KNOXVILLE — Dr. W. Stuart Riggsby, associate dean of the University of Tennessee College of Arts and Sciences, has been named interim dean of the college.
Riggsby replaces Dean Lorayne Lester, who is retiring after serving more than four decades at UT.
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Dr. W. Stuart Riggsby
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UT Provost Loren Crabtree said the appointment becomes effective August 1.
“We are fortunate that Dr. Riggsby has agreed to assume the interim dean position,” Crabtree said. “His scholarly and administrative achievements ensure that the college will be in capable hands.
“We congratulate him on his appointment and thank him for shouldering this key responsibility.”
Riggsby has served as associate dean of arts and sciences at UT since 1997 and was associate head of the college’s Department of Microbiology from 1987 to 1997.
He earned the Ph.D. in molecular biology and biophysics from Yale University in 1964. After stints at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Riggsby joined the University of Tennessee in 1969 as assistant professor of microbiology. He earned full professor status in 1979.
Riggsby was director of the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Sciences from 1991-1994. He also has served as visiting professor of molecular genetics at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine.