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The University of Tennessee at Martin

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The Office of the Chancellor
University of Tennessee at Martin
325 Administration Building
Martin, TN 38238
(731) 881-7500 - phone
(731) 881-7019 - fax
rakes@utm.edu

 

 
About Chancellor Rakes  

Dr. Tom Rakes became the ninth UT Martin chancellor on July 1, 2007. Rakes joined UT Martin in 2002 as vice chancellor for academic affairs and professor of educational studies. He was named provost in 2005.

 

During his first two years as Chancellor, the campus has flourished with notable enrollment growth and unprecedented success in fund raising as part of the Campaign for Tennessee.  Award-winning performances by the campus radio station, student chemical society chapter, campus recycling group, agriculture, business, Greek organizations, military science and many others highlight the accomplishments and commitment of an engaged student body. Additionally, outstanding success by student-athletes both in competition and in the classroom characterize the university’s progress and achievements in NCAA Division I athletics.  The infrastructure to support this strong, vibrant regional university continues to evolve as major capital improvement projects in excess of $80 million are completed or continue in Martin, Parsons, Ripley and Selmer.

McWherter and Rakes


At the heart of the university are committed teaching faculty members who excel in providing a high-quality educational experience for students. Beyond the classroom, these faculty members publish, hold leadership positions, conduct research, and perform public service in a way that positions UT Martin for greater impact locally, regionally and beyond.

 

Chancellor Rakes with Alumni

 

The steering committee of the Tennessee Campus Compact, an organization that fosters programs to make service-learning education more organized and effective throughout the state, had its first meeting recently at the University of Tennessee at Martin. The Tennessee Campus Compact, formed earlier this year, is now affiliated with the National Campus Compact that has existed since 1986 as the primary organizing body for service learning in higher education. Hundreds of schools are now members. Among those attending the first meeting were, from left, Chancellor Rakes; Mani Hull, who spearheaded the drive to affiliate Tennessee with Campus Compact; Dr. Deborah Harley, chair; and Dr. Mike McCullough, UT Martin American Democracy Project chair.

 

 

 

He received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Milligan College, a master’s degree in reading from East Tennessee State University and a doctor of education from UT Knoxville.

 

Before coming to UT Martin, he was interim president at University of Louisiana at Monroe. He began his employment at Monroe in 1995 as College of Education and Human Development dean and professor. Also, he served as vice provost and Dean for Graduate Studies and Research. He became UL Monroe provost and vice president for academic affairs in 2000. Rakes previously served as a University of Memphis professor and director of the Division of Research and Development in the College of Education.

 

He also served as chair and professor in the Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership. The new chancellor has been a UT Knoxville instructor and University Reading Center assistant director. His first education position was in Johnson City, Tenn., as a teacher and basketball coach. Rakes has completed an extensive list of scholarly activities, including more than 160 refereed presentations and publications. He is serving as the 2009-2010 president of UT Martin chapter of Phi Kappa,  a member of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission Performance Funding Standards Review Committee, Tennessee P-16 Mathematics Curriculum Alignment Committee and the National Forum of Educational Administration and Supervision Journal editorial board, a recipient of the Tennessee Institute for Pre-professionals Outstanding Service Award and chair of the UT Martin Enrollment Management Task Force, among numerous other honors and leadership appointments.

 

Chancellor Rakes is serving as the 2009-2010 Ohio Valley Conference Board of Presidents vice chair, as the 2008-09 chair of the Weakley County United Way Campaign, co-chair of the Weakley County P-16 Council and is a member of the Weakley County Economic Development Board. Additionally, he has been involved in consultation and presentations for professional development and accreditation for more than 40 different institutions of higher education. Since 1978, he has been associated with 11 training programs that have been developed for business or nonprofit organizations operating in six states. Corporate consulting has involved communications improvement and human resources evaluation for hotel, manufacturing, insurance and retail businesses.

 

Rakes’ wife, Dr. Glenda Rakes, is a UT Martin professor of education. The couple has two children, Karee and Patrick.