There are several advantages to taking summer courses, including smaller classes, a more relaxed campus, and a more focused learning environment. Students can use HOPE Scholarship funds to pay for summer courses.

Also, summer school students often find summer jobs or internships, gaining valuable professional experience and some spending money while taking classes. Be sure to explore the resources offered by Career Services at career.utk.edu.

For more information, visit the summer school website.

This year, for the first time, students can use HOPE Scholarship, funded by the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS) Program, to help them pay for summer school.

“There are many advantages to taking summer courses, including smaller classes, a more relaxed campus, and an even more focused learning environment,” said Susan Martin, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs. “Summer school students often find summer jobs or internships, gaining valuable professional experience and earning some spending money while taking classes. The summer is also a good time to study abroad.”

Students planning to attend summer school must already have completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form for the current academic year. Also, by April 1, they should complete a UT Summer Aid Request Form, which is available online.

To qualify for the HOPE Scholarship during the summer, students must be enrolled in at least six credit hours and meet GPA requirements. The HOPE Scholarship cannot be used for the UT mini-term.

UT students who qualify for the HOPE scholarship can receive up to $6,000 per year. The award is divided equally between fall, spring and summer semesters. Awards are prorated for students who take fewer than twelve credit hours.

The HOPE program has a 120-hour cap on the number of hours for which students can use the scholarship money, with exceptions for certain majors and programs.

Priority registration for summer school began on February 29. Registration opened for seniors on Tuesday. Today, juniors could begin registering. Sophomores follow on March 13 and freshmen on March 15.

Current UT students can find out more by logging onto the MyUTK portal.

Summer school registration continues until classes begin.

The summer school timetable is available on the Office of the Registrar website.

Here are some important dates to remember:

• May 9, 2012—Mini session begins
• May 30—Mini session ends
• May 31—First and full summer sessions begin
• July 3—First summer session ends
• July 5—Second summer session begins
• August 7—Second and full summer sessions end

For more information about summer school,visit the summer school website.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)

Pellissippi Community College President Allen Edwards, left, and UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek sign the formal agreement creating the bridge program.

The agreement formalizing the bridge program was signed this week by UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek and PSCC President Allen Edwards.

“We’ve gotten it off the ground and it is operational,” Cheek said. “UT and Pellissippi State have a great working relationship. This program is testament to UT’s commitment to collaborate with community colleges.”

Edwards said the bridge program will help both institutions in their missions to serve the community.

“Part of our role as the local community college is to serve the university, which is part of the community,” he said.

This new bridge program—the type of partnership required by the 2010 Complete College Act of Tennessee—will allow some students who are wait-listed for admission at UT to tackle initial program requirements at the community college. The program provides a seamless transfer to UT, provided they complete a specified number of hours and maintain a certain grade requirement.

Invitation letters have been sent to eligible students who have applied for fall 2011 admission to UT and are among those at the top of UT’s wait list.

Invited students have until May 16 to confirm their attendance. Administrators are hoping for an initial bridge class of seventy-five to 100 students.

The students, who will be guided by advisers on both campuses, will attend the second summer session at UT to take a set of credit courses to help them adjust to college life and get a head start on their UT degree. During the following fall and spring semesters, they will take classes exclusively at PSCC, and at the end of the spring semester, will be admitted to UT if their academic record at PSCC indicates an ability to succeed at UT.

Bridge students will be invited to live in a residence hall on the UT campus when they begin. They will be issued a UT ID card and enjoy library, computer, tutoring and mentoring services, and recreational opportunities on both campuses.

This partnership between UT and PSCC is part of how UT is working to comply with the Complete College Tennessee Act of 2010.

Passed by the state Legislature and signed by former Gov. Phil Bredesen in January 2010, this act is intended to enhance cooperation between colleges and universities in the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) and UT systems.

The Complete College Tennessee Act:

• Changes the state funding formula so it is based on six-year graduation rates rather than enrollment;
• Eases the transition for community college students moving on to state universities;
• Requires TBR and UT to establish dual-admission and dual-enrollment policies at two- and four-year colleges and universities; and
• Requires community colleges to offer all remedial work.

For more information about the UT–Pellissippi Community College Bridge Program, see http://admissions.utk.edu/undergraduate/bridge/.

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CONTACT:

Amy Blakely, (865-974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu)

Since 2006, UT summer school enrollment has been fairly steady at about 5,700 undergraduates. The goal is to increase this number by 20 percent this summer.

Two groups of students are being targeted: incoming, first-year students who want a “jump start” on their studies and upperclassmen who need critical courses to stay on track toward graduation.

Expanding the summer school program is important because incoming freshmen often need summer courses to prepare for the rigors of college life, and upperclassmen can use the summer to complete lower-level courses necessary to stay on track to graduate on time.

“Typically, many summer school students are upperclassmen — seniors, in particular –taking 100- and 200-level courses needed to graduate,” said Sally McMillan, vice provost for academic affairs. “Our goal is to encourage students to take lower-division courses during their first or second summer at UT so they won’t need them as upperclassmen and can participate in study abroad and internship opportunities instead.”

Summer school recruitment efforts are now in high gear. Faculty members are asked to talk to their students and encourage those who need the credits to graduate on time to sign up.

Because financial concerns have been a hindrance for some students considering summer school, UT is offering scholarships equivalent to 15 percent of the tuition for in-state and out-of-state students who take 100- or 200-level courses. In addition, students currently receiving the Pledge, Promise, or Achieve the Dream scholarships will receive an additional 10 percent scholarship — for a total of 25 percent of the cost of tuition — also for lower-division courses.

Registration for UT’s continuing students runs through June 1. The deadline for incoming freshmen to confirm summer school attendance is May 15. For more information, visit http://www.utk.edu/summer/incoming/register/.