University of Tennessee at Martin, Martin, TN - Universities and Colleges on Waymarking.com

The University of Tennessee at Martin is a primary campus of the University of Tennessee system. Other campuses include those in Knoxville, Chattanooga, the Center for the Health Sciences in Memphis, and the Space Institute in Tullahoma. UTM is the only public four-year university in West Tennessee outside Memphis.

UT Martin began in 1900 as Hall-Moody Institute in Martin, Tennessee, a Baptist junior college. In 1927 the school was in danger of closing, and area civic and political leaders asked the state of Tennessee to step in and operate the school under the auspices of the University of Tennessee, which it did, renaming the institution the University of Tennessee Junior College. It operated under this name until 1951, when, with the addition of four-year fields of study leading to a bachelor's degree, it was redesignated the University of Tennessee Martin Branch. In 1967 it was designated as a primary campus of the UT system and given its current name. The school grew greatly in the post-World War II era, largely under the influence of the G. I. Bill of Rights, and again in the 1960s. It was noted that the school had almost as many entering freshmen in 1969 as it had overall students in 1961. Currently enrollment is approximately 6,000. It was the first campus in the University of Tennessee system to practice racial desegregation. A large experimental farm is operated, and there are several satellite campuses in West Tennessee (and one in Middle Tennessee).

Given its rural location, much of the focus of the school has been on undergraduate studies in education and agriculture, although many other courses of study are offered, particularly in the liberal arts, and in recent years there has been an increasing emphasis on business and engineering. There is an active ROTC program, and a school of nursing. The school is among the top providers of candidates to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. There is a small graduate school, with most graduate degrees being conferred in education.

Colleges & Departments
College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
College of Business and Public Affairs
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
College of Engineering and Natural Sciences
College of Humanities and Fine Arts

The campus is noted for being particularly scenic and well-landscaped. Students who live on campus are within walking distance of all academic buildings, the library, food services, the Boling University Center, and all recreational and sports facilities. Recent years have seen the demolition of old double-occupancy dormitory halls in favor of construction of apartment-style housing.

Athletic teams participate in the Ohio Valley Conference.

The university mascot was changed from "Pacers" to "Skyhawks" in 1995. The reasoning behind the "Skyhawks" moniker was described thus

The first educational institution on the site of UT Martin was Hall-Moody Bible Institute. The school's athletic teams were called "sky pilots", a frontier term for preachers in that day, but perhaps the students were thinking of the glamorous flying aces of World War I.
During World War II, UT Junior College contracted with the Naval War Training Service to help train pilots, who completed their flight training at an airport located on the current site of Westview High School.
Red-tail hawks are indigenous to the West Tennessee region.
Prior to being known as "Pacers" the university's teams were called "Volunteers." The name was changed in 1971, largely due to fact that, on account of the former junior college status of the school, the teams were often referred to as the "Baby Vols."

Name: University of Tennessee at Martin Location/Address: West Main Martin, TN USA 38238 Phone Number: (731) 881-7000 Web Site: [Web Link] Type of School: Undergraduate School (usually four years) School Affiliation: Public -- State/Provincial/etc. Date Founded: 1900 Enrollment: 6,500 Nicknames/Mascots: Skyhawks School Colors: Blue, Orange and White School Motto: Discover UT Martin Location of GPS Coordinates: Adminstration Building

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