The University of Tennessee at Martin traces its origins back to 1900 when the Baptists of Martin established the Hall-Moody Institute. The name was changed in 1917 to the Hall-Moody Normal School, and following standardization of the curricula to meet state requirements the name was finally changed to Hall-Moody Junior College. The Baptists operated the institution until June 1, 1927, when declining enrollments and financial difficulties caused the college to consolidate with its sister institution, Union University, in Jackson.

Prior to the foreseen demise of the Hall-Moody Junior College, influential citizens from the city of Martin and Weakley County petitioned the State of Tennessee to take over the grounds and buildings and organize a junior college under the control of the University of Tennessee. On February 10, 1927, Senate Bill Number 301 was written to established Tennessee Junior College in Martin. A little more than a month later, on March 29, it was officially approved by Governor Austin Peay. The act declared that the State of Tennessee would "create and establish a junior college of agriculture, industrial arts, and home economics in Martin, Weakley County, Tennessee, and to provide for its maintenance, management and operation." Following the lead of the state, the governmental bodies of both the City of Martin and Weakley County each agreed to float $100,000 worth of bonds to purchase the Hall-Moody properties and secure additional lands for expansion.

On September 12, 1927, with a faculty of nine, Tennessee Junior College opened its doors to 120 students. The campus was composed of only seven buildings in the fall of 1927, all of which were previously part of the Hall-Moody Institute. Those buildings were the old Administration Building, the Ellis Home for Young Women (Reed Hall), the Lovelace Home for Young Men (Freeman Hall), Science Hall, the Old Dining Hall, an unnamed Men's Dormitory, and Gymnasium. Soon after the purchase of Woodley Farm, which was adjacent to the existing campus, two new buildings were constructed to house the Home Economics and Science programs. Both buildings, presently the McCombs Center and Sociology Building, were completed by 1929. During the next three years the junior college built a state of the art gymnasium, currently the Football Gymnasium, a Steam Plant, an industrial arts building, currently Crisp Hall, and a Greenhouse. The number of campus facilities doubled by 1931.

During the Great Depression, enrollments declined and construction of buildings came to a standstill. By 1933, student enrollment had dropped to just 86, faculty members were released, salaries were reduced and intercollegiate athletic events were suspended. The following year the junior college began to gradually improve with increased enrollment and the construction of a new dining hall, which is now the Communications Building. Throughout the middle and late 1930's, there were distinct signs of recovery as enrollment rose to over three hundred in 1937 and reached 336 by 1940. However, this brief period of good fortune and financial prosperity would be reversed with the entrance of the United States into the Second World War.

The war years found the junior college once again in decline as enrollment dropped dramatically. By 1943, the students enrolled in Tennessee Junior College had dropped to 115 students of which only twenty-four were male. The college was fortunate to sway the Civil Aeronautics Administration to locate a training center for military aviators to the campus which bolstered the sagging financial state of the institution. It also gave the school a significant role in the war effort that would enhance its image to returning war veterans a few years later.

The returning G.I. s caused the largest influx of students in the school s history. In fall of 1946, the population of the student body more than tripled to 649, over five hundred of which were war veterans. The construction of new buildings and the hiring of new faculty members became a priority. Twenty-six new instructors were hired and government building materials, developed for the war effort, were purchased at nearby Fort Tyson Army Base and quickly assembled to meet the overflow of new students. The post war surge encouraged the construction of a Student Activities Building, dormitories (Lovelace Hall) and apartments (Mount Pelia Lodge) for married students.

The 1950's, brought steady growth to the junior college in enrollment, higher education quality and the construction of new facilities. The number of students doubled during the 1950's and nearly reached one thousand before the end of the decade. The quality of education increased significantly following the war and in 1951 the state legislature passed House Bill 264 which designated the college as a four year university and renamed the junior college the University of Tennessee, Martin Branch. More classrooms, offices, and living quarters were built to meet the new standards required for a four year institution. Brehm Hall was completed in 1951 to house the expanding Agriculture, Biology and Library departments. Browning Hall, currently the Business Administration Building, was completed later the same year as a men s dormitory. Westview Terrace , a temporary housing complex for married students, was finished in 1955 and two years later, Clement Hall was built as a new women's dormitory. The Hall-Moody Administration Building was built to replace the aging administration facility in 1959 and a Home Management House was completed the same year.

The 1960's, brought forth a new generation of students with higher expectations and demands. As the campus population jumped from 1,123 in 1960 to 4,197 in 1969, the school broadened its selection in courses and developed new programs. More students called for more housing which initiated the largest construction boom in the school's history. Carter's Motor Inn in Martin, later known as Shannon Hall, was purchased to temporarily house students while newer buildings were constructed. A series of dormitories were built during the sixties, which included McCord, Austin Peay, Ellington, Cooper and Browning residency halls. Along with dormitories came apartment complexes which included the Grove Apartments and University Courts. The space for offices and classrooms for new programs led to the construction of the Engineering-Physical Science Building, the Physical Education / Convocation Center, Paul Meek Library, and the Holt Humanities Building. Other facilities built to support the burgeoning student body and faculty included a remodeled Football Stadium, the Boling University Center, a new Steam Plant and Maintenance Center, and a Chancellor's Residence.

In 1967, upon the recommendation of the Board of Trustees, the University of Tennessee, Martin Branch was officially renamed to the University of Tennessee at Martin. The following year the departments of Agriculture, Business Administration, Education, Home Economics and Liberal Arts were elevated to schools. A four year degree program in Engineering Technology and graduate programs in Education and Home Economics were approved by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission during the same time period.

During the 1970's, enrollment began to level off but the quality of academic programs continued to evolve as more four year and graduate programs were offered by the university. Since 1972, programs in music, education, home economics, social work, engineering technology and nursing had become independently accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. To accommodate these new programs, as well as modernize and enhance older programs, the university began construction on two new state of the art facilities in the 1970's. The Fine Arts Building was the first of these structures to be completed in 1971 and currently houses the Division of Fine and Performing Arts. Three years later, Gooch Hall was officially opened and presently serves as the offices and classrooms for the departments of Education, Home Economics and Nursing. A Residence Hall Swimming Pool was built in 1975 as a recreational facility for students living in the dorms.

The enrollment statistics fluctuated in the 1980's as the student population increased to 5,696 in 1983 but dropped to 4,670 in 1988. The recession of the mid and late 1980's was partially to blame for this decline along with directional changes in curriculum. Quality, however, was still the focus of the university as admission standards rose through out the eighties and continue into this decade. The University of Tennessee at Martin's reputation for preparing students for law, medical, and dental schools has become well known to other graduate institutions. To assure growing non-traditional students would have the opportunity to attend the university, a Child and Family Resource Center was built in 1980 and later a Children's Center. The infrastructure to maintain the existing buildings and grounds was modernized in 1981 when the Maintenance Warehouse and Greenhouse were constructed. The addition of an Agriculture Pavilion and New R.O.T.C. Building were completed in the late 1980's to further instill the progressiveness of two of the more traditional departments on campus.

The 1990's, has already shown a rebound from the from the enrollment declines of the late 1980's. Enrollment throughout the 1990's has been fairly consistent and has yet to dip below 5,300 full time students. A record for enrollment was set in 1995 with 5,812 students. The complete modernization of the library and the plans to remodel the student university center are evident signs that the future of the University of Tennessee at Martin is as bright now as it has been in the past.

Biographical information on the former and present Chancellors of the University of Tennessee at Martin is also available.