University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (UT), sometimes called the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT Knoxville or UTK), is the flagship institution of the statewide
land-grant University of Tennessee public university system. It is headquartered in
Knoxville and includes campuses in
Memphis,
Martin, and
Chattanooga.
The University of Tennessee, in partnership with
Battelle Memorial Institute, also operates nearby
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), one of the largest government laboratories in the United States. ORNL is a world class supercomputing powerhouse, featuring one of the world's most powerful civilian supercomputers, as well as the world's most powerful neutron source..
The University of Tennessee has gradually grown from a small liberal arts college to its present status. In
1826, what was then East Tennessee College moved from its original location on Gay Street in downtown Knoxville to the 40 acre (160,000 m²) tract named Barbara Hill (in honor of Governor
Blount's daughter). Known to students and alumni today as simply "The Hill," it is only a small part of the Knoxville campus but remains at the heart of UT academic life.
The UT
Forensic anthropology Facility, nicknamed the "
Body Farm," is located near the
University of Tennessee Medical Center on
Alcoa Highway (
US 129). Founded by Dr.
William M. Bass, the Body Farm features numerous cadavers posed in various situations behind a fenced plot of land. Scientists at the university study how the human body decays in differing circumstances to gain a better understanding of decomposition. The Body Farm has proved a valuable resource to law enforcement officers and forensic
medical examiners worldwide.
In
1998, the university changed the name of Yale Avenue to
Peyton Manning Pass in honor of the former Volunteer (and now
Indianapolis Colts)
quarterback. According to the
United States Postal Service, this is one of only two thoroughfares designated "Pass" (as opposed to "Avenue," "Street," etc.) in the entire
United States.
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Ayres Hall. The University of Tennessee was established in 1794, making UT one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the region. |
The University of Tennessee's flagship campus in Knoxville hosts ten colleges, the Institute of
Agriculture, the
Institute for Public Service, and several schools. The
UT Health Science Center at Memphis and the
UT Space Institute at Tullahoma are specialized campuses but are not separate institutions. These five facilities comprise the University of Tennessee system.
As of
2004, UT provides over 110 programs of study for undergraduate students. The university provides a list of all offered majors and minors.
The University of Tennessee's total enrollment in the fall semester of 2005 was 28,552, of which 23,131 were full-time students and 5,421 were part-time. Undergraduates numbered 20,286 students, while graduate students made up the balance of 8,266. UT enrolled 4,183 first-time freshmen.
Of UT's total enrollment, 23,092 students described themselves as white, with 2,137 Black, 725 Asian, 348 Hispanic, 112 American Indian, and 273 other/not reported. Total minority enrollment was 17.9%. Slightly more women (54.1%) attended UT than men.
In 2004, 1,082 international students were enrolled. Most of these students came from
China,
India, and
South Korea. Out-of-state U.S. residents accounted for 4,950 of the student body, most of them from
Virginia,
Georgia, and
North Carolina. The remaining 21,732 students already resided in Tennessee, with most previous in-state residents coming from
Knox,
Shelby, and
Davidson counties.
The University of Tennessee was chartered on
September 10,
1794 as Blount College, by an act of the legislature of the
Southwest Territory meeting in the territorial capital, Knoxville. The college was small at its inception and struggled for the next 13 years with a small student body and an even smaller faculty. In
1807, the school was renamed East Tennessee College; however, when its first president and only faculty member died in
1809, the school was temporarily closed. It reopened in
1820, and in
1840 was elevated to East Tennessee University.
The
Civil War virtually destroyed the college, as students and faculty left to join both the Union and Confederate forces, their divided loyalties reflecting those of East Tennessee itself. The college buildings were occupied by troops from both sides and were sometimes used as hospitals. Shelling significantly damaged the grounds. The president, who took the college's reins in
1865, was a Union sympathizer, and he managed to secure some $18,500 in restitution funds from the federal government.
Following the Civil War, the State of Tennessee made the University the beneficiary of the
Morrill Act of
1862, which allocated federal land or its monetary value to the various states for the teaching of "agricultural and mechanical" subjects and to provide military training to students. Thus, the University of Tennessee (its designation after
1879) became a land-grant institution. In
1893, the university admitted women regularly for the first time.
 |
Central view of the UT campus. |
The first
African Americans 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.
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
Martin, the formerly private University of
Chattanooga (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
Nashville had a brief existence from
1971 to
1979 before it was ordered closed and merged with
Tennessee State University.
The University of Tennessee is ranked among the top 40 public universities of America. Specialty rankings are:
*
9 UT Health Science Center Department of
Ophthalmology by
Ophthalmology Times.
*
2 The supply chain management/logistics programs as published in
Supply Chain Management Review, the industry's most respected executive-oriented publication.
*
10 The supply chain management/logistics programs in the UT College of Business Administration, according to
U.S. News & World Report.
*
45 UT Master of Fine Arts program by
U.S. News & World Report.
*
3 UT graduate program in printmaking by
U.S. News & World Report.
*
7 The
pharmacy program, according to
U.S. News & World Report.
*
6 UT's senior executive
MBA program in alumni goal achievement and satisfaction, according to the
Financial Times.
*
89 In the world, UT MBA program, according to the
Financial Times Global Business School Rankings.
*
1 UT MBA program in alumni value (value for the money) three years after graduation, according to
Financial Times Global Business School Rankings.
*
5 UT MBA program overall among U.S. public universities according to
Wall Street Journal 2005.
*
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 graduate program, according to
U.S. News and World Report.
*
1 UT's Physician Executive MBA program of the College of Business Administration according to
Modern Physician.
*
2 UT's College of
Architecture and Design out of Southern Universities according to
Design Intelligence.
*
35 UT's College of Education, Health and Human Science.
*
The John C. Hodges Library ranks among the top 30 public research libraries of the United States.[
1]
* 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 the only university in the nation to have three presidential papers editing projects. The university has collections of the papers of all three U.S. presidents from Tennessee�"Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson.
*University of Tennessee:
**Research Budget:
***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:
$257 million (2004) [
2]
**Total Budget:
$1.4 Billion (2004) [
3]
*
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (operated jointly by The University of Tennessee and
Battelle Memorial Institute):
**Research budget:
$1.06 Billion [
4]
**Total Budget:
$2.5 Billion [
5]
Athletics and sports
Tennessee competes in the
Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division, along with
Florida,
Georgia,
Kentucky,
South Carolina, and
Vanderbilt, and competes in longstanding
football rivalries with all of them along with another long-time rival,
Alabama, in
The Third Saturday In October. The Volunteers won the 1998 NCAA Division IA National Championship in football. They are coached by
Phillip Fulmer.
Tennessee has one of the strongest women's basketball teams at the college level.
Pat Summitt, the Lady Vols' head basketball coach, is the all-time winningest basketball coach in NCAA history, having won over 900 games as of
2006. Tennessee and Summitt also have a
rivalry with the
University of Connecticut in women's basketball. These two schools have consistently fought great
games against each other in recent years, occasionally with the national championship on the line. The main women's basketball rivals for Tennessee within the conference are Georgia, Vanderbilt, and
LSU.
The men's basketball program is headed by
Bruce Pearl. Through his guidance, the men's program has been revitalized and claimed the 2005-2006 SEC East Title and closed the season with a 22-8 record and a NCAA Tournament berth. In men's
basketball, the most important rivalries are with Kentucky and, to a slightly lesser degree, Florida and Vanderbilt.
UT's best-known athletic facility by far is
Neyland Stadium, home to the football team, which seats over 107,000 people and is one of the country's largest facilities of its type. Neyland is currently undergoing a renovation costing over $100 million. The men's and women's basketball teams play in
Thompson-Boling Arena, the largest arena (by capacity) ever built specifically for basketball in the United States. The former home of both basketball teams,
Stokely Athletics Center, still stands and is now used by the women's volleyball program.
The Alumni Memorial Gym is another indoor athletic facility. It was built in
1934 during a construction campaign under school president James D. Hoskins, and was replaced by the Stokely Athletics Center in
1967. The facility hosted the
Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournament in
1936 and
1937 and again in
1939 and
1940. It is now used as a performing arts center and seats 1,000 spectators.
Clubs and organizations
The University of Tennessee has over 450 registered
student organizations. These groups appeal to a multitude of interests and provide a variety of experiences for those interested in service, sports, arts, social activities, government, politics, cultural issues, Greek societies, and much more.
University students are active in several student media organizations.
The Daily Beacon is an editorially independent
student newspaper that has a staff of over 100 and publishes 16,000 copies a day, 5 days a week. The university operates two
radio stations: student-run The Rock (formerly the Torch) (
WUTK-FM 90.3
MHz) and
National Public Radio affiliate WUOT-FM 91.9 MHz.
The Phoenix, a literary art magazine, is published in the fall and spring
semesters and showcases student artistic creativity.
Greek Life
UT is home to 17
sororities and 22
fraternities.
Sororities
As of
2006, UT boasts 13
National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities.
Chi Omega first came to UT is 1900 followed in 1902 by
Alpha Omicron Pi. Both organizations remain on the campus to this day. Currently the campus claims chapters of the following NPC sororities:
*
Chi Omega 1900
*
Alpha Omicron Pi 1902
*
Zeta Tau Alpha 1904
*
Phi Mu 1908
*
Alpha Delta Pi 1920
*
Delta Delta Delta 1923
*
Sigma Kappa 1924
*
Kappa Delta 1925
*
Delta Zeta 1933
*
Delta Gamma 1947
*
Pi Beta Phi 1948
*
Alpha Epsilon Phi 1948 (closed since 1977)
*
Alpha Xi Delta 1958 and 1996 (closing May 2006)
*
Alpha Chi Omega 1961
*
Alpha Gamma Delta 1961 (currently closed)
*
Gamma Phi Beta 1965 (closed since 1977)
*
Kappa Kappa Gamma 1967
*
Kappa Alpha Theta 1969 (closed since 1980)
Sororities at UT do not have houses, but have space in the Panhellenic Building. The Panhellenic Building houses 14 of the 17 social sororities at UTK. Although the building is not a residence hall facility, each sorority has a suite consisting of a large living room, a kitchen, an office, and a storage area. The Panhellenic Affairs Office is located on the first floor of the building and serves as the center for coordinating all sorority activities. The office staff and student leaders are readily available to provide information concerning Panhellenic Council, any of the individual sororities, or the rush / recruitment registration process.
In addition to NPC sororities, UT also has 3
National Pan Hellenic Council (NHPC) sororities:
Alpha Kappa Alpha,
Delta Sigma Theta, and
Zeta Phi Beta. These sororities are governed by the Black Greek Letter Council. UT also has a chapter of
Lambda Theta Alpha of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations.
Fraternities
North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) fraternities at UT have an average size of 63 members. Most campus fraternities have their own houses on campus. Notable alumni of the UT fraternal community include:
*
Howard Baker, Ambassador to Japan, former White House Chief of Staff, and former U. S. Sen Senator
*
James Clayton, President and CEO of
Clayton Homes*
Chris Whittle, founder of Whittle Communications
*
Johnny Majors, Heisman Trophy runner-up
*
Haywood Harris, UT sports information director
*
William B. Stokely, former Chairman and CEO of Stokely Van Camp, Inc.
*
Allan Houston, NCAA All-American, Detroit Pistons NBA star
*
Van Hilleary, U. S. Congressman
*
James Denton, actor, Desperate Housewives star
NIC fraternities at UT are:
*
Alpha Epsilon Pi*
Alpha Gamma Rho*
Alpha Tau Omega*
Beta Theta Pi*
Delta Tau Delta (Inactive as of Fall 2005)
*
Farmhouse*
Kappa Sigma (Inactive after Spring 2006)
*
Lambda Chi Alpha*
Phi Gamma Delta "Fiji"
*
Phi Delta Theta*
Phi Kappa Psi*
Phi Kappa Tau*
Phi Sigma Kappa*
Pi Kappa Alpha*
Pi Kappa Phi "Pong"
*
Sigma Alpha Epsilon (Inactive as of Spring 2005)
*
Sigma Chi*
Sigma Nu*
Sigma Phi EpsilonNPHC fraternities, governed by the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) are:
*
Alpha Phi Alpha*
Kappa Alpha Psi*
Phi Beta Sigma |
UT has both an academic and an athletic tradition that runs back over 200 years. |
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 Mountains, has accumulated numerous traditions over its long history. Former university historian Milton M. Klein summarizes the history behind many school traditions on
his homepage.
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
daisies which grew on the Hill. These flowers can still be seen today growing outside of 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. 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. While being well-known for its exciting game songs, the Band is by far more famous for the pregame show at the beginning of every home game. It ends with the "Opening of the T" where the football team runs through. This is one of the most photographed moments in football. Something the Pride does every year is the famous "Circle Drill," the most difficult circle drill performed by a college marching band. It is done at least twice every year, at one of the final home games and a late away game.
Fight song
Although it is the most famous song played by the Pride, "
Rocky Top" is not the official fight song for the university. "Rocky Top" was written in only ten minutes by songwriters
Felice and Boudleaux Bryant in
1967. The Bryants were working in
Gatlinburg on a collection of slow-tempo songs for a project for
Archie Campbell and
Chet Atkins. Writing the fast-paced "Rocky Top" served as a temporary diversion for them. Later recorded, the song did not become popular until after
1972 when the Pride used it for one of their drills. The football crowd loved the tune and its words; the more the band played it, the more people wanted it. It has now become one of UT's best-known traditions. Its popularity also extends beyond the campus of the University of Tennessee; "Rocky Top" became one of the Tennessee state songs in
1982.
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.
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Looking westward at The University Mall. |
Mascot
In
1953 the campus Pep Club sponsored a contest to have a live
mascot. The
hound was chosen since it is a native breed and its small stature and loud baying represent a unique combination. 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 Coonhound "Brooks' Blue Smokey," which won over the other eight contestants. Although he was the last hound to be introduced at the half-time contest, Smokey barked when his name was called. The students cheered and Smokey threw his head back and howled again and UT had its new mascot. The current mascot is Smokey IX. He is looked after by two student trainers from
Alpha Gamma Rho, a national agricultural fraternity.
Nickname
Tennessee is known as the "Volunteer State" for the overwhelming, unexpected number of Tennesseans who volunteered for duty in the
American Revolutionary War, the
War of 1812, the
Texas Revolution, and especially the
Mexican War. A UT athletic team was dubbed the Volunteers for the first time in
1902 by the
Atlanta Constitution following a football game against
Georgia Tech. The
Knoxville Journal and Tribune did not use the name until
1905. By the fall of
1905 both the
Journal and the
Knoxville Sentinel 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 respective nicknames today, although often shortened by cheering fans to just "Vols" and "Lady Vols."
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UT's College of Law |
Famous former students include:
Well-known current and former faculty, staff, coaches, and administrators include:
*
Lamar Alexander, former Tennessee Governor, UT President and current US Senator
*Dr.
William M. Bass, professor emeritus and founder of the
Forensic Anthropology Center and the "
Body Farm"
*Jeffrey D. Case, co-developer of
SNMP*
Philander Claxton, founder of the UT Department of Education
*
Jack Dongarra, computer science professor and creator of
LINPACK and
LAPACK*
Phillip Fulmer, current football coach of UT's Tennessee Volunteers
*Political sociologist
John Gaventa*Congressman and former professor
Dan Lipinski (
D-
IL)
*
Glenn Reynolds, law professor and author of the
Instapundit weblog*
Jason S. Brown Sculptor
*
Pat Summitt, women's basketball head coach and member of the
Basketball Hall of Fame*
William Sanders, professor of statistics
*
Writer Allen Wier# # # # # #
*
University of Tennessee Arboretum*
John C. Hodges library at The University of Tennessee*
Official UT website*
Office of the Dean of Students*
Official UT men's athletics site*
Official UT women's athletics site*
The Daily Beacon*
WUTK 90.3 FM The Rock*
University historian home page*
World's top 500 supercomputer list, maintained by UT Computer Science Department*
Tennessee Vols Fan Site
