Elliott Award for Service in Higher Education from the TFLTA in 2003.