The
University of Tennessee at Martin is a campus in
the University of
Tennessee
system. Other campuses include the flagship campus in
Knoxville
, the Chattanooga
campus, the Center for the Health Sciences in
Memphis
, and the Space Institute in Tullahoma
. UTM is the only public four-year university
in
West Tennessee outside Memphis.
History
UT
Martin began in 1900 as Hall-Moody
Institute in Martin, Tennessee
, a Baptist junior college. In 1927 the school was
in danger of closing, and area civic and political leaders asked
the state of Tennessee
to step in and operate the school under the
auspices of the University of Tennessee, which it did, renaming the
institution the University of Tennessee Junior
College. It operated under this name until 1951,
when, with the addition of four-year fields of study leading to a
bachelor's degree, it was redesignated the
University of Tennessee Martin Branch. In 1967 it
was designated as a primary campus of the UT system and given its
current name.The school grew greatly from the post-
World War II era, largely under the influence
of the
G. I. Bill
of Rights, through the 1960s under the leadership of dean
(later chancellor) Paul Meek. It was noted that the school had
almost as many entering freshmen in 1969 as it had overall students
in 1961. Current enrollment is approximately 7,000.In 1961, it was
the first campus in the University of Tennessee system to practice
racial
desegregation. A large
experimental farm is
operated, and there are several satellite campuses in West
Tennessee (and one in
Middle
Tennessee).
Academics
Given its
rural location, much of the focus of
the school has been on undergraduate studies in education and
agriculture, although many other courses of study are offered,
particularly in the liberal arts, and in recent years there has
been an increasing emphasis on business and engineering. There is
an active
ROTC program, and a school of
nursing. The school is among the top providers of candidates to the
University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. There is
a small graduate school, with most graduate degrees being conferred
in education.
Colleges & Departments
- College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
- College of Business and Public Affairs
- College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
- College of Engineering and Natural Sciences
- College of Humanities and Fine Arts
Hall-Moody Administration
Building
Campus
The campus is noted for being particularly scenic and
well-landscaped. Students who live on campus are within walking
distance of all academic buildings, the library, food services, the
Boling University Center, and all recreational and sports
facilities. Recent years have seen the demolition of old
double-occupancy dormitory halls in favor of construction of
apartment-style housing.
Greek Life
Honorary Societies
Interfraternity Council (Fraternities)
Panhellenic Council (Sororities)
National Pan-Hellenic Council (Fraternities and
Sororities)
Other Fraternities
Athletics
Athletic teams participate in the
Ohio Valley Conference.
The university mascot was changed from "Pacers" to "Skyhawks" in
1995. The reasoning behind the "Skyhawks" moniker was described
thus:
- The first educational institution on the site of UT Martin was
Hall-Moody Bible Institute. The school's athletic teams were called
"sky pilots", a frontier term for preachers in that day, but
perhaps the students were thinking of the glamorous flying aces of
World War I.
- During World War II, UT Junior College contracted with the
Naval War Training Service to help train pilots, who completed
their flight training at an airport located on the current site of
Westview High School.
- Red-tail hawks are indigenous to the West Tennessee
region.
Prior to being known as "Pacers" the university's teams were called
"Volunteers." The name was changed in 1971, largely due to fact
that, on account of the former junior college status of the school,
the teams were often referred to as the "Baby Vols."
Publications
Founded in 1928,
The Pacer is the name of the
student newspaper. The Office of Student
Publications publishes
The Pacer every Tuesday morning
throughout the semester except for holidays and exam periods. As of
2006, the newspaper has a
circulation of 3,000 copies. In the
spring of 2006, the publication was won the distinction of being
named "Best in the South" at the Southeastern Journalism
Conference, beating out such schools as Vanderbilt and Mississippi
State. Throughout its history, the newspaper has also been named
The Checkerboard and
The Volette.
Notable alumni
- Pat Head Summitt (’74) Tennessee Lady Vols head
basketball coach, all-time leader for games won among NCAA Division
I basketball coaches (men's or women's). The court in the
basketball arena and a street on campus are named for Summitt.
- Major General John "Glad" Castellaw ('72) USMC, Chief of Staff,
U.S. Central Command
- Leonard Hamilton (’71) Florida
State Seminoles head basketball coach
- William C. Rhodes (’87) president and CEO of AutoZone, Inc.
- Van Jones ('90) attorney and
internationally-recognized civil and human rights advocate
- Fred Thomas (’96)
New Orleans Saints
cornerback.
- Jerry Reese ('85) general manager of
the 2007 World Champion New York Giants
- Dr. Shirley C. Raines ('67) President of the University of
Memphis
- Charlie Neese ('92) NewsChannel5
(WTVF
-Nashville) meteorologist
- Wm. Lance Culley, D.D.S. ('92) Founder of the Institute for
Periodontics and Implant Dentistry.
- Dr. John Richard Barker ('89) Executive Director of the
Department of Research, Evaluation, and Assessment, Memphis City Schools
Points of interest
Related
References
- Robert L. Carroll. The University of Tennessee at Martin:
The First One Hundred Years. Hillsboro Press, 2000, p. 47, p.
103.
- UTM Mascot
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