New UT-Knoxville chancellor Donde Plowman a 'big athletics fan'

Tennessee athletics gained a self-proclaimed “big athletics fan” on Monday afternoon.

The University of Tennessee-Knoxville introduced its new chancellor, Donde Plowman, who discussed subjects ranging from her leadership style to the importance of diversity. She also touched on athletics, expressing a love of going to as many sporting events as possible.

“I think athletics can be a real strength for a university,” Plowman said. “I think it is for this university. It is a strength at other big universities I am familiar with, like Nebraska. I think that student-athletes are an important part of our campus, and I will always be supportive of all students, including student-athletes.”

Plowman starts in Knoxville on July 1 after she was approved by the Board of Trustees on Monday. She previously worked at UT from 2007-10 as a management professor in the Haslam College of Business. She also was the department head from 2008-10.

The Oklahoma native comes back to UT as the head of the university after serving as the executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

In the role of chancellor, she believes in a strong connection with the athletics department and athletics director Phillip Fulmer.

“I look forward to a good relationship with Coach Fulmer and his leadership team as well,” Plowman said. “I think it is essential that we work together carefully and communicate and work together collaboratively.”

Recently, Fulmer stated he believes that Tennessee is “in a much better place now than we have been in 10 years.” His reasoning centered on the relationships and communication from the board and administration, which currently includes interim president Randy Boyd.

On Monday, Fulmer gladly welcomed Plowman back to Knoxville with the belief that the strength he sees growing is continuing.

“I think it’s exactly on pace with what we have been doing and with (Boyd’s) vision of what it should be like and with my previous experience,” Fulmer said. “It is what it was like when we were all aligned and working together.”