Dear Skyhawk Nation:
As I approach completing the first full calendar year as your chancellor, I have witnessed more ways that UT Martin offers a first-class educational experience. You will be impressed reading about many alumni and student accomplishments in this edition of Campus Scene. Incredible people are doing incredible things at UTM to solve incredible societal problems!
I was inspired during the first UT Martin investiture ceremony held March 15, in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. Students, alumni, faculty, staff, professional colleagues, community members, family and friends gathered to hear my vision for the university’s future. We are starting the process to develop our new campus strategic plan for 2025-2030. The future for UTM is bright, and I am excited to lead the campus into the next decade. It will take the entire Skyhawk community to engage in delivering the experience that represents our caring and student-centered campus.
UT President Randy Boyd has suggested this will be the greatest decade in the University of Tennessee’s history. With students at the forefront, UT Martin is prepared to contribute to this historic time in specific and bold ways:
Reach an enrollment of 10,000 students by making investments and recruiting new students through bold marketing emphasizing the value of a UTM experience and implementing proven strategies to ensure student success,
Increase the number of international students to 5% of the student population,
Continue to focus on affordability and access for families who might otherwise believe that a UT education is somehow out of reach,
Increase graduate enrollment by investing in the most desired disciplines “to fill jobs that have not even been created yet,” and
Focus on capital projects and working to ensure state-of-the-art facilities with cutting-edge technology.
UTM cares about our students, our employees, this community and our state. The University of Tennessee will not have the greatest decade in UT history without a strong contribution from the University of Tennessee at Martin. The theme for the investiture was “Ready, Set, Soar!” Skyhawks soar in the classroom, within student organizations and in their chosen field of work. Let’s soar together! I hope you enjoy this publication, and our celebration of the contributions from people connected to the UTM community.
All the best,
Dr. Yancy E. Freeman, Sr.
