KNOXVILLE (AP) — University of Cincinnati Interim President Beverly Davenport has been selected as the University of Tennessee's next chancellor of its Knoxville campus.

If the Board of Trustees approves Davenport's selection, she would become the school's first female chancellor.

University of Tennessee President Joe DiPietro announced Monday that he had selected Davenport. DiPietro will recommend Davenport at a special Board of Trustees meeting Dec. 15 in Nashville.

Davenport would take over March 1 pending Board of Trustees approval.

She would replace Jimmy Cheek, who announced in June he was stepping down to return to teaching. Cheek has been Tennessee's chancellor since 2009.

Other finalists included State University of New York System Administration Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Alexander Cartwright and University of Georgia President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten.