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Chancellor Plowman highlighted UT’s strong student engagement and growth in her Flagship Address, emphasizing success, innovation and community trust.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — University of Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman delivered her seventh annual Flagship Address on Thursday, Sept. 25. Chancellor Plowman is the ninth chancellor at the University.
“Imagine a university where everyone wants to be,” Plowman said. “Located in a city where everyone wants to live.”
The Chancellor listed statistics regarding the University’s successes and urged the Volunteer community to continue pursuing excellence.
In regard to those enrolled at UT, she said 95% of students feel like they belong, 92% of law students pass the bar, 96% of vet students pass their boards, and 97% of nursing students pass their licensing exam. She also mentioned UT is in the top 10 for humanities fellowships and in the top five for citations in leading engineering journals.
“We read news stories about universities’ sovereign, from dwindling enrollments, from budget cuts, to hiring freezes,” Plowman said. “Here at Tennessee, we find ourselves in a different place. Our student body is larger than ever. Our finances are sturdy. Our partnerships are strong and they’re growing. Our research and academic strengths align with the needs of our country and the priorities of our state.”
She said the student experience at UT sets the University apart from other schools every year. Last year, 22,000 students attended a game at Neyland Stadium, more than 10,000 played club or intramural sports, 11,000 participated in service opportunities, and 13,000 took part in student life programs.
“We are making bold moves and we’re taking big swings,” Plowman said. “We are investing in new hires, new buildings, and new initiatives. We are taking the university of Tennessee to the next level.”
Plowman also spoke on how UT is doubling down on place-based innovation, growing its existing research hubs in the Oak Ridge Corridor and Peninsula District, and is planning a new district — the Maplehurst Innovation District — with a focus on AI and technology.
“Investments and expert faculty, collaborative partnerships and cutting-edge facilities will springboard us to the next level,” Plowman said. “We will continue to invest in the student experience, prioritizing the support opportunities that come with being a Volunteer.”
On top of these additions, the university is building a $100 million student success building and has plans to increase the number of graduate and online students.
“Students want to be part of this University because they trust that this is a community where they can be themselves and pursue their dreams,” Plowman said.
According to Plowman, 91% of UT students feel comfortable speaking their minds on campus, which is almost 20% higher than the national average.
Plowman denied to comment on the anthropology faculty member at UT placed on leave after making comments about Charlie Kirk.
RELATED: UT looks to terminate assistant professor for social media post ‘endorsing violence and murder’
Charles Noble, UT’s Faculty Senate President, said this case was the most pressing topic at their monthly meeting on Monday.
“The Faculty Senate is trying to work quickly with the administration to think about guidelines that we can give to faculty to help remove some of that ambiguity,” Noble said.
Noble said the matter is a ‘two-bucket concern.’ One is about the particular situation of whether the termination procedure was justified, and the second one is about social media guidelines for faculty and staff.
“The faculty had concerns about a lot of different things and different aspects of the situation,” Noble said.
According to Noble, the majority of the question-and-answer portion of the meeting focused on the case. Plowman read and reiterated what she had said in previous formal releases in terms of the rationale behind the termination procedure, according to Noble.
There were three primary reasons she stated at the meeting: The faculty member violated UT’s expectations for civil and professional engagement along with respectful conduct, the mission and focus of UT was undermined through the misconduct and the reputation of the university was harmed.
“I don’t think the chancellor would say that she wants to ban social media usage, and we don’t want to do that,” Noble said. “We need to be able to give people guidance on where the line of appropriateness ends, and so that that pulls in issues of freedom of speech, freedom of expression, other kinds of things, which make it a muddier situation in some ways.”