The Agricultural Policy Analysis Center (APAC) was created in 1992 in conjunction with the newly established Blasingame Chair of Excellence in Agricultural Policy. The center resides in the Department of Agricultural Economics, and its research projects span several policy areas, including issues in commodity, energy, environment, and development. It serves a broad clientele ranging from … Continued

In 1886 short courses for farmers began at the University of Minnesota. In 1900 UT implemented an agricultural education program for farmers and their sons who were unable to attend college. From early January until mid-March, the Short Courses in Agriculture Program ($50 tuition) taught practical skills in a variety of areas. In 1901, for … Continued

Frank Ahlgren served as editor of the Memphis Commercial Appeal from 1936 until his retirement in 1968, having been named editor at the age of 33. He was appointed to the UT Board of Trustees in 1948. As a member of the board for 27 years, he obtained the trustees’ unanimous approval for creating a … Continued

Greek for always forward, the Aiei Proso ceremony was started in 1997 and was modeled on the previous Aloha Oe Ceremony. It replaced the senior farewell ceremony, which had been in place for a few years. The name was adopted from a marker on the Hill and was dedicated by the Class of 1877. The … Continued

The Air Command Squadron, on campus in the ’50s, was a national honor society for basic Air Force ROTC cadets. The squadron also functioned as a service organization, working with the traffic division of civil defense, providing honor guards for visiting celebrities, and coordinating the presentation of AFROTC sponsors. John Noble Wilford, a UT alumnus … Continued

Two planes owned and flown by UT have crashed. The first plane was a DC-3, given to UT by Sears Roebuck, which crashed on takeoff at Dulles International Airport on January 18, 1969. The UT swim team was onboard. The pilot and copilot, George Wallace and Charles Lockwood, were injured. The crash came three days … Continued

Northwest Airlines honored the University of Tennessee by giving the name the “Spirit of the Volunteers” to its Nashville-Knoxville connecting flight in 2000. The flight service was operated with Saab 340 regional turboprop aircraft.

UT’s first airplane, acquired in 1965, was an Aero Commander seating six people, acquired through a gift-purchase arrangement. The plane crashed in 1978. In December 1966 E. Ward King, chairman of the board of Mason Dixon Lines Inc. and a former member of the UT Development Council, gave UT a second plane, The General, which … Continued

Robin Akin became one of only 22 general officers in the United States Army in April 2009 when she was promoted to brigadier general. A 1982 graduate of UT, she is the first former UT Army ROTC cadet to become a general. Akin was the first female to be a platoon leader in her organization … Continued