Welcome Back Vols
As we begin a new academic year, I am excited to see Volunteers back on campus. This fall, we are welcoming 6,700 first-year students and more than 1,400 transfer students. More students than ever want to be Volunteers, and we are proud to welcome more in-state students than ever before. Vols are arriving on campus from 93 of Tennessee’s 95 counties, 48 states, and 38 countries.
I’m also proud of our record 91 percent retention rate—meaning more of last year’s first-year students returned for their second fall than ever before. I’m grateful to all the faculty and staff who have worked hard to support our students and ensure that they have what they need to be their best selves.
As we settle into a new year, I shared a message with our students, encouraging them to get involved, remain focused on their goals, and be kind and respectful to one another. I hope you’ll take a few moments to watch it here.
TRANSCRIPT
Welcome back to Rocky Top, Vols!
I hope you had a great summer doing things you enjoy with people you care about.
This time of year, I am always looking forward to the energy that returns to campus when the students come back and today is no different!
Whether this is your first semester on Rocky Top or your last, I hope you are also excited to be here. Let’s embrace this new year with joy and an openness to new experiences, new friendships and new opportunities to be our best selves.
With that in mind, I have three things I hope you’ll do as you prepare for the fresh start that comes with a new academic year.
Number one: Get involved!
Step up in the classroom, in your residence hall, in student activity groups and rec leagues.
Maybe you are interested in serving others during VOLbreaks or volunteering through the Jones Center for Leadership and Service.
There is a place for everyone here. So raise your hand, find your people, and get plugged in.
Number two: Stay focused!
A new year is an opportunity to reset. Take stock of what is important to you, set your goals, and leverage your strengths to achieve success.
You have people across this campus rooting for you and ready to help, so make this the best year yet.
Finally: Be respectful!
This semester comes at a time of uncertainty in our country and around the world.
As each of us considers the issues that are important to us, know that you will encounter others who may not share your experiences or your perspectives.
Respectful debate, where everyone comes to the table in good faith and trusts the motives of others, is a critical tenant of both our country and our university.
I am asking you to treat one another with kindness and respect.
Ask hard questions and wrestle with big ideas, and at the end of the day, remember that we are all Volunteers.
I am grateful to each of you, and I am so excited about what this semester has in store.
I can’t wait to see you on campus.
Go Vols!