At the dedication ceremony for Ferris Hall in October 1936, bronze busts of Perkins and of Charles Ferris were presented. The busts were sculpted by Gilbert Switzer, son of engineering professor J. A. Switzer. Gilbert Switzer did preliminary work at UT and then studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
The Pershing Rifles was founded at the University of Nebraska in the fall of 1892 as a crack drill unit at the insistence of Nebraska’s military commandant, John J. Pershing. The organization was named for Pershing in 1895, following completion of his tour of duty at the university. Pershing Rifles gained a national reputation, and … Continued
The North Carrick Residents’ Association and the United Residence Halls Council sponsored a memorial service honoring the 12 servicemen from Tennessee who were killed during the Persian Gulf War on March 3, 1992. Major General Carl D. Wallace, retired adjutant general of the Tennessee National Guard, who was then serving as chancellor of Cumberland University … Continued
In fall 2007 regular full- and part-time employees first received personal benefits statements via campus mail. The statement provided an overview of annual compensation including any deferred compensation, educational assistance, longevity pay, insurance plans and retirement, as well as the amount UT contributed to the benefit programs.
Dr. John Petersen (1947-2025), executive vice president and provost at the University of Connecticut, was named UT president April 21, 2004, by the board of trustees. His salary was set at $380,000, with $20,000 per year for UT-related entertainment and a $50,000-a-year retention bonus if he stayed a minimum of five years. The contract ran … Continued
The Faculty Senate approved a resolution expressing a “lack of confidence” in President Petersen’s handling of the university’s information technology management in a resolution passed on October 22, 2007. Senators cited Petersen’s failure to respond to faculty complaints—expressed both formally through the Faculty Senate and informally through personal contacts. The senate had passed a resolution … Continued
UT President John Petersen released a mission statement for UT on August 6, 2007, which UT Knoxville Chancellor Loren Crabtree said would “diminish all [campuses] to mediocrity.” Petersen said that effective August 6 the mission of the institution was to “provide the people in Tennessee with access to quality higher education, economic development, and enhanced … Continued
When Buzz Peterson’s contract as head coach of the men’s basketball team was bought out in March 2005, following two losing years during his four-year tenure at UT, the Athletics Department borrowed $1.39 million from UT in order to balance its budget for the fiscal year. The arrangement was that beginning in July 2005 the … Continued
NASA Astronaut Donald H. Peterson (colonel, USAF, ret.) attended the UT Space Institute in 1969–70. He received the BS from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1955 and the MS from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1962. He was a graduate student after becoming an astronaut candidate in 1969. He served … Continued
Developed as a snack food for the 1982 World’s Fair, whose theme was “Energy Turns the World,” the Petro consisted of chili and sour cream poured into a bag of corn chips. First sold at Neyland Stadium for home games in 2001, Petro’s Chili and Chips became the first outside vendor ever allowed to sell … Continued