In April 2004 the advisory board of the Department of Consumer Sciences Management challenged students to develop new UT products. The UT Tartan idea was implemented by retail students in the Advanced Product Development course. A wide range of options for the tartan was developed, and a committee chaired by Pat Johnson, wife of former UT President Joe Johnson, selected four top potential official tartans. The contenders were placed on the departmental web site for voting. More than 7,200 votes were cast, and the official UT Tartan began to be used for products in fall 2004.