Community

At UT, our research and knowledge is not destined for just academic journals and textbooks; we strive to incorporate our achievements into programs that benefit our local community, the state of Tennessee, and individuals all over the world.

In the Knoxville community, faculty and graduate students in sports psychology help local girls develop good exercise habits and healthy self-images; our College of Law performs pro bono work for underserved clients; and nursing faculty and students help provide medical services to the homeless in the Knoxville area.

Students also lead the way in giving back to the community by volunteering with organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club, Habitat for Humanity, the Special Olympics of Greater Knoxville, the Knox County Read With Me children’s literacy program, and the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.

But our interaction with the community does not simply flow outward; members of the public have free access to many of UT’s cultural and academic resources, including the Frank H. McClung Museum, the UT Gardens, music recitals, and public lectures.

Our Center for Business and Economic Impact recently estimated that UT has an economic impact of more than $800 million on the state, accounting not only for direct expenditures by the university, but also the multiplied impact of things like spending by employees, jobs created by research funding, and more. The university’s partnership with Battelle Memorial Institute to manage Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will continue to attract leading researchers in the sciences to conduct their work in Tennessee.

UT contributes to every aspect of life, from theatre to biochemistry, and we continue to move forward in our mission to be the preeminent public research and teaching university linking the people of Tennessee to the community, the nation, and the world.