Painted in neon orange spray paint on one of the campus’ most recognizable landmarks, the message was hard to miss. Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek, women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt and men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl painted The Rock on Sunday to welcome the freshman class.

Joining the chancellor and coaches were several members of the campus administration and UT Spirit Squad. Despite the heat, the group worked to paint the message for students to see as they made their way to Welcome Week events on Sunday.

“The Rock is one of UT’s most beloved traditions, so what better way to publicly welcome our new students?” said Cheek. “It’s a great opportunity to introduce them to a campus tradition and show the students how happy we are to have them here. This is an excellent class – our most academically accomplished ever – and we’re excited to see what they’ll achieve as UT students.”

UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek and Student Government Association President Laura Nishida thanked everyone for coming and invited them to paint the Rock, enjoy their time on campus and get involved in some of the intercultural and international offerings available through the Ready for the World initiative. Cheek then kicked things off with a Heisman Trophy endorsement for UT Vol Eric Berry.

The 98.5-ton hunk of Knox dolomite — a beloved landmark and venue for student self-expression on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus for decades — was moved over the summer to make way for the construction of a new 109,242-square-foot Student Health Center, set to begin this fall.

The celebration included a live remote broadcast by WUTK 90.3 “The Rock” radio station, and paint and brushes for leaving personal messages on the Rock.

Also in attendance were some of the UT Facilities Services employees who took part in moving the Rock, safety extracting it from its old position, transporting it across the street and installing it in its new home.

Sponsors of the celebration included WUTK “The Rock”; UT Federal Credit Union; Aramark; UT Alumni Affairs; Ready for the World, the university’s international and intercultural awareness initiative; and UT Facilities Services. Alumni Affairs was on hand to promote Unite, UT’s newest student alumni organization, which connects undergraduate students with Tennessee traditions, UT alumni, volunteer projects and campus and community leadership opportunities.

See a video of the Rock being moved at http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=119BEA34209B0794.

Share photos and stories about the Rock at http://www.utk.edu/therock/.

The 98.5-ton hunk of Knox dolomite — a beloved landmark and venue for student self-expression on the UT Knoxville campus for decades — was moved over the summer to make way for the construction of a new 109,242-square-foot Student Health Center, set to begin this fall. The Rock now sits near the intersection of Volunteer Boulevard and Pat Head Summitt Street, near the Music Building.

A celebration of the Rock in its new site is planned for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18. The celebration will include a live remote broadcast by WUTK 90.3 “The Rock” radio station and the opportunity to leave your mark on the Rock. Paint will be provided. Free food samples from campus dining vendors and giveaways will be available while supplies last. Smokey will be on hand for pictures, and Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek and Student Government Association President Laura Nishida will address the crowd at noon. In the event of rain, the event will be canceled.

Sponsors of the celebration include WUTK “The Rock”; UT Federal Credit Union; Aramark; UT Alumni Affairs; Ready for the World, the university’s international and intercultural awareness initiative; and UT Facilities Services. Alumni Affairs will be on hand to promote Unite, UT’s newest student alumni organization, which connects undergraduate students with Tennessee traditions, UT alumni, volunteer projects and campus and community leadership opportunities.

The Rock was moved on July 15, and dozens of UT students, faculty, staff and alumni turned out to watch the historic event.

The task took more than 12 hours.

After workers dug out around the Rock, exposing the large section underground, a two-ton crane was brought in to hoist the behemoth out of the hole and load it onto a flatbed truck.

The work proved trickier than anticipated.

Steel cables had to be brought in to lift the Rock. And three different flatbed trucks were summoned to the scene before one large enough to haul the Rock was found. Then, the truck bearing the oversized load had to back down Pat Summitt Street while straddling a trench — quickly filled with asphalt — that had been dug down the middle of the road for utility work.

The Rock safely arrived at its new home, but a vicious thunderstorm erupted just as workers were hoisting it up by the crane to place it in a prepared hole.

Finally, a little after 9 p.m., the Rock was in place and, early the next morning, final shoring up was completed.

Campus administrators said they tried to avoid the move, “but we finally concluded that moving the Rock was our only choice,” Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Jeff Maples said.

Students leaders were consulted and helped choose the new location.

“The Rock’s new site is an equally high-profile area,” Maples said. “In fact, the new location will enhance our plan to extend the pedestrian walkway, add green space and develop a gathering place for students in an ‘arts quad’ concept.”

See a video of the Rock being moved at http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=119BEA34209B0794.

Share photos and stories about the Rock at http://www.utk.edu/therock/.

On Wednesday, the Rock was moved about 275 feet diagonally across the street, from its old location south of Volunteer Boulevard, near the intersection of Pat Head Summitt Street, to its new location, north of Volunteer Boulevard, near the intersection of Pat Head Summitt Street, near the Music Building. The move was necessary because construction of the new 109,242-square-foot Student Health Center, set to begin this fall and take 18 months, would have left little space for the Rock, which students and others often paint multiple times per day.

Preparations to move the Rock were made during the past couple of weeks. Then, on Wednesday, workers used a massive crane to hoist the 97.5-ton hunk of Knox dolomite out the ground so it could be transported it to its new location. The move — which included a harrowing ride via a flatbed truck backing down Pat Head Summitt Street and straddling an asphalt-filled trench in the middle of the road — took all day.

In fact, as workers removed the Rock, they determined that the largest available truck in Knox County was simply not large enough to hold it, and a specialized heavy-hauling flatbed was brought in from LaFollette, Tenn. The Rock was finally settled into a freshly-dug pit in its new location at about 9 p.m., in the midst of a strong thunderstorm.

Dozens of students, faculty, staff, alumni and others watched throughout the day, applauding as the gigantic Rock was successfully uprooted and lifted by the crane.

Hundreds who couldn’t make it to the scene got frequent updates via UT Knoxville’s official Twitter feed, http://www.twitter.com/UTKnoxville, as well as updates and photos via the campus’ Facebook page.

When campus administrators determined that moving the Rock was the only option, student leaders were consulted and helped choose a place to relocate the Rock.

Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Jeff Maples said he thought the Rock’s new home is a good choice.

“The new location will enhance our plan to extend the pedestrian walkway, add green space and develop a gathering place for students in an ‘arts quad’ concept,” he said.

Betsey Creekmore, associate vice chancellor for space and facilities, said the Rock was discovered in 1966 during a campus expansion in the area now known as Fiji Island. UT administrators and construction officials decided to preserve the rock rather than destroying it. The huge boulder was pushed by bulldozer to the place where it sat until yesterday.

Creekmore said she enlisted the help of Bill Dunne, professor of earth and planetary science and associate dean of the College of Engineering, who took a small sample of the Rock for analysis in December 2007.

Dunne’s analysis determined the Rock is Knox dolomite — a common type of local rock that is 500 million years old. Further, his analysis confirmed the move because it indicated the Rock had been upended; its sediment layers were running vertically rather than horizontally.

“I think we’re all excited that the Rock’s move was a success — that the Rock survived intact and that it looks so ‘at home’ in its new location. The Rock has been — and will continue to be — a great UT tradition,” Maples said.

A celebration of the Rock is being planned for Aug. 18, during Welcome Week. More details will be announced as plans are finalized.

Share your photos and stories about the Rock at http://www.utk.edu/therock/.

“For generations, the Rock has been an unofficial message board for our campus,” Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek said. “Over the years, tens of thousands of students and others have painted it with their messages — from proposals to birthday wishes, from rallying cries to protest notes. It’s a UT Knoxville icon. Knowing that, we’ve worked hard to come up with a plan that allows us to preserve tradition as we expand our campus facilities.”

Interim Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Jeff Maples said plans for the site have changed over time and the decision to put an expanded, 109,242-square-foot Student Health Center there won’t leave adequate space for the Rock. This move will be the landmark’s second confirmed move in campus history.

“We looked at several options, but finally concluded that moving the Rock was our only choice. We’ve chosen a new location that is an equally high-profile area,” Maples said. “The new location will enhance our plan to extend the pedestrian walkway, add green space and develop a gathering place for students in an ‘arts quad’ concept.”

Maples and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Tim Rogers said student leaders were consulted about the plan.

Student Government Association President Laura Nishida said she is OK with the move because of the efforts to keep the Rock as close as possible to its current location.

“Like many other students, I’ve painted the Rock and I love the Rock,” she said. “I’m glad the administration realizes how important the Rock is to us and has come up with a plan that will allow us to keep the Rock and continue our tradition.”

“I hope students are supportive, come out to watch the move and turn the whole thing into a celebration of the Rock.”

2008-09 SGA President Jeff Wilcox toured the area with administrators last semester to find the best place to relocate the Rock.

“SGA has for years worked to keep the Rock where it is,” he said. “But with the construction of the new health center, we realized there was no option but to move it. Still, we wanted to find a place where people could have the same Rock experience.

“I think we succeeded. The new location has plenty of visibility for campus and game day traffic. It’s a change, yes, but yet it allows one of our greatest traditions to continue.”

Betsey Creekmore, associate vice chancellor for space and facilities, said the Rock was moved to its current location soon after it was discovered in 1966 on land approximately where the old Calvary Baptist Church stood — the area now known as Fiji Island.

A campus expansion was under way and “the A.B. Long Company was grading the area for the streets, roads and buildings that were planned. Workers discovered what had seemed to be a relatively small boulder was in fact a very large rock,” Creekmore said.

UT administrators Ed Boling and Joe Johnson took Long’s suggestion of keeping the Rock rather than destroying it. A bulldozer was used to push the Rock to its current location.

Creekmore said she enlisted the help of Bill Dunne, professor of earth and planetary science and associate dean of the College of Engineering, to take a small sample of the Rock for analysis in December 2007.

Dunne’s analysis determined the Rock is Knox dolomite — a common type of local rock that is 500 million years old. Further, his analysis confirmed the move and indicated the Rock was turned when it was relocated because it’s sitting with its sediment layers running vertically rather than horizontally.

During the next few weeks, workers will be examining the Rock to determine the best way to move it. They’ll also be preparing a foundation for the Rock at the new site.

Maples said he hopes the actual move will take place during July.

“We need to move it during the summer while traffic is light on campus. However, we plan to announce the day and time so the campus community can watch,” he said.

In the event the Rock can’t be moved without being destroyed — or if the Rock, which is known to have a fissure, is damaged during transport — a new Rock will be erected, Maples said.

“While we hope the Rock can be moved without incident, we want to be ready if something unexpected does occur. We’ve made arrangements to get a ‘replacement rock’ if necessary. We will preserve this campus tradition.”

A celebration of the Rock is being planned for Aug. 18, during Welcome Week. More details will be announced as plans are finalized.

Share your photos and stories about the Rock at http://www.utk.edu/therock/.