Shirley C. Raines, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean of College of Education at the University of Kentucky, accepted an offer to become the 11th President of the University of Memphis on Tuesday afternoon, January 31st. The Tennessee Board of Regents approved the recommendation of U of M Chancellor Charles Manning during a conference earlier that day.

She replaces former U of M President Lane Rawlins, who left Memphis last year to be president at Washington State University.

Raines is serving her sixth year as dean of the UK College of Education. For the last two and a half years, she has taken on the duties as vice-chancellor of academic services at the University of Kentucky. She is highly regarded for her leadership skills amid the demanding task of serving both roles at UK. During her tenure as dean, the college acquired its first endowed chair and increased its overall fundraising efforts by approximately $2.75 million. She has proven herself an effective collaborator with colleagues and state officials, working successfully to secure funding for a statewide literacy development initiative.

She is the President of the Association for Childhood Education International, a 107 year-old organization with members in over 70 nations devoted to the education and well-being of children from infancy through early adolescence. In May of last year, she was an invited participant in the United Nation's Millenium forum to discuss international issues of childhood literacy education. She has written or co-written 11 books and is highly regarded as a scholar in her field.

Her appointment to the Memphis presidency becomes effective July 1st.

Dr. Shirley C. Raines Biosketch
	Personal: Age 55. Born April 15, 1945 in Jackson, TN.
	Present Position: Vice Chancellor for Academic Services and Dean and Professor of the College of Education at the University of Kentucky
	Career Highlights: Professor and Department Chairperson of Childhood/Language Arts/Reading Education, University of South Florida (1992-95). Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Graduate School of Education George Mason University (1987-92). Department Head, Northeastern State, Tahlequah and Tulsa, Oklahoma (1983-87).
	Education: B.S. from University of Tennessee at Martin; Master's and EdD from UT Knoxville.
	Vita (54.8K pdf file)

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