Educate, Discover, Connect

Dave Ramsey and Joe DiPietro

Featured Photo: Dave Ramsey (Knoxville ’82), at left with UT President Joe DiPietro, was the keynote speaker at UT Day on the Hill, an annual event in Nashville to raise awareness of the university’s impact among the state’s elected leaders. This year’s theme was “Securing Tennessee’s Future,” and Ramsey echoed DiPietro’s initiative to change the university’s business model to become more sustainable.

In 2014, UT produced 11,150 new graduates with degrees ranging from bachelor’s and master’s to doctoral and professional.

When talking about the impact of the University of Tennessee, I often use the phrase “educate, discover and connect.” This refers to the three parts of our land-grant mission to provide education, research and outreach to the people of Tennessee and beyond. There are hundreds of examples of UT faculty, staff and students fulfilling that mission every day. This issue of the Tennessee Alumnus features one of those examples.

The UT System includes the state’s only pulic University the Carnegie Classification rates as having “very high research activity”.

Our nursing programs at the Health Science Center, Martin, Knoxville and Chattanooga demonstrate this mission through high-quality education and training, research that is improving the profession, patient outcomes and clinical outreach that is serving our communities and improving lives of Tennesseans.

UT, with a presence in all 95 counties across Tennessee, had more than 6 million outreach contacts in 2014.

Some might wonder why we have a nursing program at each campus. I think it is important for students from all areas of our state to have access to excellent programs that will lead to higher-paying jobs and address a growing demand for nurses due to our aging population and increasing numbers of insured Americans. Also, research has shown that patients have better outcomes when treated by more highly trained health care staff.

This issue of the magazine includes a wide range of articles about great things happening at all of our campuses and institutes and the interesting and successful lives of our alumni. I am proud of the University of Tennessee and its people. I hope, as alumni, you will continue to be involved and support UT.

All the best,

Joe DiPietro

Dr. Joe DiPietro has served as UT president since January 2011.