UT Martin is a primary campus in the University of Tennessee System and is known for providing high-quality undergraduate and graduate educational programs. From the founding in 1900 of Hall-Moody Institute, through the establishment in 1927 of UT Junior College, to today’s status as a comprehensive public university, UT Martin remains committed to preparing students for success in the global economy.

UT Martin set an all-time enrollment record of 7,173 students in fall 2007. The university offers more than 100 different program areas involving undergraduate and graduate levels of study. Academic majors are offered within natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, fine and performing arts, computer science, nursing, agriculture, teacher education, business administration and engineering. The Online Bachelor of University Studies (B.U.S.) Degree, offered through UT Online, is available for working adults.

At the graduate level, master’s degrees are offered in business administration; counseling and teacher education; family and consumer sciences; and agriculture and natural resources systems management. Master's degrees in education (with a major in educational administration and supervision) and agriculture and natural resources systems management are available online. UT Martin places great importance on achieving accreditation for all eligible academic programs from their appropriate governing bodies.

Extended-campus teaching sites in Jackson, Parsons, Ripley, Selmer and course offerings in 30 Tennessee high schools bring UT Martin academic programs to people across West Tennessee. International Programs, with one of the region’s best intensive English programs, attracts students from 24 countries.

UT Martin is setting the standard for leadership development and education. The university's WestStar Leadership Program, with almost 500 alumni, offers seminars to business, education and government leaders from the 21-county West Tennessee area. The campus is a national partner for the American Democracy Project for the development of civic and political engagement among students.

Recognized for being the safest campus in Tennessee among four-year public institutions, the 250-acre main campus provides a “total collegiate experience” in a traditional university setting. Campus facilities include 46 academic and support buildings. University Village, a new 400-bed apartment complex located on campus, opened fall semester 2005. The second phase of University Village housing is now under construction and is expected to open in fall 2008. Also approved for construction are a new Student Recreation Center and a major expansion of the Fine Arts Building. Six hundred eighty acres of agricultural land next to the campus serve as a research and demonstration operation.

Other campus facilities are designed to benefit current and future generations of students. The Paul Meek Library was renovated and expanded in 1995 as an attractive 120,000-square-foot structure featuring an all-night study area, a student computer lab and 12 group-study rooms. The library collection contains a half-million volumes, 33,000 electronic books, 5,000 videotapes, 1,000 DVDs, 1,100 print periodical subscriptions, and access to nearly 100 electronic databases indexing more than 10,000 full-text journals. The library’s media department also offers a picture-scanning service, a free fax service, wireless laptop computers for student use and two multimedia production stations.

UT Martin's investment in its faculty and instructional technology is helping to ensure that the university's graduates are prepared to meet the challenges in an international economy. The state-of-the-art Instructional Technology Center, located in the library, is bringing computer teaching technology to all university classrooms. A campus wireless network is available in academic buildings, the library, the university center and the administration building.

Outside the classroom, UT Martin students have many opportunities for involvement in the university community. More than 100 organizations are available for students to join including academic clubs, honor societies, service groups, student government, fraternities and sororities, and special student associations. The Office of Campus Recreation offers many on- and off-campus recreational opportunities, while the university’s Department of Visual and Theatre Arts brings cultural events to Northwest Tennessee.

The university competes in NCAA Division I in both men’s and women’s athletics and is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. Men’s intercollegiate sports include football, basketball, baseball, golf, tennis, cross country, cheerleading, rifle and rodeo. Women’s intercollegiate sports include volleyball, basketball, soccer, tennis, rifle, softball, cross country, equestrian, cheerleading and rodeo. The women’s tennis team and football team earned 2006 regular-season OVC titles.

The UT Martin rodeo team, the only collegiate rodeo team in Tennessee, is a member of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. The men’s rodeo team is the reigning Ozark Region champion and has captured the title 27 out of 33 years.

UT Martin is listed in the top tier for southern master’s institutions in the 2008 edition of America's Best Colleges compiled by U.S.News & World Report. Also, PrincetonReview.com lists UT Martin as one of 146 schools to receive a "Best in the Southeast" designation, and UT Martin is listed among America’s 100 Best College Buys, a listing compiled by Institutional Research & Evaluation, Inc.

Dr. Tom Rakes, who previously served as UT Martin provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, became the university’s ninth chancellor July 1, 2007. More information about UT Martin is available on the Web at www.utm.edu or by calling 731-881-7020 or 1-800-829-UTM1.

Copyright (c) 2005

Tri-County Publishing Company, Inc.