Sociology student Erica Davis brought the national campaign Take Back the Tap to campus in spring 2014. The campaign’s goal is to eliminate the use of bottled water by positioning refill stations in convenient locations and by providing reusable bottles to students and other members of the university community. She initiated a petition to raise … Continued

UT purchased the Taliwa Court Apartments in South Knoxville for housing for faculty members and married students in 1957. The 80-unit complex of 14 buildings cost $529,760. Mrs. George C. Taylor, widow of former federal judge George C. Taylor (1908) and mother of UT trustee Jerome Taylor, gave one-sixth of the holding as a gift … Continued

In 1926 the All Students’ Club initiated a “Talk Tennessee” activity. The idea was to get students to serve as ambassadors during the winter holidays to attract prospective students from their home areas to attend the university. Students were also encouraged to write and talk to their friends about attending UT.

The Talloires Declaration is a declaration that institutions of higher education will be leaders in developing, supporting, and maintaining sustainability. The document was developed in 1990 at a conference of 22 universities called by the president of Tufts University and held in Talloires, France. Chancellor Crabtree signed the declaration on September 11, 2007, committing UT … Continued

The ribbon cutting for the building that housed the Textiles and Nonwovens Development Center at UT was held on October 19, 1990, but the partnership between UT and EXXON Chemical Company began in 1983 with a $441,000 grant from EXXON Chemical Company to Dr. Larry Wadsworth for equipment and funds to finance ultrafine fiber and … Continued

Dr. Tanner joined the faculty of the university’s Department of Zoology in 1947. He founded the graduate program in ecology in 1969, and from 1970 to 1974, he served as its director. He retired in 1979. He was a nationally known ornithologist and mathematical ecologist. Dover Publications republished his dissertation on The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker in … Continued

Called “Doug’s Rug,” for Doug Dickey, then UT’s football coach (later, athletics director), an artificial surface made by the 3-M corporation (All Pro Turf) was installed on the football field in the summer of 1968. The estimated $200,000 project required stripping the field’s sod and topsoil, then constructing a two-and-one-half-inch asphalt shell upon which the … Continued

Chancellor Dykes appointed a Task Force on Blacks in January 1973, with the charge to assess the present status of blacks at UT and make recommendations to improve the quality of life for black persons in the university community. The task force was chaired by Hardy Liston Jr., associate vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Governor Phil Bredesen appointed a Task Force on Institutional Governance following the resignation of Dr. John Shumaker as president of the university in August 2003. The group included four members of the board of trustees and two citizens with business experience. Rhyette Hurd, Steve Ennis, John Pontius, and James Murphy were the trustee members of … Continued

At the request of Chancellor Reese, President Edward J. Boling appointed a 16-member Task Force on Institutional Performance on January 7, 1983. The task force released its 14-recommendation report on March 31, 1983. The key recommendations were that a provost replace the vice chancellors of academic affairs and the vice chancellor for graduate studies and … Continued