About UT
The University of Tennessee is the state’s land-grant, higher-education institution and flagship public university. It is comprised of campuses at Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Martin, the Health Science Center at Memphis, the Space Institute at Tullahoma, and the statewide Institute of Agriculture and Institute for Public Service. The University of Tennessee System has a presence in each of Tennessee’s 95 counties. Through the combined force of its education, research, and outreach, the university serves students, business and industry, schools, governments, organizations, and citizens throughout the state.
Partnerships
The University of Tennessee manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory through a partnership with Battelle for the DOE Office of Science. With enthusiastic and substantial support from the state of Tennessee, this managing partnership oversees $3 billion in research facilities, equipment and expertise. This infusion of resources, including the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source complex, the world’s largest unclassified supercomputer, joint research centers, state tax exemptions, and funding for faculty appointments, form the basis for the uniquely successful UT-Oak Ridge partnership.
History
The University of Tennessee is the state’s oldest and largest public higher education institution, tracing its beginnings to the founding of Blount College in Knoxville in 1794, two years before Tennessee became a state. The UT System was formed in 1968.
Great Things are Happening
- Research funding throughout the university set a new record in 2006, totaling $307.9 million in grants, up from the previous year’s $285.1 million.
- The university enrolls more than 46,000 students throughout the state at its various campuses and off-campus centers. UT graduates an average of 9,000 students each year.
- A $32 million state appropriation in 2007 will jumpstart infrastructure on the new, Cherokee Farm campus. This more than 200-acre site near UT Medical Center in Knoxville is expected to be developed as a technology-oriented research campus.
- UT joined the ranks of the nation’s elite supercomputing centers in 2007 with a $65 million National Science Foundation award, that when finalized, will give UT one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.
- The 2007 Tennessee Biofuels Initiative paved the way for construction of a biorefinery where the process of converting locally-grown switchgrass to ethanol will happen with a goal of contributing to a sustainable bioeconomy for Tennessee and the nation.
- In 2007 the UT Health Science Center expanded the College of Pharmacy with a Knoxville campus and opened a state-of-the-art Cancer Research Building on the Memphis campus.
- UT has trained 4,500 of the physicians practicing throughout Tennessee, 75 percent of the state’s dentists, 50 percent of the pharmacists, and roughly 2,000 nurses.
- The UT Institute of Agriculture serves about 4 million citizens a year—more than attend UT sports events.
- The UT Institute for Public Service helped create more than 12,000 jobs in Tennessee in fiscal year 2007.
Strategic Initiatives
The University of Tennessee serves the people of Tennessee and beyond through providing access to and success in undergraduate, graduate, and professional education; pursuing research and scholarly achievement and its associated economic development; and ensuring educational outreach and preparedness for the global marketplace. The university's strategic plan describes benchmarks and goals for these mission-oriented priorities.
Governance
The 24-member UT Board of Trustees governs the University of Tennessee system. Members include business and community leaders from across the state, and UT students and faculty.
Facts and Figures
The University of Tennessee (Knoxville, Chattanooga and Martin campuses, Health Science Center, Space Institute, Institutes of Agriculture and Public Service)
| Enrollment | 46,000 |
| Faculty and staff | 18,200 |
| Alumni in Tennessee | 300,000 |
| Research expenditures | $337 million |
Compensation at UT
The university offers a wide range of competitive and comprehensive benefits packages including retirement plans, a tax deferred income program, and group health, dental and life insurance plans. Educational assistance for you and your dependents is another advantage to joining the University of Tennessee. To learn more about these and other benefits offered through the university, visit our human resources homepage.
About Knoxville
Nestled at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains along the Tennessee River, Knoxville has served as the hub of the region since its founding in 1791. Knoxville is within a day's driving distance of many major metropolitan cities and boasts a strong work ethic, a family-centered community, and an intense respect for the natural beauty that envelopes the region. We invite you to learn more about our community and nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park while considering the University of Tennessee.
