After serving UTM for more than 30 years, Chancellor Nick Dunagan announced Thursday he will retire at the conclusion of the Spring 2007 semester.

He made the public announcement at a community tailgate party before UTM's first home football game against Urbana University. In the announcement, Dunagan said he will miss the university's faculty, staff and students, but he added he looks forward to spending retirement with his wife, Cathy.

After serving as interim chancellor three separate times, Dunagan was named UTM's chancellor in April 2001 by the UT Board of Trustees. He began work at UTM in 1973, serving as the university's director of development. He has also worked as vice chancellor for student affairs, vice chancellor for development and administration and executive vice chancellor since beginning employment at UTM.

Dunagan also serves as the executive director of WestStar, a regional leadership development academy sponsored by UTM.

Dunagan, a Caruthersville, Mo., native, graduated from UTM in 1968. He then earned a law degree from the University of Missouri in 1971, followed by a doctorate degree in higher education from Vanderbilt University in 1990.

He is married to the former Cathy Porter, a UTM graduate from Humboldt, Tenn., and they have four children, including UTM Assistant Professor Stan Dunagan.

For more information, see Tuesday's edition of The Pacer.