About
We are the Volunteers.
Information
Founded in 1794, UT is big on tradition, and we are proud of our humble beginnings as the first public university chartered west of the Appalachian Divide.
We serve the state by educating its citizens, enhancing its culture, and making a difference in people's lives through research and service.
By attracting the best and brightest students and leading faculty, we are on track to join our peers in the nation’s Top 25 public research institutions. An aggressive roadmap guides our journey.
We are improving undergraduate and graduate education, research, support for faculty and staff, our campus infrastructure, and our resources.
UT Knoxville is:
- Tennessee's flagship land grant university
- A public research institution
- Part of the UT System, along with UT Chattanooga, UT Martin, the UT Institute of Agriculture, the UT Health Science Center, and the UT Space Institute
- Classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a Research University (very high research activity)
- A Carnegie Engaged University
- Governed by a board of trustees with twenty-six members
Accreditation
Since 1897, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been continuously accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees. For questions, contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500.
Mission and Vision
Our campus has adopted a primary mission, a three-part vision, and a set of values that defines our Volunteer Spirit.
Administration
Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek
The chancellor manages the Knoxville campus.
Learn more about the chancellor
Interim Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor John Zomchick
The provost oversees campus academic activities.
FOCUS ON
Civility and Community
One campus. One community. Celebrate the differences.
UT History
UT History
Becoming UT
1879 - Our institution had three names and multiple locations before it became the University of Tennessee.
UT History
Blount College
1805 - Blount College charged $8 per session for student tuition and $25 for room and board.
UT History
The Hill
1826 - East Tennessee College moved to the Hill. Ayres Hall was dedicated on the Hill in 1921.
UT History
Engineering
1838 - The College of Engineering offered one surveying course. There were more than 850 courses by the college’s 175th anniversary in 2013.
UT History
Civil War
1861 - East Tennessee University campus was damaged. President Grant vetoed a bill providing $18,500 for repairs, but later approved a revised version.
UT History
Morrill Act
1862 - The Morrill Act became law, but the lingering effects of the Civil War delayed East Tennessee University’s designation as the state’s federal land grant institution for seven years.
UT History
Marching Band
1869 - Perhaps the first year of our marching band’s existence. Around 1950 it became known as the Pride of the Southland Band.
UT History
Women at UT
1892 - Women were first admitted to UT, nine years before the first women’s dorm opened.
UT History
Mugwump
1920s and early 1930s - Students published a humor magazine called the Mugwump. It’s archived online in the University Libraries’ collections.
UT History
World War II
1942–1945 - UT hosted several military training programs during the war.
UT History
Smokey
1953 - UT adopted Smokey, a bluetick coonhound, as our official mascot, six decades ahead of the breed’s recognition by the American Kennel Club.
UT History
First Black Undergraduates
1961 - Theotis Robinson Jr. and Charles Blair were among UT’s first admitted black undergraduates. Robinson eventually became vice president of equity and diversity for the UT System.
UT History
Torchbearer
1968 - The Torchbearer statue was unveiled in Circle Park.
UT History
Vietnam War Protests
1970 - Vietnam War protestors demonstrated during President Richard Nixon’s visit to the Billy Graham Crusade in Neyland Stadium. Arrests resulted in some exonerations and some jail time.
UT History
Torchbearer Damage
1990 - A gas explosion damaged the Torchbearer statue, which was soon repaired and put back in place.
UT History
Min H. Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building Opened
2012 - The $37.5 million building opened, named for alumnus and Garmin International Inc. founder Min H. Kao.
UT History
First Sorority Houses Opened
2012 - Sorority Village became home to its first residents. In the early 1900s, the administration would not allow sorority houses due to the possibility of “expensive social activities.”
UT History
Student Union Opened
2015 - Phase one of the 142,000-square-foot Student Union was completed.