Members of the UT Martin Chancellor’s Roundtable, Ned Ray McWherter Institute Board of Directors, alumni council leadership, faculty and staff dedicated the UT Martin Solar Garden sculpture on April 21. Ten students in the departments of engineering and visual and theater arts collaborated in designing the sculpture, which was funded by university donor Bill Blankenship. It is located between the Boling University Center and the Paul Meek Library.
Featured photo: (left to right) Keith Carver, UT Martin chancellor; Brice White and Joseph Sipes, student contributors; Bill Blankenship, project donor; Ethan Appleby, student contributor; Sarah Haig, assistant professor of graphic design; and Bob Smith, UT Martin chancellor emeritus pose during the dedication ceremony on April 21, 2017.
VETS Campus Designated
Tennessee Higher Education Commission officials named UT Martin a Tennessee Veterans Education Transition Support Campus on May 26. UT Martin is now one of 20 Tennessee institutions to hold this designation, which is given to institutions that allocate resources to assist veterans with the transition from military service to college enrollment.
Spring Commencement
Flora Tydings urged graduates to have fortitude, gratitude and the right attitude when approaching the next stages of their lives. Tydings, chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents, served as keynote speaker during UT Martin’s spring 2017 commencement exercises May 6 in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. Keith Carver presided over his first commencement as university chancellor, and Katie High, then-UT vice president for academic affairs and student success for the UT System, representing UT President Joe DiPietro, conferred degrees.