CARVER APPOINTS NEW UT MARTIN PROVOST

CARVER APPOINTS NEW UT MARTIN PROVOST
MARTIN, Tenn. – Dr. Keith Carver, chancellor of the University of Tennessee at Martin,
recently announced the selection of Dr. Philip Acree Cavalier as the university’s new provost
and vice chancellor for academic affairs. Cavalier most recently served as provost of Lyon
College in Batesville, Arkansas, and is expected to assume UT Martin duties effective July 1.
“I am excited to join a community that impressed me, during my campus interviews, as truly
energized and moving in a positive direction,” said Cavalier. “I am eager to partner with
Chancellor Carver and the faculty, staff and members of the chancellor’s leadership team to
advance UT Martin’s commitment to making a profound impact on the lives of all UTM
students.”
At Lyon, Cavalier was responsible for working with areas such as curriculum and program
development; faculty support and shared governance; student support and persistence initiatives;
accreditation; and assessment.
Cavalier holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, a
master’s degree in English from Northeastern University in Massachusetts and a doctoral degree,
also in English, from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has served in higher
education administration since 2004.
“I appreciate Dr. Rich Helgeson (former dean, UT Martin College of Engineering and Natural
Sciences) for stepping up to fill the provost position this past year, and I wish him well as he
returns to the faculty in the fall. I would also like to thank Dr. Philip Smartt (search committee
chairperson and professor of natural resources management) and the rest of the search committee
for their tireless efforts to find the best person to lead UT Martin’s academic areas,” said Carver
in a campus message. “I am confident Dr. Cavalier is this person, and I look forward to
welcoming him and his family to campus this summer.”
Cavalier plans to arrive in Martin with his wife, Dr. Carol Acree Cavalier, and youngest son,
Elijah, later this summer. The couple’s two older sons, Tobiah and Benjamin, are attending
universities elsewhere.
For more information, contact the UT Martin Office of University Relations at 731-881- 7615.

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