The VolCorps, a group of student leaders, was founded through the Student Government Association in 1964 to serve as guides for visitors on campus and strengthen relations with the general public. Two juniors initially led the VolCorps: David V. White (who, after graduation, would join with Chris Whittle to found the business which became Whittle Communications) and Pat Handley. In 1997 the organization became the Ambassadors, and the name was officially changed in 1999.
The University of Tennessee Ambassador Scholars Program was established in 2003 and provided a $500 scholarship for each semester a student was active in the program, as well as an hourly wage through the College Work Study Program. The conversion of the program to a work-study program was controversial with members of the Ambassadors in 2003 since most of the existing members did not qualify for the work-study program. In fact, when the program finished its first selection process in April, only 16 of the 23 selected candidates qualified for participation, 9 of whom had previously been ambassadors.
The UT Ambassador Scholars are the student liaisons for prospective students and their families who visit the UT campus. They lead daily campus tours and give the student perspective on life at UT. They are representatives and hosts of the university in many other ways as well, including working in on-campus recruiting events throughout the year. Two other groups of students were formed to assist in recruiting: Orange Pride, which concentrated on athletes being recruited, and Me4UT, which concentrated on minority recruitment. In spring 2010 the three groups were combined into a single student recruiting organization.