An anonymous gift will support UT Martin’s new Bachelor of Science in Construction Management, an engineering major developed to meet Tennessee workforce needs. The new degree received UT Board of Trustees approval during the board’s annual meeting in June and received final approval July 28 during the Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s summer meeting in Nashville. The program began fall semester 2022.
First Noyce Scholar Graduates
Elizabeth Campbell entered UT Martin in fall 2015 with her sights set on a health-care career. Seven years later, Campbell is the first to complete the university’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, which prepared her for a new goal of becoming a classroom teacher in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. Campbell received her education master’s degree in May and began her K-12 education career this fall as a biology and anatomy teacher at Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro.
UT Martin received a National Science Foundation award in 2021 totaling $1.2 million over five years to recruit 25 individuals who have science, math or engineering degrees to complete master’s degrees and teach STEM subjects.
UTM Program Named Outstanding
UT Martin’s Department of Agriculture, Geosciences and Natural Resources received the Tennessee Association of Agricultural Educators’ award for the Outstanding Postsecondary Agriculture Program at the organization’s annual conference. This is the third time UT Martin has received the award. The award recognizes a post-secondary institution or program in which staff and faculty members devote at least 50 percent of their teaching time to providing exemplary agricultural education training. UT Martin is now eligible for the national award, which will be given at the National Association of Agricultural Educators conference in December in Las Vegas.
Smith Coaches Special Olympics
Clinton Smith, UT Martin associate professor of special education and area director for Upper West Tennessee – Area 7 Special Olympics, accompanied eight Tennessee athletes to the Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando, Florida, in June. This year’s event was one of the largest in history. More than 5,500 Special Olympics athletes and coaches participated, and more than 125,000 spectators attended. The athletes Smith directly coached in track-and-field events earned a total of 20 medals, including four gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze medals.
Nursing Program Reaches 50-Year Mark
More clinical experience is one reason UT Martin nursing graduates excel in the health-care world. The university’s nursing program is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022, and the program’s tradition of experiential learning continues. The program began in 1972 by providing an associate degree in nursing, and in 1992, it fully transitioned into a four-year baccalaureate degree program. UT Martin’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing and includes three years of clinical rotations.
