The University of Tennessee (also known as
UT), sometimes called the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville (
UT Knoxville, or
UTK) is a public
land-grant universityLand-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
headquartered at
KnoxvilleFounded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is also the largest city in East Tennessee. As of the 2000 United States Census, Knoxville had a total population of 173,890; the July 2007...
. Founded in 1794, it is the flagship institution of the statewide
University of Tennessee systemThe University of Tennessee system is one of two public university systems in the state of Tennessee. It consists of three primary campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Martin, a health sciences campus in Memphis and a research institute in Tullahoma.The University of Tennessee system has a...
with nine undergraduate departments and eleven graduate departments and hosts almost 28,000 students from all 50 states and more than 100 foreign countries. In its 2009 ranking of universities,
U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report is an American newsmagazine published in Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek, it was for many years a leading news weekly, although it focused more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
ranked UT 118th among national universities and 52nd among public institutions of higher learning. Its ties to
Oak Ridge National LaboratoryOak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by UT-Battelle. ORNL is the DOE's largest science and energy laboratory. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near Knoxville...
, established under UT President Andrew Holt and continued under the
UT-BattelleUT-Battelle, LLC is a limited liability partnership between the University of Tennessee and Battelle Memorial Institute that manages the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy ....
partnership, have positioned the University as co-manager and allow for considerable research opportunities for faculty and students enjoyed by few other institutions of comparable standing.
Also affiliated with the University are the
Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public PolicyThe Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy, located at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, is a non-partisan organization, which emphasizes better understanding of government and greater appreciation for the importance of public service. The Center strives to honor its namesake,...
, the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility, and the
University of Tennessee ArboretumThe University of Tennessee Arboretum is a research and educational arboretum operated by the University of Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station...
, which occupies 250 acres of nearby
Oak Ridge, TennesseeOak Ridge or Oakridge is the name of many places:In the United Kingdom:*Oakridge, Gloucestershire, England*Oakridge, Hampshire, EnglandIn the United States of America:*Oak Ridge , a ridge in Santa Clara County...
and features hundreds of species of plants indigenous to the region. The University is a direct partner of the University of Tennessee Medical Center, it is one of two Level I trauma center in the East Tennessee region and a self-proclaimed 'teaching hospital' due to its aggressive medical research programs and position as the primary career destination for most medical school graduates of the
University of Tennessee Health Science CenterThe University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis includes the Colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. Its pediatric residency program is affiliated with Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center...
at Memphis.
Known for its passionate football tradition, Tennessee's primary economic engine and largest institute of higher learning, the University was nearly destroyed during the Civil War, but rebounded with substantial growth during the Reconstruction era of the United States. The University of Tennessee is the only university in the nation to have three presidential papers editing projects and holds collections of the papers of all three U.S. presidents from Tennessee—
Andrew JacksonAndrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . He was military governor of Florida , commander of the American forces at the Battle of New Orleans , and eponym of the era of Jacksonian democracy...
,
James K. PolkJames Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States .Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, but mostly lived in and represented the state of Tennessee...
, and
Andrew JohnsonAndrew Johnson , the 17th President of the United States , was the first U.S. President to be impeached, as well as the first U.S. president to succeed to the presidency upon the assassination of his predecessor.At the time of the secession of the Southern states, Johnson was a U.S. Senator from...
.
Founding and early days
On September 10, 1794, two years before Tennessee became a state and at a meeting of the legislature of the
Southwest TerritoryThe Territory South of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Southwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1790, until June 1, 1796, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Tennessee.The Southwest Territory was created by...
at Knoxville, the University of Tennessee was chartered as
Blount College. The new, all-male, non-sectarian institution struggled for 13 years with a small student body and faculty, and in 1807, the school was renamed
East Tennessee College. When its first president and only faculty member died in 1809, the school was temporarily closed until 1820, and in 1840 was elevated to
East Tennessee University. The school's status as a religiously non-affiliated institution of higher learning was unusual for the period of time in which it was chartered, and the school is generally recognized as the oldest such establishment of its kind west of the Appalachian Divide.
Civil War and reconstruction
East Tennessee was considered to be a bastion of Union sympathies throughout the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
, although the University and the city of Knoxville were fairly divided for the duration of the conflict. As the threat of armed conflict between Union and Confederate forces loomed over the city of Knoxville, UT was forced to close its doors to students at the onset of the Siege of Knoxville and the campus's main buildings were requisitioned as hospitals and barracks. The school and its grounds suffered severe damage not only from the
Battle of Fort SandersThe Battle of Fort Sanders was the decisive engagement of the Knoxville Campaign of the American Civil War, fought in Knoxville, Tennessee, on November 29, 1863. Assaults by Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet failed to break through the defensive lines of Union Maj. Gen...
, but also from its unfortunate position between Union artillery based at Fort Sanders, situated immediately to the north of the 40 acre campus, and Fort Dickerson to south, overlooking the school from a bluff rising above the southern bank of the Tennessee River.
After being ravaged by war, the University saw its fortunes change dramatically in 1862 with the passage of the Morrill Act by the United States Congress, although it was not until 1869 that the law's designation of the school as a
land-grant universityLand-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
became practical due to complications associated with the War and its aftermath. Federal funds and land were thus allocated to the University for the purposes of instructing students in military, agricultural, and mechanical subjects, and Trustees soon after approved the establishment of a medical program under the auspices of the Nashville School of Medicine and began the addition of advanced degree programs. In the same year, East Tennessee College was renamed the University of Tennessee.
Civil rights era
The first
African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. In the United States, the terms are generally used for Americans with at least partial Sub-Saharan African ancestry...
s were admitted to the graduate and law schools by order of a federal district court in 1952. The first master's degree was awarded to a black student in 1954, and the first doctoral degree (Ed.D.) in 1959. Black undergraduates were not admitted until 1961; the first black faculty member was appointed in 1964. Integration went fairly smoothly; Black students had more difficulty gaining entry to eating establishments and places of entertainment off campus than they did attending class on campus. Overall, Knoxville and the University had fewer racial troubles in the 1950s and 1960s than did other southern universities.
Despite this climate, African-American attorney Rita Geier filed suit against the state of Tennessee in 1968 alleging that its higher education system remained segregated despite a federal mandate ordering desegregation. She claimed that the opening of a University of Tennessee campus at Nashville, Tennessee would lead to the creation of another predominantly white institution that would strip resources from Tennessee State University, the only state-funded Historically black university. The suit was not settled until 2001, when the Geier Consent Decree resulted in the appropriation of $77 million in state funding to increase diversity among student and faculty populations among all Tennessee institutions of higher learning .
Statewide reorganization
In 1968, the university underwent an administrative reorganization which left the Knoxville campus as the flagship and headquarters of its new "university system," comprising the UT Health Science Center at Memphis, a four-year college at
MartinMartin is a city in Weakley County, Tennessee, United States. Martin is the home of the University of Tennessee at Martin. The population was 10,515 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Martin is located at ....
, the formerly private
University of Tennessee at ChattanoogaUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga is a university located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The university, often referred to as UTC or simply "Chattanooga" , is one of three universities and two other affiliated institutions in the University of Tennessee System.UTC was founded in 1886 as...
(added a year later), the UT Space Institute at Tullahoma, and the Knoxville-based College of Veterinary Medicine, Agriculture Institute, and Public Service Institute. An additional primary campus in
NashvilleNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state...
had a brief existence from 1971 to 1979 before it was ordered closed and merged with
Tennessee State UniversityTennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee...
.
The University of Tennessee's flagship campus in Knoxville hosts the Institute of
AgricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
and the Institute for Public Service. The
UT Health Science CenterThe University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis includes the Colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. Its pediatric residency program is affiliated with Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center...
at Memphis and the
UT Space InstituteThe University of Tennessee Space Institute, also known as UTSI, is a satellite campus of the University of Tennessee located near Tullahoma, Tennessee....
at
TullahomaTullahoma is a city in Coffee and Franklin counties in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population was 17,994 at the 2000 census...
are specialized campuses but are not separate institutions.
Administration
The University of Tennessee at Knoxville is the flagship campus of the statewide University of Tennessee system and is governed by a 26-member Board of Trustees appointed by the Governor of Tennessee.
Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek is the chief executive officer of the University's Knoxville campus, and is responsible for its daily administration and management. His position is that of an officer of the University of Tennessee system and his position is elected annually by the UT Board of Trustees at the recommendation of the President of the University, and Dr. Cheek is directly subordinate to Interim President Jan Simek. Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan Martin is responsible for the academic administration of the Knoxville campus and reports directly to the Chancellor.
Budget
University of Tennessee
-
- Research Budget (2004):
- Main campus: $109,525,996
- Institute of Agriculture: $26,987,367
- Experiment Station: $9,262,186
- Extension: $14,000,673
- Veterinary Medicine: $3,724,508
- Institute for Public Service: $5,882,079
- Space Institute: $2,552,297
- Total: $307.9 million (2006)
- Total Budget: $1.4 Billion (2006)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (operated jointly by The University of Tennessee and
Battelle Memorial InstituteThe Battelle Memorial Institute is a private nonprofit applied science and technology development company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle is a charitable trust organized as a non-profit corporation under the laws of the State of Ohio and is exempt from taxation under Section 501 of the...
):
-
- Research budget: $1.06 Billion (2006)
- Total Budget: $2.5 Billion (2004)
According to the University's 2009 budget, state appropriations increased 26.4 percent from 2000 to 2009, although this amounts to only a 1.1 percent when adjusted for inflation.
University Medical Center
The University of Tennessee Medical Center, administered by University Health Systems and affiliated with the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, collaborates with the
University of Tennessee Health Science CenterThe University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis includes the Colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. Its pediatric residency program is affiliated with Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center...
to attract and train the majority of its medical staff. Many doctors and nurses at UTMC have integrated careers as teachers and healthcare professionals, and the center promotes itself as the area's only academic, or "teaching hospital." Serving on the UTMC Board of Directors are the President of the University of Tennessee, the Chancellor of the
University of Tennessee Health Science CenterThe University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis includes the Colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. Its pediatric residency program is affiliated with Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center...
, and UT President Emeritus Joseph E. Johnson, Ph.D.
The University Medical Center is the primary referral center for Eastern Tennessee, Western
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
, and Southeastern
KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is a Southern state situated in the Upland South, although the state is infrequently placed, geographically and culturally, in the Midwest. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a...
and along with Johnson City Medical Center, it is one of two Level I trauma center in the East Tennessee geographic region. Extensive expansion programs were embarked upon the 1990s and 2000s and saw the construction of two sprawling additions to the hospital's campus, a new Cancer Institute and a Heart Lung Vascular Institute. The region's first Heart Hospital is scheduled to open in 2010. The facility is served by
LIFESTARLIFESTAR is an aeromedical transport service of the University of Tennessee Medical Center that provides regional rapid transportation of injured patients. LIFESTAR transports approximately 200 patients per month.-Fleet:...
, a fleet of Bell helicopters providing aeromedical evacuation support within a 150-mile radius of Knoxville.
Profile
Demographics of student body
| | Students | U.S. Census |
|---|
African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. In the United States, the terms are generally used for Americans with at least partial Sub-Saharan African ancestry...
|
7.0% |
12.1% |
Asian American{Infobox Ethnic group|group = Asian American|image =Graduation Rate! align="CENTER" | Bachelor's Degree or More|-| align="LEFT" | Asian Indians| align="RIGHT" | 90.2%| align="RIGHT" | 67.9%|-| align="LEFT" | Filipinos| align="RIGHT" | 90.8%...
|
2% |
4.3% |
| Caucasian White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
|
83.0% |
65.8% |
| Hispanic American |
1% |
14.5% |
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
|
0% |
0.9% |
| International student International students are students, usually in early adulthood, who study in foreign educational institutions. While most universities have official student exchange programs, some well-funded high schools have them, too. Although some students travel abroad mainly to improve their language...
|
5.0% |
N/A |
During the 2007-2008 academic calendar year, The University of Tennessee at Knoxville had a total enrollment of 21,132 undergraduate and 5,670 graduate and professional students. UT hosts students from all 50 U.S. states and more than 100 foreign countries, although the majority of undergraduates hail from the American Southeast states of
TennesseeTennessee is a state located in the Southeastern United States. According to the 2008 census, it has a population of 6,214,888, an increase of nearly 9.5% since 2000. Tennessee is the 14th fastest growing state in the US and is ranked 17th by population. It is ranked 36th by total land area. In...
,
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
,
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
, and
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
, with more than 14,000 from Tennessee alone. 51% of students are female, 49% are male, and 16% of UT students identify themselves as non-caucasian. .
UT offers its students more than 300 degree programs in its eleven colleges of: Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Communication and Information, Health, Education, and Human Sciences, Engineering, Law, Nursing, Social Work, and Veterinary Medicine, and offers two intercollegiate programs in Aviation Systems, through the
University of Tennessee Space InstituteThe University of Tennessee Space Institute, also known as UTSI, is a satellite campus of the University of Tennessee located near Tullahoma, Tennessee....
at Tullahoma, and Cooperative and Experimental Medicine at the
University of Tennessee Health Science CenterThe University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis includes the Colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. Its pediatric residency program is affiliated with Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center...
in Memphis, Tennessee. The University employs 1,550 full-time faculty members, of whom 57% are tenured and 81% claim a Ph.D or other terminal degree in their respective fields. As of the 2007-2008 academic year, 71% of courses taken featured class sizes smaller than 30 students, and students at the Knoxville campus enjoy a 16:1 ratio of faculty-to-students.
The University is classified as 'more selective' by
U.S. News, with a Fall 2007 acceptance rate of 71.2%. The average high school GPA was 3.6 for incoming Freshmen.
Rankings
The University of Tennessee is ranked 52nd among public universities of America, and 118th among all United States universities. Specialty rankings are:
- 1 UT's Physician Executive MBA program of the College of Business Administration according to Modern Physician.
- 1 UT MBA program in alumni value (value for the money) three years after graduation, according to Financial Times Global Business School Rankings.
- 1 Winningest College Basketball Coach in history.
- 2 UT's College of Architecture
For a topical guide to this subject, see Outline of architecture. Architecture is the art and science of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures for human shelter or use....
and Design out of Southern Universities according to the journal DesignIntelligence in its publication "America's Best Architecture & Design Schools".
- 2 The supply chain management/logistics programs as published in Supply Chain Management Review
Supply Chain Management Review is a U.S.-based business management magazine published by Reed Business Information. SCMR covers analysis and trends in supply chain management. The magazine is currently in its 11th year of production, and is published nine times per year. The chief and founding...
.
- 3 UT graduate program in printmaking by U.S. News & World Report.
- 5 UT MBA program overall among U.S. Public Universities according to Wall Street Journal 2005.
- 5 Best Athletic Facilities according to the Princeton Review.
- 6 UT's senior executive MBA program in alumni goal achievement and satisfaction, according to the Financial Times
The Financial Times is a British international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and is printed at 22 sites...
.
- 7 The supply chain management/logistics programs in the UT College of Business Administration, according to U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American newsmagazine published in Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek, it was for many years a leading news weekly, although it focused more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
.
- 7 The pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences, and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of medication....
program, according to U.S. News & World Report.
- 9 UT Health Science Center Department of Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is a branch of medicine which deals with the diseases and surgery of the visual pathways, including the eye, hairs, and areas surrounding the eye, such as the lacrimal system and eyelids. The term ophthalmologist is an eye specialist for medical and surgical problems...
by Ophthalmology Times.
- 9 UT's Athletic Program by the Hall of Fame
A hall of fame is a type of museum established for any a field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field.In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or museums which enshrine the honorees with sculptures, plaques, and displays of memorabilia...
's ranking of Top Collegiate Athletic Programs.
- 9 Best Parties according to Playboy Magazine.
- 10 UT College of Law, in the National Jurist Best School for the Money ratings, and the clinical training specialty is ranked 19th while the college's overall graduate program is ranked 53rd in the U.S.
- 10 UT's Nuclear Engineering
Nuclear engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of the breakdown of atomic nuclei and/or other sub-atomic physics, based on the principles of nuclear physics. It includes, but is not limited to, the interaction and maintenance of nuclear fission systems and...
graduate program, according to U.S. News and World Report.
- 15 Most Fraternity & Sorority friendly according to the Princeton Review.
- 16 Least Tolerant of Homosexuality
Homosexuality is the romantic or sexual attraction or behavior among members of the same sex, situationally or as an enduring disposition. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is considered to lie within the heterosexual-homosexual continuum of human sexuality, and refers to an individual’s...
according to the Princeton Review (note: UT's one of only 3 public universities within the top 16, the other 12 are private religiously affiliated universities).
- 19 Most Athletic
Athletic may refer to:* An athlete, or sportsperson*a subject like math* Athletic type, a physical/psychological type in the classification of Ernst Kretschmer* Athletic of Philadelphia, a baseball team of the 1870s-Football clubs:...
Student Body according to the Princeton Review.
- 25 Most Attractive Student Body by AOL Time Warner's PopCrunch Magazine.
- 26 UT's College of Social Work, according to U.S. News & World Report.
- 35 UT's College of Education, Health and Human Science.
- 45 UT Master of Fine Arts program by U.S. News & World Report.
- The John C. Hodges Library ranks among the top 30 public research libraries of the United States.
- The Joel A. Katz Law Library in the UT College of Law is ninth best in the nation according to National Jurist magazine.
- The University of Tennessee is ranked as a Best Southeastern College by the Princeton Review.
Research
The total research endowment of the UT Knoxville campus was $127,983,213 for FY 2006. UT Knoxville boasts several faculty who are among the leading contributors to their fields, including Dr. Harry McSween, generally recognized as one of the world's leading experts in the study of meteorites and a member of the science team for
Mars PathfinderThe Mars Pathfinder later called The Carl Sagan Memorial Station was launched on December 4, 1996 by NASA aboard a Delta II just a month after the Mars Global Surveyor was launched. After a 7-month voyage it landed on Ares Vallis, in a region called Chryse Planitia on Mars, in the Oxia Palus...
and later a co-investigator for the Mars Odyssey and Mars Exploration Rovers projects. The University also hosts Professor of Religious Studies Dr. Rosalind I. J. Hackett, President of the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR) and a leading expert in the study of African religions, as well as Dr. Barry T. Rouse, an international award-winning Distinguished Professor of Microbiology who has conducted multiple NIH-funded studies on the herpes simplex virus (HSV) and who is a leading researcher in his field. UT's agricultural research programs are considered to be among the most accomplished in the nation, and the School of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources is home to the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Initiative, recognized by the United States
Department of EnergyThe term Department of Energy is used by government departments in a number of countries. It may refer to the:*Mexican Department of Energy*Philippines Department of Energy*United States Department of Energy...
as the "best local clean fuels program in America."
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
The major hub of research at the University of Tennessee is Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), one of the largest government laboratories in the United States. ORNL is a major center of civilian and governmental research and features one of the world's most powerful supercomputers. The University is a participant in the Open Science Grid which allows
physicistsThe Tennessee High Energy Physics Group is located at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. It has greatly benefited over the years from its close proximity and special relationship with Oak Ridge National Laboratory . Members of the group are involved in the BaBar collaboration, CMS,...
to process data from the
Large Hadron ColliderThe Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator intended to collide opposing particle beams of either protons at an energy of 7 TeV per particle or lead nuclei at an energy of 574 TeV per nucleus...
in
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
. Also at ORNL is one of the world's most powerful scientific instruments, the
Spallation Neutron SourceThe Spallation Neutron Source is an accelerator-based neutron source in Oak Ridge, Tennessee , USA, at the site of Oak Ridge National Laboratory by the U.S. Department of Energy . SNS was designed and constructed by a unique partnership of six DOE national laboratories: Argonne, Lawrence...
, which is expected to become an integral tool for the development of advanced materials technologies such as smart materials and attracts both American and international researchers to the East Tennessee region.
Howard Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy
The
Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public PolicyThe Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy, located at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, is a non-partisan organization, which emphasizes better understanding of government and greater appreciation for the importance of public service. The Center strives to honor its namesake,...
began its activities at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in early 2003. The mission of the Baker Center is to develop programs and promote research to further the public's knowledge of the American system of governance, and also to explore the importance of public service. The Baker Center places a special emphasis on examining the role of the media in society and maintains and promotes research in the papers of Howard Baker and other political collections at the University of Tennessee. It hosts public programs on issues of local, regional, national, and international significance which focus upon a wide array of topics, with special interest given to the role of the media.
The Baker Center creates a number of individual and recurring publications for students, faculty, community members and policy makers. Its most prestigious publication, the Baker Center Journal of Applied Public Policy, is published twice a year, but Baker Center fellows often publish editorials and articles on a more regular basis. Many of the Center's conferences produce policy publications designed to address problems and to produce applicable, real world solutions.
Campus layout and organization
The university traces its roots to September 10, 1794, two years before Tennessee was admitted to the Union as the 16th state, when Blount College was established by the legislature of the Southwest Territory as one of the first three colleges chartered west of the Appalachian Mountains. At this time, Knoxville was the territorial capital and the area of land occupied by the University was largely farmland bordering a broad stretch of the Tennessee River . In 1807 the school was rechristened East Tennessee College and in 1828 was moved from Gay Street in downtown Knoxville to a 40 acre (160,000 m²) tract known as Barbara Hill, named in honor of Governor Blount's daughter, and was renamed East Tennessee University in 1848. Known to students and alumni today as simply "The Hill," it is only a small part of the Knoxville campus but constitutes a veritable acropolis of expansive and well-preserved red-brick buildings. Construction of the iconic Ayers Hall was completed in 1921 following the Tennessee State Legislature's first $1 million appropriation, and today that structure remains the most widely recognized symbol of the flagship Knoxville campus.
Main Campus
The main Knoxville campus can be divided into three distinct blocks of housing, academic, and athletic structures. Two main avenues of traffic, Volunteer Boulevard and Andy Holt Avenue bisect the campus, intersecting with smaller side streets. The majority of dormitories share a north street face along Andy Holt Avenue, which is broken by the Pedestrian Mall and Walkway between the John C. Hodges Library and the Humanities Plaza complex. The terrain of the campus is mostly hilly in its outlay and the school is bound by the Tennessee River to the South and a section of
U.S. Route 70U.S. Route 70 is an east-west United States highway that runs for 2,385 miles from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. As can be derived from its number, it is a major east-west highway of the Southern and Southwestern United States...
to the North. Known to Knoxvillians as Cumberland Avenue and to UT students and faculty simply as "The Strip," this roughly half-mile stretch of road is home to the majority of local businesses and eateries serving the University population and is a popular entertainment venue throughout the year.
A number of capital improvement project were undertaken in the 1990s and 2000s and resulted in major additions to the campus, including the James A. Haslam II Business Building, the
Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public PolicyThe Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy, located at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, is a non-partisan organization, which emphasizes better understanding of government and greater appreciation for the importance of public service. The Center strives to honor its namesake,...
Building, and the Joe Johnson and John Ward Pedestrian Mall that replaced a section of Andy Holt Avenue which had previously separated the central student study hub of John C. Hodges Library from the heavily trafficked Humanities Plaza office and classroom complex. That project was a significant beautification effort which established a central, tree-lined commons area for the Knoxville campus, complete with an amphitheater and a large expanse of open green space with a panoramic vista of
The HillThe Hill may refer to:* The Hill , a 1905 school novel by Horace Annesley Vachell* The Hill , a 1965 war film starring Sean Connery* The Hill * The Hill , a daily newspaper covering the U.S...
and downtown Knoxville.
The campus is well served by the "T," a fleet of brightly painted orange buses operated by biodiesel fuels, transporting University faculty, students, and staff at no charge. The "T-Link" is an on-call taxi service available after dark to students who are not comfortable traveling alone on campus or through adjoining residential neighborhoods such as the popular Fort Sanders, and is offered at no charge to students who present a valid UT student ID card.
Agricultural Campus
The University of Tennessee Agricultural Campus is directly adjacent to the main Knoxville campus and is home to the largest potion of the University's principle agricultural and natural sciences research infrastructure, but occupies only a fraction of the total lands held by the University for research purposes. The Ag Campus is the site of UT's Plant Biotech Building and associated facilities, the Biosystems Engineering and Environmental Sciences facility, UT's College of Veterinary Medicine and its associated eaching hospital of veterinary medicine, the Pendergrass Library Agricultural and Veterinary Medicine Library, the Tennessee Division of Forestry, UT's new Business Incubator, built in conjunction with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Forestry Products and Resources facility, vast greenhouses and growth chambers, and the administrative offices and multiple classroom halls devoted to UT's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Numerous sites further afield, in both
Knox CountyKnox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
and
Blount CountyBlount County is a U.S. county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its population was 105,823 at the United States Census, 2000. The 2006 Census Estimate placed the population at 118,186...
are held by the University and are devoted to multiple endeavors of agricultural and forestry sciences, including the cultivation and research of forestry products and the production of biofuels. The UT Gardens occupy the portion of the Ag Campus bordering the Tennessee River and feature hundreds of species of native plants and constitute a sizable arboretum that is open to University affiliates and the public throughout the year.
The University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility, nicknamed the "Body Farm", is located near the University of Tennessee Medical Center on
Alcoa HighwayState Route 115 is an east to west highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee that is 49 miles long. It begins in Blount County and ends in Knox County. State Route 115 is little-known by the general public by this designation as it is overlain by U.S...
(
US 129U.S. Route 129 is a spur of U.S. Route 29. It currently runs for 582 miles from Knoxville, Tennessee to Chiefland, Florida at U.S. Route 19 and U.S. Route 98. It passes through the states of Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. It goes through the cities of Knoxville, Tennessee,...
). Founded by Dr.
William M. BassWilliam M. Bass is a U.S. forensic anthropologist, renowned for his research on human osteology and human decomposition. He has also assisted federal, local, and non-US authorities in the identification of human remains...
in 1972, the Body Farm endeavors to increase anthropological and forensic knowledge specifically related to the decomposition of the human body and is one of the leading centers for such research in the United States.
Cherokee Research Campus
On March 16, 2009, the University broke ground on a 188 acre campus in downtown Knoxville which will feature new, world-class facilities devoted to the pursuit of
nanotechnologyNanotechnology, shortened to "nanotech", is the study of the control of matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally nanotechnology deals with structures of the size 100 nanometers or smaller, and involves developing materials or devices within that size.Nanotechnology is very diverse,...
, neutron science, and materials sciences, energy and climate studies,
environmental scienceEnvironmental science is an interdisciplinary field that involves both the physical sciences and the social sciences . It encompasses the surrounding conditions that affect man and other organisms...
, and biomedical science. This new hub will dramatically expand the University's research capacity, and operations will be a collaboration between the University,
Oak Ridge National LaboratoryOak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by UT-Battelle. ORNL is the DOE's largest science and energy laboratory. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near Knoxville...
, the State of Tennessee, and the private sector. Currently, 16 research and support structures have been designed for the campus, and the master plan allows for the development of more, as well as expansion of existing facilities once they are built. Construction is scheduled to begin on campus infrastructure in August 2009.
Campus master plan
The University has implemented a 25-year (2001-2026) campus master plan that will facilitate a sweeping overhaul of campus design. The plan is designed to make the campus more pedestrian-friendly by establishing large areas of open green space and relegating parking facilities to the periphery of the campus, and to increase the aesthetic appeal of the school by establishing uniform building design codes and by physically remodeling, restoring, and expanding existing academic, athletic, and housing facilities. Centrally located, iconic Ayers Hall is currently undergoing a massive upgrade as part of Phase I of the project, with work expected to be completed around 2011. A new university center is planned, along with substantial new facilities for science, the performing arts, and athletics. An expected 3,000 new parking spaces will be developed along with improved mass transit and walking spaces. The plan calls for the removal of many of the roads that bisect the campus, along with the development of two new quads, one each on the main and agricultural campuses. Restoration and renovations of existing campus buildings are expected to be conducted in concert with historical preservationists when appropriate, according to the 2001 Master Plan document.
Activities
Pedestrian Mall and Amphitheater
The Pedestrian Mall and its adjoining, grassy amphitheater is the most popular student gathering point on campus, situated between the John C. Hodges Library and the Humanities Plaza complex of McClung Tower and the Humanities classroom building. Studying, kite-flying, protests, proselytizing, hammock lounging, picnics, sunbathing, frisbee, barbecues, and free concerts are common activities that occur throughout the academic year and beyond.
T-RECS
Students and faculty not affiliated with the athletic department enjoy free use of the state-of-the-art Tennessee Recreational Center for Students, known universally on campus as "T-RECS." T-RECS offers an Olympic-sized swimming pool, four indoor basketball courts, more than 80 cardiovascular exercise stations with access to an in-house entertainment center and XM radio, more than 100 strength training centers, multiple banks of free weights, and a Smoothie King. T-RECS patrons may borrow a variety of equipment for outdoor activities such as soccer and tennis for no charge.
International House
The International House is a popular gathering place for visiting international students and delegations and University of Tennessee students who have previously or are currently interested in studying abroad through the Programs Abroad Office. A full kitchen, meeting rooms, and a library provide support for frequent cultural events ranging from salsa dance lessons and nation-themed culture nights to Peace Corps interest meetings.
Black Cultural Center
The Black Cultural Center, or BCC, houses the Office of Minority Student Affairs and offers a student computer lab, free Spanish tutoring, and a textbook loan service for economically disadvantaged students. There is a small but well-stocked library featuring numerous works examining religious and minority issues, and the facility offers free use of its meeting rooms to campus organizations and their affiliates.
Organizations
The University of Tennessee has over 450 registered student organizations. These groups cater to a variety of interests and provide options for those interested in service, sports, arts, social activities, government, politics, cultural issues, and Greek societies.
The University of Tennessee hosts the
Destination ImaginationDestination ImagiNation Inc. or DI is a creative problem solving organization for youth and adults. Destination ImagiNation's educational goals are to foster creative and critical thinking, to develop teamwork, collaboration and leadership skills, and to nurture research and inquiry skills...
Global Finals, a problem solving competition held annually during the last week of May. The event draws thousands of young students and their families to Knoxville and is a significant event for the campus after the end of each academic year. Numerous religious centers are located along "Church Row," including the University of Tennessee's Christian Student Fellowship, the Knoxville campus'
Non-DenominationalIn Christianity, non-denominational institutions or churches are those which have not formally aligned themselves with an established denomination, or remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations...
Protestant Christian group, the
Wesley FoundationA Wesley Foundation is a United Methodist campus ministry sponsored in full or in part by the United Methodist Church on a non-church owned and operated campus...
(a United Methodist student center), Pope John XXIII (a Catholic student center), and the Christian Student Center.
The university operates two
radio stationRadio broadcasting is an audio broadcasting service, broadcast through the air as radio waves from a transmitter to an antenna and a thus to a receiving device. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast common programming, either in syndication or simulcast or both...
s: student-run The Rock (formerly the Torch) (
WUTK-FMWUTK-FM is an independent, non-commercial college radio station owned by the University of Tennessee and operated by the UT Department of Journalism and Electronic Media in Knoxville, Tennessee. All music, news, and sports shows are volunteer or student-produced...
90.3 MHz) and
National Public RadioNational Public Radio is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to 797 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, signed into law...
affiliateAn affiliate is a commercial entity with a relationship with a peer or a larger entity.-Corporate structure:A corporation may be referred to as an affiliate of another when it is related to it but not strictly controlled by it, as with a subsidiary relationship, or when it is desired to avoid the...
WUOT-FM 91.9 MHz. The university's first radio station was on the AM frequency 850 kHz, a donation from Knoxville radio station WIVK-AM/FM.
The Phoenix, a literary art magazine, is published in the fall and spring
semestersAn academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called "terms", "semesters", "quarters", or "trimesters", depending on the institution and the country....
and showcases student artistic creativity. The Tennessee Journalist (TNJN) is an online news publication of the School of Journalism and Electronic Media and is a collaboration of regular editorial staff and student contributors, many of whom receive classroom credit for their work.
The Daily Beacon
The editorially independent
student newspaperA student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
of the University publishes 15,000 copies a day, five days a week, and claims a staff of over 100 consisting of an editorial team of 14, more than 60 staff writers, photographers, copyeditors, and others during the Fall and Spring
semestersAn academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called "terms", "semesters", "quarters", or "trimesters", depending on the institution and the country....
. The paper publishes twice weekly during the summer
semesterAn academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called "terms", "semesters", "quarters", or "trimesters", depending on the institution and the country....
(May through August) and has significantly fewer staff writers at that time.
The publication began as a semi-monthly publication under the name
The University Times-Prospectus in 1871.
The Orange and White followed in 1906 as a weekly publication and was later published semi-weekly.
The Daily Beacon was established 61 years later under the management of alumnus David Hall (1965) and was published four times per week and soon saw publication each day of the academic week. Approximately 180 issues per academic year are published while classes are in session.
Greek institutions
The University of Tennessee hosts eighteen sororities and twenty-nine fraternities, listed with dates of charter (when available).
Sororities
Chi OmegaChi Omega is a women's fraternity and the largest member of the National Panhellenic Conference. Chi Omega boasts 174 active collegiate chapters and hundreds of alumnae chapters. The fraternity's headquarters is located in Memphis, Tennessee.- History :Chi Omega was founded April 5, 1895 at the...
1900,
Alpha Omicron PiAlpha Omicron Pi is an international women's fraternity that was founded on January 2, 1897 at Barnard College on the campus of Columbia University in New York. Its founders were Stella George Stern Perry, Helen St. Clair Mullan, Elizabeth Heywood Wyman, and Jessie Wallace Hughan...
1902,
Zeta Tau AlphaZeta Tau Alpha is a women's fraternity, founded October 15, 1898 at what used to be State Female Normal School but is now known as Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. The Executive office is located in Indianapolis, Indiana...
1904,
Phi MuPhi Mu is the second oldest female fraternal organization established in the United States. It was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. The organization was founded as the Philomathean Society on January 4, 1852, and announced publicly on March 4 of the same year...
1908,
Alpha Delta PiAlpha Delta Pi was founded May 15 1851 at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia making it the first female fraternal organization established. The Executive office for this sorority is located on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia...
1920,
Delta Delta DeltaDelta Delta Delta , also known as Tri Delta, is an international collegiate women's fraternity founded on November 27, 1888. With 138 chapters in the United States and Canada it is one of the largest women's organizations in the world....
1923,
Sigma KappaSigma Kappa is a sorority founded in 1874 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Sigma Kappa was founded by five women: Mary Caffrey Low Carver, Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Ida Mabel Fuller Pierce, Frances Elliott Mann Hall and Louise Helen Coburn...
1924,
Kappa DeltaKappa Delta was the first sorority founded at the State Female Normal School , in Farmville, Virginia. It is one of the "Farmville Four" sororities founded at the universities Kappa Delta (ΚΔ) was the first sorority founded at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University), in Farmville,...
1925,
Delta ZetaDelta Zeta is a college sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Today, Delta Zeta has 158 collegiate chapters in the United States and over 200 alumnae chapters in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada...
1933,
Delta GammaDelta Gamma is one of the oldest and largest women's fraternities in the United States and Canada, with its Executive Offices based in Columbus, Ohio.-History:...
1947,
Pi Beta PhiPi Beta Phi is an international fraternity for women founded as I.C. Sorosis on April 28, 1867, at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois, and is known as the first fraternity for women. Its headquarters are located in Town and Country, Missouri, and there are 134 active chapters and over 330...
1948,
Alpha Chi OmegaAlpha Chi Omega is a women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1885. Currently, there are more than 135 chapters of Alpha Chi Omega at colleges and universities across the United States and more than 200,000 lifetime members...
1961,
Kappa Kappa GammaKappa Kappa Gamma is a college women's fraternity, founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois. Although the groundwork of the organization was developed as early as 1869, the 1876 Convention voted on October 13, 1870 as Founders Day, because no earlier charter date could be determined...
1967,
Alpha Kappa AlphaAlpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle...
1970,
Delta Sigma ThetaDelta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta was founded on January 13, 1913, at Howard University by twenty-two young women. Today, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority...
1975,
Zeta Phi BetaZeta Phi Beta is an international, historically black Greek-lettered sorority and a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.Zeta Phi Beta is organized into 800+ chapters, in eight intercontinental regions including the USA, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean...
,
Lambda Theta AlphaThe idea for Lambda Theta Alpha came in the early 70's, when colleges and universities experienced an influx of Latino enrollment. With this growth, the need for support groups and outreach programs were at an all time high, primarily for the low percentage of Latina women in higher education...
2001, and
Gamma Sigma SigmaGamma Sigma Sigma is a national service sorority founded in October 1952 at Beekman Tower in New York City by representatives of Boston University, Brooklyn College, Drexel Institute of Technology,Los Angeles City College, New York University, Queens College, and the University of Houston. Their...
, a National Service Sorority.
Fraternities
Alpha Epsilon PiAlpha Epsilon Pi , the Jewish college fraternity, has 140 active chapters in the United States and Canada, and a membership of over 8,000 undergraduates. Alpha Epsilon Pi is a Jewish fraternity, though non-discriminatory and open to all who are willing to espouse its purpose and values...
,
Alpha Gamma RhoAlpha Gamma Rho is a social/professional fraternity in the United States, with 72 university chapters. Though primarily a social organization, its members pride themselves on their affiliations to the life sciences and agricultural sciences....
,
Alpha Tau OmegaATΩ is an American Leadership fraternity that annually ranks among the top ten national fraternities for number of chapters, and total number of members. ATO has more than 250 active and inactive chapters with more than 200,000 members and more than 6,500 active undergraduate members...
,
Beta Theta PiBeta Theta Pi is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi...
,
Chi PhiThe Chi Phi ' Fraternity is an American college social fraternity that was established as the result of three separate organizations that each were known as Chi Phi. The oldest active organization that took part in the union was originally founded in 1824 at Princeton...
,
Delta Tau DeltaDelta Tau Delta is a U.S.-based international college fraternity and secret society. Delta Tau Delta was founded in 1858 at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, . It currently has around 119 student chapters nationwide, as well as more than 25 regional alumni groups. Its national community service...
,
FarmHouseFarmHouse Fraternity International, Inc. is an all-male international social fraternity founded at the University of Missouri on April 15, 1905. It became a nationally recognized fraternity in 1921. FarmHouse is one of only a handful of fraternities not to adopt Greek letters...
,
Alpha Gamma RhoAlpha Gamma Rho is a social/professional fraternity in the United States, with 72 university chapters. Though primarily a social organization, its members pride themselves on their affiliations to the life sciences and agricultural sciences....
,
Kappa Alpha OrderKappa Alpha Order is a social fraternity and fraternal order. Kappa Alpha Order has 124 active chapters, 3 provisional chapters, and 2 commissions...
,
Kappa SigmaΚΣ is an international fraternity with currently 231 active chapters and 30 colonies in North America. There have been more than 245,000 initiates, of which more than 188,000 are living and more than 12,900 are undergraduates...
,
Lambda Chi AlphaLambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's general fraternities in North America, by its own count, having initiated more than 270,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole,...
,
Phi Gamma DeltaPhi Gamma Delta is a collegiate social and secret fraternity with 108 chapters and 12 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania in 1848 and its headquarters are located in Lexington, Kentucky, USA...
,
Phi Delta ThetaPhi Delta Theta is an international fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. The fraternity has about 160 active chapters and colonies in over 43 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces and...
,
Phi Kappa PsiPhi Kappa Psi Fraternity is an American collegiate fraternity.-History:Phi Kappa Psi was founded in 1852 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, on the campus of Jefferson College by William Henry Letterman and Charles Page Thomas Moore...
,
Phi Kappa TauPhi Kappa Tau is a U.S. national collegiate fraternity.-History:Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity was founded in the Union Literary Society Hall of Miami University's Old Main Building in Oxford, Ohio on March 17, 1906...
,
Phi Sigma KappaPhi Sigma Kappa , colloquially known as Phi Sig, is a social fraternity devoted to three cardinal principles: the Promotion of Brotherhood, the Stimulation of Scholarship, and the Development of Character...
,
Pi Kappa AlphaPi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity is an international secret social Greek-letter college fraternity. It was founded at 47 West Range at the University of Virginia in the United States on Sunday evening, March 1 1868.-History:...
,
Pi Kappa PhiPi Kappa Phi is an American social fraternity. It was founded by Andrew Alexander Kroeg, Jr., Lawrence Harry Mixson, and Simon Fogarty, Jr. on December 10, 1904 at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. The fraternity has 142 active chapters, 93 alumni groups, 21 colonies, and...
,
Sigma Alpha EpsilonSigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. Founded at the University of Alabama in 1856, it is the only fraternity founded in the Antebellum South still in operation...
,
Sigma ChiSigma Chi is one of the largest and oldest college Greek-letter social fraternities. Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon. Sigma Chi has seven founding members: Benjamin Piatt Runkle, Thomas Cowan Bell, William Lewis...
,
Sigma NuSigma Nu is an undergraduate social college fraternity with chapters in the United States and Canada. Sigma Nu was founded in 1869 by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia...
,
Sigma Phi EpsilonΣΦΕ , commonly nicknamed SigEp or SPE, is a secret letter, social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College and its national headquarters remains in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded on three principles: Virtue,...
,
Alpha Phi AlphaAlpha Phi Alpha is the first intercollegiate fraternity established by African Americans. Founded on December 4, 1906, on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Alpha Phi Alpha has initiated over 185,000 men into the organization and has been open to men of all races since 1940...
,
Phi Beta SigmaPhi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914. by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I...
,
Kappa Alpha PsiKappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
,
Omega Psi PhiOmega Psi Phi is an international fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C. by three undergraduate students and one faculty...
, Iota Phi Theta,
Lambda Theta PhiLambda Theta Phi was founded on December 1, 1975 at Kean College in Union, New Jersey. Lambda Theta Phi is a non-profit social and service fraternity emphasizing Latin unity and the celebration of the Latin culture....
, Phi Mu Alpha, and
Phi Eta SigmaPhi Eta Sigma is an American freshman honor society. Founded at the University of Illinois on March 22, 1923, is the oldest and largest freshman honor society and now has more than three hundred chapters throughout the United States and more than 800,000 members...
.
Housing
The University of Tennessee has a strong Residence Hall Association. Created in 1972 as the Inter-Residence Halls Council, the IRHC changed its name to the United Residence Halls Council (URHC) the next year. URHC sponsors many events focusing on various aspects of on-campus living throughout the fall and spring semesters. In addition, URHC serves as an advocacy board for all on-campus residents. Residents can use URHC as a vehicle to promote positive change on campus.
URHC is the second largest student organization on campus with roughly all 7,000 on-campus residents enjoying full membership. Each of the thirteen residence halls has its own RHA hosting smaller scale, more hall specific programs. Each RHA has its own executive board to govern the activities of its residence hall. Each RHA's budget consists of $11 per bed that is allocated from each student's housing activities fee. The URHC holds bimonthly general body meetings that are open to all residents.
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is also affiliated with the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH) as well as the South Atlantic Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls (SAACURH). Currently UTK is the host institution of the NACURH Services and Recognition Office (NSRO), a national office that changes host institutions every two years.
Athletics
Tennessee competes in the
Southeastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in , which operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I in athletic competitions; for football, it is part of the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
's Eastern Division, along with
FloridaThe Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida, and competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association ....
,
GeorgiaThe Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 724–384–54...
,
KentuckyThe Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's athletic teams representing the University of Kentucky ,a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. At one time, women's teams and athletes were called "Lady Kats", but the women's programs adopted the "Wildcats" nickname in the early 1990s...
,
South CarolinaThe University of South Carolina's 19 varsity sports teams are known as the Gamecocks. The unique moniker is held in honor of Thomas Sumter, a South Carolina war hero who was given the name "The Carolina Gamecock" during the American Revolution for his fierce fighting tactics, regardless of his...
, and
VanderbiltThe Vanderbilt Commodores football program is a college football team that represents Vanderbilt University. The team currently competes in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Southeastern Conference...
, and has longstanding
footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
rivalries with each. The Volunteers won the 1998 NCAA Division I-A National Championship in football, and the team is noted for its 1938, 1940, 1950, 1951, 1967, and 1998 National Championship victories. The Volunteers were coached by
Phillip FulmerPhillip Fulmer is the former head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers college football team, who compiled a 152-52 record from 1992-2008 as head coach, but was fired following a 5-7 season in 2008. He is best known for coaching the Volunteers in the first ever BCS National Championship Game in...
until 2008 when
Lane KiffinLane Monte Kiffin , is the head coach of the University of Tennessee Volunteers college football team. He was previously the head coach of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League, and the offensive coordinator of the University of Southern California Trojans.-Early life:Kiffin is a 1994...
was officially announced as the new head coach of the Vols on December 1. Super Bowl champion
Peyton ManningPeyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. One of only two three-time NFL MVPs, he is statistically regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time...
and the late NFL Hall of Fame player
Reggie WhiteReginald Howard "Reggie" White was a professional American football player who played defensive end for 17 seasons in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers becoming one of the most decorated players in NFL history...
are among the numerous NFL athletes to begin their careers at the University of Tennessee. The men's basketball program is headed by
Bruce PearlBruce Dean-Fredrick Pearl is an American basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the University of Tennessee men's team, the Volunteers. He is the first coach to lead the Volunteers to a national #1 ranking...
, and in 2008 the Vols won their first SEC regular season championship in 41 years.
The
Tennessee Lady VolunteersThe Tennessee Lady Volunteers represent the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in women's intercollegiate athletics.The Lady Volunteers name is derived from the state's nickname, the "Volunteer State," because of its history of many Tennessee citizens who volunteered to fight in the military...
won eight NCAA Division I titles (1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2008), the most in women's college basketball history and are led by
Pat SummittPat Head Summitt is the head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team. She has been coaching since 1974, all with the Lady Vols, winning 8 national championships. She is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history, men or women in any division, and one of only two collegiate...
, the all-time winningest basketball coach in NCAA history. Her 1000th victory occurred on February 5, 2009, and she boasts a 100 percent graduation rate for all players who finish their career at UT. The main women's basketball rivals for Tennessee within the conference are
GeorgiaThe Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team represents the University of Georgia in basketball. The Lady Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference . The "Lady Dawgs," as they are sometimes called, play in Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia...
,
Vanderbilt-Places:In the United States:*Vanderbilt, California, a former gold-mining town*Vanderbilt, Michigan, a village*Vanderbilt, Pennsylvania, a borough*Vanderbilt Avenue , a Manhattan street...
, and
LSUThe LSU Lady Tigers basketball team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I women's college basketball. The team is currently coached by Hall-of-Famer Van Chancellor and has enjoyed recent success, including five straight Final Four trips in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008...
.
UT's best-known athletic facility by far is
Neyland StadiumNeyland Stadium is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several NFL exhibition games with the last between the Washington Redskins and Houston Oilers...
, home to the football team, which seats over 107,000 people and is one of the country's largest facilities of its type. The stadium is currently undergoing a $200 million renovation with construction expected to last into the 2010s
http://s159447050.onlinehome.us/utvols/phillipfulmer/neyland2/neyland-front.html. The Volunteers and Lady Vols basketball teams play in
Thompson-Boling ArenaThompson-Boling Arena is a 21,000 seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The arena opened in 1987. It is home to the Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Vols basketball teams. It is named after B. Ray Thompson and former university president Dr....
, the largest arena (by capacity) ever built specifically for basketball in the United States. Both basketball teams currently train at the adjacent Pratt Pavilion, a $20 million dollar facility opened in 2008 which houses two full size gymnasia, one each for the men and women varsity basketball teams, and space for sports medicine, strength training, film study, and recruiting.
The swimming program trains at the Jones Aquatic Center, which is directly adjacent to the Student Aquatic Center. This first-class complex is capable of hosting the
Southeastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in , which operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I in athletic competitions; for football, it is part of the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
and NCAA Championships, as well as national and international events. Also included in the new facility is a weight room, training room, and the University of Tennessee Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame.
Traditions
The University of Tennessee, as the second-oldest institution of higher learning in Tennessee, the 29th oldest in the United States, and the oldest secular college west of the
Appalachian MountainsThe Appalachian Mountains , often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. Definitions vary on the precise boundaries of the Appalachians...
, has accumulated numerous traditions over more than 200 years.
Colors
Charles Moore, president of the university's athletic association, chose orange and white for the school colors on April 12, 1889. His inspiration is said to have come from orange and white
daisiesThe family Asteraceae or Compositae is the second largest family of flowering plants, in terms of number of species....
which grew on the Hill. To this day there are still orange and white flowers grown outside the University Center. Although students confirmed the colors at a special meeting in 1892, dissatisfaction caused the colors to be dropped. No other acceptable colors were agreed to, however, so the colors were reinstated one day later and orange and white have remained the university colors since.
Pride of the Southland Band
The Pride of the Southland Band (or simply The Pride) is UT's marching band. As one of the oldest institutions at the University, the Band partakes in many of the game day traditions. At every home game, the Pride performs the "March to the Stadium" which includes a parade sequence and climaxes when the Band stops at the bottom of the Hill and performs the "Salute to the Hill," an homage to the history and legacy of the University. The Band is known for its pregame show at the beginning of every home game, which ends with the football team running onto the field through the "Opening of the T". This is one of the most photographed moments in football. Something the Pride does every year is the famous "Circle Drill". It is performed at least twice a year, with only one home performance.
Fight song
Although it is most frequently played song at football games on campus, "
Rocky Top"Rocky Top" is an American country and bluegrass song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant in 1967 and first recorded by the Osborne Brothers later that same year...
" is not the official fight song for the University. "Rocky Top" was written in only ten minutes by songwriters
Felice and Boudleaux BryantFelice Bryant and Boudleaux Bryant were an American wife and husband country music songwriting team who were also at the forefront of the evolution of pop music...
in 1967 while they were working in
GatlinburgGatlinburg is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Gatlinburg had a population of 3,828. The city is a popular vacation resort, as it rests on the border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along U.S...
on a collection of slow-tempo songs for a project for
Archie Campbell----Archie Campbell was a writer and star of Hee Haw, a popular long-running country-flavored television variety show. He was also a recording artist with several hits on the RCA label in the 1960s.-Early career:...
and
Chet AtkinsChester Burton Atkins , better known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who created, along with Owen Bradley, the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.His picking style, inspired by...
. Writing the fast-paced "Rocky Top" served as a temporary diversion for them. Known elsewhere in the United States as a bluegrass tune, the song did not become popular until after 1972 when the Pride first introduced it during a routine drill. Its popularity now extends beyond the campus of the University of Tennessee; "Rocky Top" became one of the Tennessee state songs in 1982. The popularity of the song among inebriated bar crowds was such in the 1970s that in its national tours the North Carolina string band, The Red Clay Ramblers, for many years performed a satirical tune informally titled, "Play 'Rocky Top' (or I'll Punch Your Lights Out)."
The official fight song is actually "Down the Field," which is played when the Pride "Opens the T" for the team to run through at the end of their famous Pregame show, as well as when the Vols score a touchdown.
Mascot
In 1953 the campus Pep Club sponsored a contest to have a live
mascotThe term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
. The
houndA hound is a type of dog that assists hunters by tracking or chasing the animal being hunted. It can be contrasted with the gun dog, which assists hunters by identifying the location of prey, and with the retriever, which recovers shot quarry....
was chosen after announcements recruiting potential mascots in a local newspaper read, "This can't be an ordinary hound. He must be a 'Houn' Dawg' in the best sense of the word." The Rev. William C. "Bill" Brooks entered his prizewinning
Bluetick CoonhoundThe Bluetick Coonhound is a breed of dog. It is a type of coonhound and typically bred in the southern United States.- Appearance :The overall body style of the Bluetick Coonhound is muscular and speedy, not chunky or clumsily built. The head is carried well up and the tail carried over the back,...
"Brooks' Blue Smokey," which won against other eight contestants. According to a popular tale, Smokey barked when his name was called at half-time contest and students cheered as Smokey threw his head back and howled again, and UT thus claimed its new mascot. The current mascot is Smokey IX and is cared for by two student trainers from
Alpha Gamma RhoAlpha Gamma Rho is a social/professional fraternity in the United States, with 72 university chapters. Though primarily a social organization, its members pride themselves on their affiliations to the life sciences and agricultural sciences....
, a national agricultural fraternity.
Nickname
Tennessee is known as the "Volunteer State" for the disproportionately large number of Tennesseans who volunteered for duty in the
American Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , also sometimes known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen united former British colonies in North America, and concluded in a global war between several European great powers...
, the
War of 1812The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , lasted from 1812 to 1815. It was fought chiefly on the Atlantic Ocean and on the land, coasts and waterways of North America.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S...
, the
Texas RevolutionThe Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was a military conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836. However, a war at sea between Mexico and Texas would continue into the 1840s...
(most notably the
Battle of the AlamoThe Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal point in the Texas Revolution. Following a twelve-day siege, Mexican troops under the President of Mexico General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission in San Antonio de Béxar . All but two of the Texian defenders were killed...
) and especially the Mexican-American War, as well as an overwhelming number of citizens who volunteered for both sides of the
Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
. A UT athletic team was dubbed the Volunteers for the first time in 1902 by the
Atlanta Constitution following a football game against the
Georgia TechThe Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly called Georgia Tech, Tech, and GT, is a public, coeducational research university in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States...
Yellow JacketsThe Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that play for the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Ramblin' Wreck, Engineers, Blacksmiths, and Golden Tornado. There are 8 men's and 7 women's teams that...
, although the
Knoxville Journal and Tribune did not use the name until 1905. By the fall of 1905 both the
Journal and the then-
SentinelThe Knoxville News Sentinel is a daily newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA covering general news. The newspaper is owned by E.W. Scripps Company. It operates Knoxnews.com, an award-winning news website....
were using the nickname. With the creation of women's athletics later in the 20th century, female athletic teams became known as the Lady Volunteers. All varsity teams continue to use their nicknames today, although often shortened to simply "Vols" or "Lady Vols."
See also
- John C. Hodges library at The University of Tennessee
The John C. Hodges Library is the main library of the University of Tennessee.Opened in 1969 , the library houses 3 million library volumes, periodicals, and computer resources...
- ORNL
- University of Tennessee Press
The University of Tennessee Press was established as a scholarly publisher in 1940 by the University of Tennessee’s Board of Trustees. Its mandate was threefold: to stimulate scholarly research in many fields; to channel such studies to a large readership; and to extend the University’s regional...
- Rocky Top
"Rocky Top" is an American country and bluegrass song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant in 1967 and first recorded by the Osborne Brothers later that same year...
- UT-Battelle
UT-Battelle, LLC is a limited liability partnership between the University of Tennessee and Battelle Memorial Institute that manages the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy ....
- University of Tennessee Health Science Center
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis includes the Colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. Its pediatric residency program is affiliated with Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center...
- List of forestry universities and colleges
External links