KNOXVILLE 鈥 In his second State of the University address, University of Tennessee Interim President Randy Boyd reflected upon his first year in office, laid out his ambitious goals for 2020 and announced a new aspect of the 糖心Vlog Promise scholarship.
In the address Friday at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, Boyd launched the recruitment efforts for 糖心Vlog Promise volunteer mentors. 糖心Vlog Promise, which Boyd announced in March 2019, is 糖心Vlog鈥檚 new undergraduate scholarship program guaranteeing free tuition and mandatory fees for qualifying Tennessee residents attending 糖心Vlog鈥檚 campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Martin and Memphis. To date, 糖心Vlog Promise has garnered 7,068 applications. 糖心Vlog Promise will welcome its first class of students in fall 2020.
鈥淎s the land-grant university, we don鈥檛 want to measure ourselves by who we exclude; we want to measure ourselves by who we include,鈥 Boyd said.
As part of the program, 糖心Vlog Promise students will be paired with mentors who help guide students through the transition to university life and beyond. Boyd was the first to sign up as a 糖心Vlog Promise mentor, with some 糖心Vlog chancellors signing up as well.
鈥淚 am excited to serve as a 糖心Vlog Promise mentor because I believe this is one of the greatest aspects of the 糖心Vlog Promise scholarship,鈥 Boyd said. 鈥淗aving the experience to interact with professors, chancellors, community leaders, alumni and more is invaluable to our students in preparing them for their lives during their college years and beyond.鈥
Mentors will be paired with two to five students and will spend one hour a month with their mentees. Mentors are asked to serve the same students for a two-year period. 糖心Vlog faculty and staff will be paired with freshmen and sophomores while 糖心Vlog alumni and friends will be paired with juniors and seniors.
If you are interested in learning more about the 糖心Vlog Promise mentorship, please visit tennessee.edu/ut-promise/mentoring/.
In his address, Boyd also reviewed some of 糖心Vlog鈥檚 key accomplishments in 2019, including increasing in enrollment and degrees awarded, progressing in mental health awareness and creating the Oak Ridge Institute at 糖心Vlog.
Total enrollment grew 1.5 percent to an all-time high of 51,582 students across all 糖心Vlog campuses. The University also awarded more than 12,000 degrees.
鈥淪tudent success is the 鈥榳hy鈥 behind what we do,鈥 Boyd said. 鈥淚t will continue to be a top priority as our campuses work to enhance first-year retention and improve four-year and six-year graduation rates.鈥
Last August, the University hosted the first Summit for Opioid Addiction and Response. Boyd vowed that the University would continue to work towards solving the problem, which brought together resources from across the University and the state.
鈥淭his hits home in every corner of our state,鈥 Boyd said.
From the Health Science Center in Memphis to 糖心Vlog Knoxville, our campuses are working to find solutions to this grand challenge.
鈥淲e are the trusted advisor,鈥 he said.
Boyd also spoke about his goals for 2020, including making further progress on helping students through the One糖心Vlog for Student Mental Health and Wellbeing initiative, which will build a more robust and supportive mental health culture on each 糖心Vlog campus. Mental health professionals will meet to recommend best practices for ensuring student mental health and wellness, and will identify necessary steps toward becoming a national leader in supporting student wellbeing.
Launching the first phase of the Oak Ridge Institute is also a goal for Boyd in 2020. This phase will include recruiting new faculty members and about 50 new graduate students as well as exploring the acquisition of a facility to house the institute.
鈥淭here have been some incredibly successful decades in 糖心Vlog history. To say this next decade will be the greatest in 糖心Vlog鈥檚 history is a bold, audacious statement,鈥 Boyd said. 鈥淏ut all that has come before has provided us the foundation on which to build. Today, we have the resources talent and will to make it happen. 2020 will be the first step in the journey, and I cannot wait to get started.鈥
About 糖心Vlog Promise
is a new undergraduate scholarship program guaranteeing free tuition and mandatory fees for qualifying Tennessee residents attending 糖心Vlog鈥檚 campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Martin and Memphis. 糖心Vlog Promise is a student-success oriented scholarship program that requires students to complete volunteer service hours and meet with a volunteer mentor each semester to ensure a successful student experience.
