The University of Tennessee at Martin (UT Martin or UTM) is a

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national universi ...

Martin, Tennessee Martin is a city in Weakley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 11,473 according to the 2010 census. The city is the home of the University of Tennessee at Martin. History Martin is named for Captain William Martin. Willia ...

. It is one of the five campuses of the

University of Tennessee system The University of Tennessee system (UT system) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is one of two public university systems, the other being the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR). It consists of four primary campu ...

. UTM is the only public university in

West Tennessee West Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that roughly comprises the western quarter of the state. The region includes 21 counties between the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers, delineated by state law. Its ...

outside of Memphis. UTM operates a large

experimental farm A demonstration farm, or model farm, is a farm which is used primarily to research or demonstrate various agricultural techniques, with any economic gains being an added bonus. Demonstration farms are often owned and operated by educational instit ...

and several satellite centers in West Tennessee.

History

Although UT Martin dates from 1927, it is not the first educational institution to use the current site. In 1900, Ada Gardner Brooks donated a site on what was then the outskirts of Martin to the

Tennessee Baptist Convention The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board (formerly Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention) is the Tennessee mission board that serves the statewide network of churches that comprise the Tennessee Baptist Convention. It maintains offices in ...

for the purposes of opening a school. The school opened as the Hall-Moody Institute, named for two locally prominent Baptist ministers - John Newton Hall and Joseph Burnley Moody. It originally offered 13 years of study, from elementary grades to the equivalent of the first years of collegiate work. The institute changed its name to Hall-Moody Normal School in 1917, as teacher training became its primary focus. Five years later, Hall-Moody changed its name again to Hall-Moody Junior College. Due to declining enrollment and financial difficulties in the mid-1920s, Hall-Moody Junior College was in danger of closing. In 1927, the

made the decision to consolidate Hall-Moody with a similar institution,

Union University Union University is a private Baptist Christian university in Jackson, Tennessee, with additional campuses in Germantown and Hendersonville. The university is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). It is ...

, in nearby

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

. Upon hearing of the impending closure of the Hall-Moody campus, area civic and political leaders asked the state of Tennessee to step in and take over the former Hall-Moody facilities under the auspices of the University of Tennessee. University of Tennessee president Harcourt Morgan agreed to accept the proposition on the condition that the Martin community would acquire the property as well as space for expansion. The City of Martin and Weakley County sold bonds to purchase the campus and some surrounding land. On February 10, 1927, Senate Bill Number 301 established the University of Tennessee Junior College in Martin. On March 29, it was officially approved by Governor

Austin Peay Austin Peay (June 1, 1876 – October 2, 1927) was an American politician who served as the 35th governor of Tennessee from 1923 to 1927. He was the state's first governor since the Civil War to win three consecutive terms and the first to die i ...

. Hall-Moody closed for the last time on June 1, and the new UT Junior College began operations on September 2 with 120 students. UT Martin nearly closed twice during its first quarter-century. During the hard times of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, with tight state budgets and slow-growing enrollment that by 1933 had only increased slightly to 137 students, Tennessee slashed its annual budget by half to $36,000. Support from UT acting president James Hoskins kept UT Martin alive but could not save chief executive Porter Claxton's position., pp. 98, 222-227. Though enrollment had surpassed 400 students by 1937, many college-age males enlisted in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

a few years later. Executive officer Paul Meek repurposed a 1940 program training Army Air Corps pilots into a program training naval air cadets. Each cadet brought nine times as much income to UT Martin as a civilian student. A post-war influx of returning servicemen and the G.I. Bill ushered in rapid growth both in enrollment and educational offerings. In 1951, with the addition of four-year fields of study leading to a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

, it was redesignated the University of Tennessee Martin Branch (UTMB). In 1961, UTMB was the first campus in the University of Tennessee system to begin racial

desegregation Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups, usually referring to races. Desegregation is typically measured by the index of dissimilarity, allowing researchers to determine whether desegregation efforts are having impact o ...

of undergraduates. (Graduate schools at other campuses had begun desegregation in 1952.) Until 1967, it was treated as an off-site department of the main campus in Knoxville. As such, its presiding officer was known first as an executive officer (1927–1951), then a dean (1951–1967). In 1967, it was granted equal status with the main campus in Knoxville under its current name, and its presiding officer was granted the title of chancellor. The school grew greatly from the post-World War II era, largely under the influence of the

G. I. Bill of Rights The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, b ...

, through the 1960s under the leadership of Paul Meek, who led the school from 1934 to 1967. The school had almost as many entering freshmen in 1969 as it had overall students in 1961. Enrollment as of 2017 is listed at approximately 6,800.

Chancellors

# C. Porter Claxton (executive officer, 1927–1934) # Paul Meek (executive officer, 1934–1951; dean, 1951–1967, chancellor, 1967) # Archie R. Dykes (chancellor, 1967–1971) # Larry T. McGehee (chancellor, 1971–1979) # Charles E. Smith (chancellor, 1980–1985) # Margaret N. Perry (chancellor, 1986–1997) # Philip W. Conn (chancellor, 1998–2000) # Nick Dunagan (chancellor, 2001–2007) # Thomas A. Rakes (chancellor, 2007–2015) # Robert M. Smith (chancellor, 2015–2016) # Keith S. Carver Jr. (chancellor, 2017–present)

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, engineering, and music. There is an active

ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in al ...

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 growing graduate school, with most graduate degrees being conferred in education and business. The university is regionally accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

. For one year, from December 2015 until December 2016, the university was on probation for "falling short of standards related to evidence of institutional effectiveness and general education competencies." During the tenure of Dr. Robert Smith, UT Martin successfully met the challenge and was removed from probation. For this and other accomplishments during his 19 months as interim chancellor, the UT Board of Trustees honored Dr. Smith by removing the designation "interim" and officially named him the university's tenth chancellor. He was also granted the honorary title "chancellor emeritus." '' U.S. News & World Report'' in 2020 ranked the university tied for #28 in Regional Universities South.

Colleges and departments

* College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences * College of Business and Global Affairs * College of Education, Health, and Behavioral Sciences * College of Engineering and Natural Sciences * College of Humanities and Fine Arts

Campus

The rural 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 the construction of apartment-style housing. UT Martin is one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the United States and Canada, according to the second annual edition of ''The Princeton Review's Guide to 311 Green Colleges: 2011 Edition.'' UT Martin is one of three public institutions in Tennessee included in the guide. UT Martin is also among the safest public college campuses in Tennessee based on crime statistics released by the

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is the state bureau of investigation of the state of Tennessee. It has statutory authority to conduct criminal investigations and make arrests of crimes occurring throughout the state. The bureau is ...

. UT Martin also has five centers throughout

. *

Parsons Parsons may refer to: Places In the United States: * Parsons, Kansas, a city * Parsons, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Parsons, Tennessee, a city * Parsons, West Virginia, a town * Camp Parsons, a Boy Scout camp in the state of Washingt ...

Ripley Ripley may refer to: People and characters * Ripley (name) * ''Ripley'', the test mannequin aboard the first International Space Station space station Dragon 2 space test flight Crew Dragon Demo-1 * Ellen Ripley, a fictional character from the Al ...

* Selmer * Somerville

Athletics

The UT Martin athletic program is a member of the

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Cham ...

(OVC) and competes in the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...

Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athleti ...

. The school's teams are known as the Skyhawks; the team colors are navy blue, orange, and white; and the mascot is Captain Skyhawk. Athletic teams have participated in the

since 1991. Previously, UTM was a member of the

Gulf South Conference The Gulf South Conference (GSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the Southeastern United States. History Originally known as the M ...

. 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 because, on account of the former junior college status of the school, the teams were often referred to as the "Baby Vols".

Publications and media

Print

Founded in 1928, ''

The Pacer ''The Pacer'', founded in 1928, is the name of the student newspaper of the University of Tennessee at Martin. The Office of Student Publications at UT Martin publishes ''The Pacer'' every Tuesday morning throughout the semester except for holid ...

'' is the present day name of the

student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also rep ...

. The Office of Student Publications publishes ''The Pacer'' every Thursday 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 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 ''The Pacer'', founded in 1928, is the name of the student newspaper of the University of Tennessee at Martin. The Office of Student Publications at UT Martin publishes ''The Pacer'' every Tuesday morning throughout the semester except for holid ...

''. ''Beanswitch'' is a literary magazine run by UT Martin's undergraduates. This magazine publishes non-fiction, fiction, and poetry, in addition to artwork. Each fall, an online edition is published. The spring edition is in print. Submissions are accepted from all students and from staff.

Radio

The campus radio station at the University of Tennessee at Martin has been named the nation's Best Overall Radio Station (2012). The honor—the Abraham & Borst Award—was presented to WUTM at the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Conference in New York. WUTM was also chosen Best College/University Station under 10,000 enrollment in both 2012 and 2016. WUTM-FM was named 2015 "Best College Radio Station in the South", the fifth time in seven years for the station to earn the award and earned a Platinum Award, the highest ranking, for the sixth consecutive year from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS).

Television

WLJT-TV was launched in the fall of 2015.

Student life

The campus is home to many student life organizations. It also is the location of the 1965 founding of the medical fraternity Mu Epsilon Delta. The Panhellenic sororities at UTM are

Alpha Delta Pi Alpha Delta Pi (), commonly known as ADPi (pronounced "ay-dee-pye"), is an International Panhellenic sorority founded on May 15, 1851, at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. It is the oldest secret society for women. Alpha Delta Pi is a memb ...

(ΑΔΠ),

Alpha Omicron Pi Alpha Omicron Pi (, AOII, Alpha O) is an international women's fraternity founded on January 2, 1897, at Barnard College on the campus of Columbia University in New York City. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage "AO ...

(ΑΟΠ),

Zeta Tau Alpha Zeta Tau Alpha (known as or Zeta) is an international women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1898 at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University) in Farmville, Virginia. Its International Office is located in Carmel, Indiana. It ...

(ZTA), and

Chi Omega Chi Omega (, also known as ChiO) is a women's fraternity and a member of the National Panhellenic Conference, the umbrella organization of 26 women's fraternities. Chi Omega has 181 active collegiate chapters and approximately 240 alumnae chap ...

(ΧΩ). The IFC fraternities on campus are

Alpha Gamma Rho Alpha Gamma Rho (), commonly known as AGR, is a social/professional, agriculture fraternity in the United States, currently with 71 collegiate chapters. Founding The fraternity considers the Morrill Act of 1862 to be the instrument of its incept ...

(ΑΓΡ),

Kappa Alpha Order Kappa Alpha Order (), commonly known as Kappa Alpha or simply KA, is a social Fraternities and sororities, fraternity and a fraternal order founded in 1865 at Washington and Lee University, Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) i ...

(KA),

Phi Sigma Kappa Phi Sigma Kappa (), colloquially known as Phi Sig or PSK, is a men's social and academic Fraternities and sororities, fraternity with approximately 74 List of Phi Sigma Kappa chapters#List of Chapters, active chapters and provisional chapters in ...

(ΦΣΚ),

Pi Kappa Alpha Pi Kappa Alpha (), commonly known as PIKE, is a college fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1868. The fraternity has over 225 chapters and colonies across the United States and abroad with over 15,500 undergraduate members over 3 ...

(ΠΚΑ),

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Alpha Epsilon (), commonly known as SAE, is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is t ...

(ΣΑΕ),

Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Phi Epsilon (), commonly known as SigEp, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College (now the University of Richmond), and its national headquarte ...

(ΣΦΕ), and

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American fraternal literary societies. The fraternity has 244 active (undergraduate) chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has initiated more t ...

(ΣΧ). There are two music organizations on campus:

Phi Mu Alpha Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America (colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Mu Alpha, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music. The fraternity is open to men "w ...

(ΦΜΑ) and

Sigma Alpha Iota Sigma Alpha Iota () is a women's music fraternity. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its m ...

(ΣΑΙ). Religious Life is also a part of student life at UT Martin: Baptist Collegiate Ministry, Church of Christ Student Center, and Wesley Foundation.

Notable alumni

Gin Cooley Jennifer "Gin" Cooley is an American model, psychotherapist, composer and vocalist. Cooley has appeared in several popular music videos, including cameos for Casey James’ "Let's Don't Call it a Night" Rodney Atkins’ "Take a Back Road,"; ...

(2016) professional model, Canadian film festival winner, singer-songwriter and human rights advocate *

Elizabeth Donald Elizabeth Donald (born 1975) is an American author and journalist, best known for writing horror and science fiction, including the ''Nocturnal Urges'' vampire mystery series and ''Blackfire'' zombie series. Life and career Elizabeth Donald was ...

(1997) journalist and horror novelist *

Lin Dunn Lin Dunn (born May 10, 1947) is an American women's basketball coach, currently general manager with the Indiana Fever. She is most known for being the first coach and general manager for the Seattle Storm. She has more than 500 wins to her name. ...

(1969) head coach of the 2012 WNBA Champions

Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned ...

* Doc Gamble (1995)

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) is a public historically black university in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Founded in 1873, it is the second oldest public college or university in the state of Arkansas. UAPB is part of the University o ...

head Football coach *

Leonard Hamilton James Leonard Hamilton (born August 4, 1948) is an American basketball coach and the current men's basketball head coach at Florida State University. He is a former head coach at Oklahoma State University, the University of Miami, and for the Nat ...

(1971)

Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivi ...

head basketball coach *

Roy Herron Roy Herron (born September 30, 1953) is an American politician, attorney and author. He is the former Chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party. He was the Tennessee State Senator for the 24th district for 16 years and for 10 years before tha ...

(1975) Chairman for Tennessee Democratic Party and former State Senator * Andy Holt (2007) U.S. politician who serves in the Tennessee General Assembly, representing District 76 * John Stevens (1996) Tennessee State Senator representing District 24 * Lester Hudson (2009) Former

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

point guard * Montori Hughes (2013) Nose tackle for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

* Ed Jones (1932) Commissioner of Agriculture of Tennessee 1949–1953 and a U.S. Representative from

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

from 1969 to 1989 *

Van Jones Anthony Kapel "Van" Jones (born September 20, 1968) is an American news and political commentator, author, and lawyer. He is the co-founder of several non-profit organizations, a three-time ''New York Times'' bestselling author, a CNN host and c ...

(1990) attorney and internationally recognized civil and human rights advocate *

Alec Mills Alec Thomas Mills (born November 30, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. The Kansas City Royals selected Mills in the 22nd round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. He previously played for the Kansas Ci ...

(2012) Chicago Cubs pitcher *

Jerry Reese Jerry Reese (born July 22, 1963) is a former American football executive, player, and coach. He was a member of the New York Giants for 23 years, serving as their general manager from 2007 to 2017 where he won two Super Bowls. He was inducted in ...

(1985) general manager of the 2007

World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

* William C. Rhodes (1987) president and CEO of AutoZone, Inc. * Ron Roberts (1990)

Southeastern Louisiana University Southeastern Louisiana University (Southeastern) is a public university in Hammond, Louisiana. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims as Hammond Junior College. Sims succeeded in getting the campus moved to north Hammond in 1928, when it becam ...

head football coach *

Pat Summitt Patricia Susan Summitt (; June 14, 1952 – June 28, 2016) was an American women's college basketball head coach who accrued 1,098 career wins, the most in college basketball history at the time of her retirement. She served as the head coac ...

(1974)

Tennessee Lady Vols The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colle ...

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. * Fred Thomas (1996) Former

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

cornerback

References

External links

*
UT Martin Skyhawk Athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tennessee, University Of, Martin Educational institutions established in 1901 Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Weakley County, Tennessee Buildings and structures in Weakley County, Tennessee 1901 establishments in Tennessee Tourist attractions in Weakley County, Tennessee

University of Tennessee at Martin The University of Tennessee at Martin (UT Martin or UTM) is a public university in Martin, Tennessee. It is one of the five campuses of the University of Tennessee system. UTM is the only public university in West Tennessee outside of Memphi ...

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...