Three Very Good Signs for UT

By Chancellor Loren W. Crabtree

We often say that good news comes in threes. I was reminded of this recently when thinking of three major initiatives here at the University of Tennessee – two that have made news, and a third that also will impact many lives, but may not yet have drawn as much attention.

The first bit of news is about our upcoming freshman class and the dramatic increase in student quality we are witnessing. The second is the ongoing partnership between UT, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the State of Tennessee that promises to position Knoxville and the state as world leaders in key scientific areas. Third is our plan to initiate an International and Intercultural Awareness Initiative -- an attempt not only to create an educational environment that prepares students to compete for jobs in a global setting, but gives students the skills needed to make a positive impact in the global culture.

Together, all three of these initiatives provide a clear and compelling case that UT is in the midst of a remarkable period of growth and quality enhancement and that there are great things ahead.

You have all seen headlines about the size and the quality of the entering freshman class, but the news for the citizens of Tennessee behind the headlines requires elaboration. Since the launch of the Tennessee Lottery Scholarship, UT Knoxville has seen a significant increase in the number of applications. This year, we received 12,000 to fill a freshman class set at approximately 4,000 students. Due in large part to the increased competition, these admitted students have an average ACT score of 26 and an average high school grade point average of 3.45.

Now for the elaboration: Research tells us that better prepared students, as signaled by their ACT scores, tend to have more academic success in college level classes and are more likely to graduate. We also know that students are more likely to settle where they graduate from college. In past years we lost many potential contributors to our state’s economy when they went away to school and never came back. We are now keeping more and more of the high-scoring ACT students here at UT, with the promise of a top-notch education to prepare them for the future. That will pay dividends for years to come for the state of Tennessee.

Why are these students choosing UT? Surely the scholarship offer is one reason, but the real answer rests deeper. I believe the lottery scholarship offer influences more top-quality students to focus more intently on UT. Once they do, they see a faculty that is among the best in the region and nation, and they decide their best choice is UT.

Besides students, others are noticing the quality of our faculty, and that brings me to the second piece of good news about UT -- our ongoing partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the State of Tennessee.

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded UT-Battelle an overall performance rating of "outstanding" for the company's management of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The rating is the highest awarded by the Department of Energy, and is a sign, in part, of the health of the relationship between the national laboratory and the UT faculty. The UT and Battelle partnership has managed ORNL, the nation’s largest science and energy laboratory, since 2000, and this partnership positions our faculty to be at the very forefront of the scientific agenda of our nation.

State government, recognizing this unique opportunity, has funded buildings for two UT-ORNL joint institutes, and Gov. Phil Bredesen has recommended funding for a third in 2006. The joint institutes, located at ORNL, will serve as gateways to world-class science installations including the Spallation Neutron Source and the National Leadership Computing Facility.

Now, for the third piece of good news. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation team recently visited the UT Knoxville campus. SACS is the regional accrediting body for about 800 colleges and schools in our region. These peer reviewers met with administrators, faculty, staff and students and read documentation to verify that UT is in compliance with everything needed for reaccreditation.

The SACS team offered guidance on a special initiative we've devised to create the kind of environment that will make UT students and graduates top-notch global citizens and top competitors in the global economic environment. UT Knoxville's Quality Enhancement Plan -- a vision for expanding the intercultural and international horizons of undergraduates -- is a five-year plan designed to broaden students' knowledge of, and experience with, other cultures -- both at home and abroad. We will create a setting that not only prepares our students for the challenges of earning a living in the global environment, but also will help them become world citizens of the highest order. This is an ambitious initiative to provide a link between the educational environment at UT and the cultures and customs found both around the world and across town.

Today at UT, we see an increased academic quality in our student body and greatly enhanced research opportunities for our faculty -- all set in a learning environment dedicated to preparing our students not only to live in an increasingly global world, but also to effectively compete and thrive in it. Those are signs of an institution that will do great things, and we’re excited about the course we have set and about the goals we will meet in serving our students, our state and our nation.