Highlights from a Year on Rocky Top
As 2023 comes to an end, Volunteers have a lot to celebrate. This year we have shared big wins and meaningful moments. We have set bold ambitions and achieved hard-fought milestones. Together we have seen our students thrive, our faculty and staff recognized, and our research celebrated.
For the first time, our first- to second-year retention rate surpassed 91 percent retention. This achievement is a testament to the hard work of our students. It’s also a reflection of the investments we’ve made and the dedication of thousands of people whose work directly or indirectly supports student success.
Our growth—driven by both improved retention and more interest than ever from prospective students who want to be Vols—has allowed us to keep investing in our campus. We are constructing new research and academic buildings, planning the construction of additional academic spaces, preparing to break ground on new residence halls, updating student spaces, and improving athletics facilities.
This has been a banner year for research, with a record $428 million in new sponsored project awards. This total includes an $18 million National Science Foundation award for a new Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing. UT is also the lead on an NSF Regional Innovation Engines award to help shape the future of mobility and a core partner in two other Regional Innovation Engines awards.
To help meet the needs of our students and our state, we launched three new colleges this year—the College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies, the College of Music, and the Baker College of Public Policy and Public Affairs.
We have celebrated individual achievements, including the election of two faculty members to the national academies and one to the Royal Society. Our students have received prestigious recognitions, including 13 Fulbright Scholarships, 13 Gilman Scholarships, two Schwarzman Scholarships, and a Goldwater Scholarship. Eight graduate students received NSF Graduate ResearchFellowships.
Our student-athletes had the best semester on record, with a cumulative 3.38 GPA across all sports, while notching our highest finish ever in the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup at No. 6.
The future is bright at UT. As we move into the new year, I look forward to all the successes and triumphs to come. While there is still work ahead, I am grateful for all that we have built together and for the opportunity to work alongside a campus full of dedicated Volunteers.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
