Andy Kramer’s position is fundamentally about the people of the college. As associate dean of academic personnel, he works very closely with the department heads and directors of the academic units of the college. His purview includes managing all processes and issues related to the college’s personnel including exempt staff, non‐tenure‐track‐faculty, and tenure‐track faculty. Managing the annual evaluation and tenure and promotion processes are responsibilities of this associate dean, as well as faculty leaves, faculty grievances, retirement, post‐retirement, and cumulative performance review. He is also responsible for convening each year the College Promotion and Tenure Committee that makes recommendations on faculty tenure and promotion to the dean.
Kramer understands the importance of advocacy for faculty and staff and works to facilitate their professional development and satisfaction. He is committed as well to the value of diversity of the faculty, staff, and students at UT.
Kramer joined the UT faculty in 1990. He is professor in the Department of Anthropology where he served two five-year terms as head of the department since his initial appointment in 2000. In August 2012 Kramer was re-appointed by the dean for the third five-year term with strong and widespread support of his faculty colleagues; however, he resigned this appointment to accept the associate deanship effective July 1, 2014.
He aims to draw on his extensive experience as department head to develop programs and mentoring activities that foster the success of our faculty in their teaching, research, and service.
Kramer’s research in biological anthropology is in human evolutionary studies with a regional focus on Southeast Asia. In recent years he has investigated how evolution is taught, particularly here in Tennessee. He completed undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and went on to earn MA and PhD degrees in anthropology at the University of Michigan.
Andrew Kramer
Associate Dean for Academic Personnel