The Normandy Scholars Program, which combined on-campus study in Knoxville and a monthlong trip to Caen, France, accepted its first class of students in 1992. Open to all students with sophomore standing, scholarships were provided to ensure that students would be able to participate. UT had been approached by the Battle of Normandy Foundation, a nonprofit organization, in 1990 as part of its efforts to increase understanding of the history of the World War II era and its aftermath.
In fall 2001 the directors of the program, Dr. John Romeiser and Dr. Karen Levy, of the Modern Foreign Languages Department, resigned following restructuring of the program in line with recommendations made by a committee appointed by Interim Provost Clif Woods after two years of study. The study raised issues about expense, credit received by faculty, and appropriate use of faculty time. Provost Loren Crabtree indicated that some funds allocated by the department (of which Romeiser was head) to the program were specified by donors for other purposes, and that while he wanted the program to continue, the wishes of donors had to be respected. The 2003 trip to France was cancelled.