The 112th Tennessee General Assembly adjourned for the year Wednesday at 9:15 pm central time. The legislature supported many critical and historic investments for the University of Tennessee System, its campuses, and institutes this session. We want to express our gratitude to Governor Bill Lee and the legislature for their support, and we encourage UT Advocates to do the same.
Notably, the legislature approved a budget allocation to address the higher education desert in southern middle Tennessee with the acquisition of Martin Methodist College. This acquisition will allow the University to provide additional higher-education opportunities to the southern middle Tennessee region in critical areas such as nursing, education, and business. It will also help ensure long-term economic success in southern middle Tennessee and allow the state to keep some of our brightest students in the area for their education. Once the UT Board of Trustees and the State Building Commission give final approval of the acquisition, Martin Methodist College will become the fourth undergraduate campus in the UT System and the first new campus since UT Chattanooga joined 50 years ago. It will be the only public four-year higher education institution between Chattanooga and Memphis along Tennessee’s southern border.
Thank you to the advocates who expressed support for this important priority to the Governor and the Tennessee General Assembly. Your voice made an impact, and we appreciate your commitment to helping this proposal become a reality.
