UT Martin Chancellorship

Dr. Philip Wesley Conn became the seventh chancellor of the University of Tennessee at Martin on July 1, 1998, a position in which he served until 2000. He led the reorganization of the university’s academic departments and colleges, stressed experiential education for students, and focused on strategies to solidify and grow the university’s enrollment.

He left the university to work on special projects under then-UT President Wade Gilley before leaving the University of Tennessee System in 2002 to accept the presidency of Western Oregon University. Under his leadership, Western Oregon University boasted the largest enrollment in its history up to that time, with more than 5,000 students during the 2002-03 school year. Dr. Conn retired from the university in 2005.

Early Life and Education

Dr. Conn spent most of his early years in Cleveland, Tennessee, where he graduated from Bradley Central High School. He remained in Cleveland to complete his freshman year at Lee University.

He graduated from Berea College in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He earned a graduate diploma in social policy from the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, Netherlands, as a Rotary International Fellow.

In 1972, he was awarded a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Dr. Conn holds both the master’s degree and doctorate in public administration from the University of Southern California.

Early Career and Community Service

Before coming to UT Martin, Dr. Conn served for four years as president of Dickinson State University in North Dakota. He held academic rank as professor of business. Prior to his service at Dickinson State, he was vice president for university advancement and associate professor of management at Central Missouri State University. From 1977-1984, he served as a vice president and associate professor of sociology at Morehead State University in Kentucky.

During the mid-1970s, Dr. Conn was executive director of the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Earlier, he served as director of alumni affairs at Berea College, as a field representative for Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), and as an associate director with the Council of Southern Mountains.