About UT Martin
•The University of Tennessee at Martin was founded in 1900 as Hall-Moody Institute.
•A record 8,101 students enrolled for fall semester 2009 at UT Martin. The fall 2009 total includes all-time record fall enrollments for total headcount, incoming freshmen, undergraduates, dual-enrollment students, transfer students, total credit hours and total full-time equivalent.
•UT Martin’s student headcount has increased 25 percent for the five years between fall 2005 and 2009.
•Both the average ACT scores and high school GPAs of first-time UT Martin freshmen increased from fall 2008 to fall 2009.
•UT Martin’s graduation rate rose from 39.8% in 2005 to 48.5% in 2009 for an 18.4% increase in graduation rates during the recent five-year period.
•UT Martin is home to UT Online, the University of Tennessee’s online programs for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. UT Online enrollment at Martin grew 20.6% from 2008 to 2009.
•One of the largest dual-enrollment programs among Tennessee universities is based out of the UT Martin Jackson Center. The number of dual enrollment students grew from 847 students in fall 2008 to 928 students in fall 2009, a 9.6% increase.
•After recent completion of more than $38 million in capital and maintenance projects, almost $32 million in additional capital improvement projects are under way or set to begin at UT Martin, including projects through 2011. Projects include a new 100,643-square-foot Student Recreation Center, a major renovation and addition to the Fine Arts Building, and construction of a new baseball/softball field house.
Recognitions and Superlatives
•UT Martin is listed as a top-tier university among southern, master's level institutions in the 2010 edition of America's Best Colleges compiled by U.S.News & World Report.
•The Princeton Review lists UT Martin as “A Best Southeastern College" for 2010.
•For the fourth consecutive year, Institutional Research & Evaluation Inc. lists UT Martin among “America’s 100 Best College Buys.”
•UT Martin is among the safest campuses in Tennessee among four-year public institutions based on crime statistics released by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
•UT Martin was recognized as School of the Year at the 2009 Tennessee Association of Residence Halls Leadership Conference. Ryan Martin, assistant director of housing, also was named state advisor of the year.
Academics
•More than 95% of UT Martin’s graduates find jobs or are accepted to graduate schools within six months of graduation.
•UT Martin is home to two Tennessee Governor’s Schools: the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Humanities and the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Agricultural Sciences.
•UT Martin is home to three chairs of excellence: the Gil Parker Chair of Excellence in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources; the Horace and Sara Dunagan Chair of Excellence in Banking; and the Tom E. Hendrix Chair of Excellence in Free Enterprise.
•UT Martin offers the only dance education teaching option in Tennessee.
•UT Martin serves as the executive center of the Southern Consortium of the American Democracy Project (ADP-South).
Student Success
•The UT Martin Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society chapter has won more top ratings than any other chapter nationwide.
•The UT Martin Collegiate FFA chapter is the top collegiate chapter in the state for the fifth consecutive year.
•The UT Martin Interfraternity Council claimed the Overall Fraternal Excellence trophy for the fifth consecutive year at the 2009 Southeastern Interfraternity Conference in Atlanta. UT Martin was among six universities to claim the trophy, and the group also netted more awards than any other university attending the conference.
•WUTM-FM placed second behind Florida State University in the “Best College Radio Station” category during the 2009 Southeast Journalism Conference at Belmont University.
Student Access
•UT Martin has center locations in Jackson, Parsons, Ripley and Selmer.
•UT Martin is home to UT Online, the University of Tennessee’s online degree programs for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. UT Online continues to answer the demand for online courses and degree programs and has added an online master’s degree in family and consumer sciences; an online concentration in education (teaching/non-licensure); and an online bachelor’s of business administration in management.
Leadership and Economic Development
•UT Martin is home to the WestStar Leadership Program, Tennessee’s first and largest regional leadership program. WestStar boasts 555 living graduates and is entering its 21st year of developing the region’s leaders.
•Kid College, UT Martin’s summer-enrichment program for children kindergarten through grade 5, celebrated 25 years in June 2009.
•The university’s Regional Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (REED) Center provides consulting services for existing and prospective entrepreneurs and supports economic development in rural Northwest Tennessee.
Athletics
•The Skyhawk men’s basketball team won the 2009 Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship. Lester Hudson was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year for the second straight year and Men’s College Basketball Player of the Year in Tennessee by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association.
•The Skyhawk softball team claimed its first Ohio Valley Conference championship in 2009 and made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA softball tournament.
•Skyhawk Head Tennis Coach, Dennis Taylor, earned his fifth OVC Coach of the Year Award following a successful 2009 campaign. His Skyhawk women’s team earned a number-two seed in the OVC post-season tournament after finishing the season with an 8-1 conference record.
•UT Martin has the only collegiate rodeo team in Tennessee. The men’s rodeo team finished ninth in the 2009 College National Finals Rodeo. The team has advanced to the CNFR for the past 12 years under the direction of head coach John Luthi and enjoyed its best finish at the CNFR in 2008 when it claimed third in the nation. The team has also finished among the top 10 teams in the nation three out of the past four years.
•The Skyhawk women’s soccer team received its third consecutive OVC Team Academic Achievement Award in 2009.
•The Skyhawk rifle team received the 2009 OVC Team Sportsmanship Award.
Individual Accolades
•Bradley Gregg, UT Martin engineering student from Union City, participated in a 15-week internship during spring semester 2009 at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. He plans to attend graduate school to pursue a doctorate in aerospace engineering following graduation in May 2010.
•Twenty-five UT Martin students, faculty and staff members have received Love Community Service Awards, more than any other college or university in Tennessee. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission sponsors the community service recognition program.
•Nationally known alumni include: Pat Head Summitt (’74), UT Lady Vols head basketball coach; Leonard Hamilton (’71), Florida State Seminoles head basketball coach; Jerry Reese (’87, ’88), senior vice president and general manager of the New York Giants; Dr. Christy Shaffer (’81), president and CEO, Inspire Pharmaceuticals; and William (Bill) Rhodes (’87), president and CEO of AutoZone.
