They say a moUThful with a single word. I’m talking, of course, aboUT those new billboards, newspaper ads, and that cool TV commercial toUTing the University of Tennessee, using a variety of words with “UT” in them.
In September 2006, the university debUTed the campaign to highlight the role UT plays in the state’s economic development. One word–fUTure–conveys the message that UT is central to Tennessee’s fUTure. The official campaign focuses on things like UT’s partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (neUTrons), its world-renowned forensics program (sleUTh), premier programs like the MARCO Institute (aUThority), and its abundant public-service programs (oUTreach).
Not surprisingly, the “fUTure” campaign has had an entertaining oUTgrowth. People are aflUTter trying to come up with the most unique and oUTrageous UT words.
After the “fUTure” rolloUT, a contest was held so the faculty and staff could try their hand at UT-speak. The results were clever: DeUTsch (for German studies), Pride of the SoUThland (for UT’s marching band), naUTical (for the Vol Navy), oUTtstanding in our field (for animal science and the InstitUTe of Agriculture), cUTting edge (for our research), astronaUTs (for the UT Space InstitUTe), oUTreach (for study abroad), bUTterflies (for UT gardens), and AUThor! AUThor! (for the Clarence Brown Theatre).
And there was one poor guy who wrote, “My fUTile attempts to get my suggestion of the word UTopia to be UTilized, despite submitting it twice, have left me feeling shUT oUT. However my inpUT using this cUTting-edge aUTomation known as the compUTer has strengthened my constitUTion. I still feel the University of Tennessee is a beaUTiful UTopia!”
One might think these astUTe wordsmiths had exhausted the gamUT of UT words. The trUTh is, however, we’ve all got UT on the brain now, and you can hardly UTter a word aboUT campus withoUT using a moUThful of UT-isms.
We no longer talk about the Strip. We talk about that place along Cumberland Avenue where you can shop at a boUTique, order carryoUT, pig oUT on doughnUTs, or get a haircUT.
Neyland Stadium is not simply the home of the Vols. It’s a beaUTiful place to enjoy the great Tennessee oUTdoors on aUTumn days, watching fUTbol while munching on peanUTs.
At the College of Veterinary Medicine, they don’t see just cats and dogs. They see everything from mUTts to malamUTes, orangUTans to nUTrias. And they provide roUTine and acUTe healthcare. (Just don’t say neUTer; it makes the critters freak oUT.)
The Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management is much more than a training ground for chefs. It is indispUTably the perfect place for students who want to oUTcook the competition.
Hodges Library is more than just a place where students go to check oUT aUTobiographies and other books. They also find assistance in oUTlining term papers, get printoUTs of online materials, and seek help with their compUTers–all while sipping hazelnUT lattes from the coffee shop in the lobby.
And T-Recs isn’t just a gym. It’s a place where students and staff who have indulged in a bit too much glUTtony can attempt to cUT pounds and inches with a few minUTes on the treadmill. There’s an exercise roUTine for all, from stoUT yoUTh capable of brUTal workoUTs to klUTzes with chUTzpah who need to proceed with caUTion so they don’t end up on crUTches.
So you see, this UT craze has sparked our imaginations. What started as an evolUTion has become a revolUTion. In short, we’re nUTs about UT!
See the “fUTure” TV spot and learn more about the university’s branding campaign at http://future.tennessee.edu/book/.
