J. Patrick Biddix is Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) and the Jimmy and Ileen Cheek Endowed Professor of Higher Education at UTK. A scholar–practitioner, he believes that everyone on a college campus has both an opportunity and an obligation to educate. His research and teaching focus on assessment, research methods, and college student engagement, with an emphasis on how students succeed both inside and outside the classroom.

He began his career in student affairs at Washington University in St. Louis, then taught at Valdosta State University before joining UTK’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in 2011. At UTK, his leadership roles have included program coordinator, associate director of the Postsecondary Education Research Center (PERC), interim department head, faculty director for research and assessment in the Division of Student Success, and Faculty Fellow for Access and Engagement, partnering on training and consultations that support student success.

He has authored nine books and more than 50 peer-reviewed articles. His current research is focused on using social network analysis to examine influence, engagement, and well-being within groups. He has been recognized with awards for his research and graduate student mentorship, was awarded the first endowed professorship in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, and in 2015 was named a Fulbright U.S. Scholar in Montreal, Canada. At UTK, he has also been honored for his teaching, research, and mentorship.

Nationally, he is a Faculty Research Fellow and Project Lead with the What Works project at Penn State’s Piazza Center, advancing hazing prevention research, practice, and policy. He also advises the Women’s Research Committee of the Foundation for Fraternal Excellence/National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) and has been recognized nationally for his contributions to fraternity/sorority research and practice with the Interfraternal Partner Award from NPC and the Vision Award from Alpha Chi Omega.

A proud UTK alumnus, Biddix earned his bachelor’s degree in Classical Civilization in 2001, where he was actively involved in orientation, fraternity life, Team VOLS, and student government. He later earned his master’s at the University of Mississippi and his Ph.D. at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. A first-generation college graduate from a ninth-generation rural Appalachian family in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, he was the first in his family to attend college. In addition to his work at UTK, he remains closely connected to his alma mater, serving on the Classics Advisory Council.

Outside of work, Patrick enjoys spending time with his wife, Erika, an entrepreneurial strategist for women, and their three children: Jackson, Clare, and Benjamin. He volunteers with Scouts BSA, is an avid board gamer, musical theatre enthusiast, and 1980s movie fan. He enjoys competitive 5K training and can often be seen running across and around campus in preparation for his next race.