Our Mission and Presence Across Tennessee
I have spent the past few months traveling throughout our state, sharing the great work that you are doing and hearing about the needs of our communities. When people picture UT Knoxville, they picture our campus here on Rocky Top. But as the state’s flagship land-grant university, we have a mission and presence that extend across Tennessee.
Our footprint includes Tullahoma, where our colleagues at the UT Space Institute are doing world-class research in hypersonics. It includes Nashville, where our College of Social Work offers its master’s program. It includes every county across the state, where our UT Extension faculty and staff are bringing real-life solutions from the university to people in communities.
This university means a lot to the people of our state. Everywhere I go, Tennesseans tell me how proud they are to be Volunteers. I hope you feel that same pride in your work and the impact it makes.
Transcript
I’m here today from Hardeman County in Tennessee. I celebrated, with so many other people in this community, the topping off of a new 4-H facility right here in this most beautiful setting of Lone Oak Farm. It’s a hidden gem that I wish so many more people in our state knew about.
It’s a great example of the statewide reach of the University of Tennessee. Our land grant mission is alive and well, and today is just such a perfect example of that. So grateful for the work of UTIA and UT Extension. So many things happening every day.
Just last week, I was in Huntsville, Alabama, celebrating the opening of a new UT Research Center office 60 miles south of the UT Space Institute. We’re celebrating the great work happening at Space Institute and extending that research work into the community in Huntsville. Had a great time meeting with alums that night, business leaders at lunch.
Just another example of the reach of the university so much farther sometimes than I think we often recognize.
It’s been a great year, a great month I spent most of this year traveling from Kingsport, to Memphis, reminding people of the importance of this great university, listening to people, and everywhere I go people always talk about what it means to be a Volunteer.
They talk about how precious their time was at the university, if they’re alums, and they also talk about their hopes for the university and for this state.
It’s a great time to be a Volunteer and I’m proud of all the great work we’re doing.