The Tennessee Board of Regents has named its Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs as the interim President for Austin Peay State University.
Tristan Denley will replace current APSU president Tim Hall who isleaving to take over as president of Mercy College in New York.
Denley was formerly APSU's provost and vice president of Academic Affairs. He will maintain dual responsibilities as TBR’s vice chancellor during the interim period until a new president takes over.
“We are fortunate to have Dr. Denley available and willing to serve as interim president during this transition period,” said TBR Chancellor John Morgan in a release. “His familiarity with and reputation on the campus make him an excellent fit. His previous service there helped lead to the tremendous focus on student success, and I know he will support the continuous improvements that have already begun at APSU. His leadership will also help with the transition to the new president.”
Originally from Penzance, England, Denley earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from Trinity College Cambridge, completed advanced studies in mathematics from the University of Cambridge, and earned his bachelor’s degree in pure and applied mathematics from the University of Exeter. He joined APSU in 2009 after leaving the University of Mississippi as chair of Mathematics and senior fellow of the Residential College Program. Denley was named vice chancellor at the TBR last July after serving as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs and professor of mathematics at APSU.
The TBR began the search for Hall's replacement in February. Four finalists were identified by the search advisory committee in April and visited campus between April 28 and May 5. The finalists are:
- Bradley Cook, provost and executive vice president and professor of history at Southern Utah University
- Jerome Gilbert, provost and executive vice president at Mississippi State University
- Randall Hanna, chancellor of the Florida College System and Division of Florida Colleges
- Alisa White, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at the University of Texas at Tyler
Morgan is in the process of evaluating each candidate in preparation to make a recommendation to the Board of Regents for the new president within the next few weeks.
