Prior to fall 2008, students whose GPAs fell below 2.0 for a semester and remained there after a semester on academic probation were dismissed from UT and had to wait a year before they could be readmitted. In fall 2007 effective for summer 2008, the institution put a limit on student dismissals and changed time … Continued

Master’s and doctoral gowns are worn with academic hoods, and some institutions also use the bachelor’s hood. At UT, only students receiving the Bachelor of Architecture degree wear the bachelor’s hood. Hoods were probably (in medieval times) originally worn for warmth over tonsured heads but are now exclusively decorative and informative. The length and shape … Continued

In 1995, as a result of the work of the Task Force for the First Year Experience, the minicourse Academic Prelude was instituted for three hundred students and subsequently expanded for all incoming freshmen. The program was designed to complement the traditional summer orientation, which introduces students to campus life by providing students opportunities to … Continued

Prompted by budget cuts in 1996 and 1997, the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for Planning and Budgeting—formed in response to a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools recommendation that there be greater participation in university planning—issued a report calling for the establishment of two committees, one that would examine and evaluate all academic programs of the … Continued

The tradition of wearing distinctive academic costumes originated in the medieval universities of Europe, where regulations governing gowns, hoods, and caps were enforced from the fourteenth century onward. In 1894 or 1895 representatives of Princeton, Yale, and New York University—advised by a manufacturer of academic dress—adopted the Intercollegiate Code of Academic Costume. In 1932 the … Continued

Prior to 1977 students (and faculty who did not own gowns, hoods, and mortarboards) rented the appropriate academic regalia through the bookstore for use at commencement. In 1977 the Undergraduate Student Council, and Graduate Student Council approved a proposal by the UT Book and Supply Store (renamed VolShop in 2013) to move to acetate caps … Continued

At its fall 1987 meeting, the board of trustees passed an academic review policy placing all students whose cumulative grade point averages were less than 2.0 in an academic review status. An early warning feature added midterm progress reports, for students in danger of failing, to trigger mandatory conferences with advisors. The program replaced automatic … Continued

Until the 1982–83 academic year, enrolled students applied directly for scholarships not based on need, having to make multiple applications for various scholarships listed in the catalog. In winter quarter 1982, Financial Aid Director John Mays announced a new policy under which all enrolled students would be considered for academic scholarships. Each student, according to … Continued

In 1990 UT adopted an academic forgiveness policy that allowed special readmission for students dismissed because of failing grades after a four-year hiatus and restored the student’s eligibility to apply for financial aid. The Academic Second Opportunity Program was made available to students who were not successful in progressing toward a degree during previous attendance … Continued

In operation since 1991, this annual event brings teachers and school administrators together on campus. Teachers participate in a four-week residential program, and administrators attend a three-day workshop. The goal of the program is to encourage new and exciting ways of presenting math and science by moving away from teaching the subjects as independent bodies … Continued