For more than eighty years, the Sears Tower has dominated the skyline in Memphis but has been empty for nearly two decades. Now, Christopher Miner (’95) is hoping to breathe new life into the building by transforming it into an urban village to serve as a gathering place for Memphis artists.

As football season begins, one of UT’s other game day traditions—the College of Arts and Sciences’ Pregame Showcase—kicks off another year. Twenty-one years after the showcase was created, it is still introducing football fans to some of UT’s most exceptional faculty members.

Marion Oates’ love for nature began at the age of 10, when she was inspired by an aunt to start a leaf collection. As a donor, she is passing her conservation ethic to a new generation.

The days of The Graduate and its restless ennui are history—the newest crop of UT Knoxville alums must immediately set to work helping America address its “unfinished matters,” including global warming and a financial crisis.

Entertainment legend, philanthropist and East Tennessee native Dolly Parton received an honorary doctorate from UT during the College of Arts and Sciences commencement ceremony.