A Message from the Dean

March 24, 2026 by Logan Judy

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The College of Arts and Sciences is an academic enterprise unlike any other at the University of Tennessee. As UT’s first college, we embody the Volunteer spirit through a long tradition of bold intellectual inquiry and vibrant civic engagement, igniting student ambitions for progress in their personal journeys and achieving next-level success through groundbreaking research and creative endeavors. 

Our college plays a fundamental role as a hub for Tennessee’s premier public land-grant university, continually striving for the next level of excellence and unparalleled student experience. To strengthen this role as we move forward, the college’s divisional structure was made permanent earlier this year, providing a continued foundation for effective operations. In addition, I am excited to continue serving the college as the Executive Dean and Herbert Family Dean’s Chair as we craft a bold strategic vision for the future of arts and sciences at UT.

The generosity of our alumni and donors helps ensure that every arts and sciences student can build their professional DNA with resources and experiences that define a world-class education. Your engagement helps us expand scholarships and student support for high-need and first-generation students, opening doors to those who might otherwise be left behind. It fuels high-impact learning through undergraduate research, experiential and community-engaged learning, and study abroad programs—elements to assure that students graduate with skills and confidence to thrive. 

This support also enhances our advising and success services that ensure every Volunteer has a clear path to graduation and a strong sense of belonging.

Alumni Gifts Directly Support Students

The Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center expanded its student-focused mission this fall thanks to ongoing engagement from the Herbert family and a new status as a college-level center for comprehensive, cross-disciplinary writing support for Vols at all academic levels. The wider focus helps both undergraduates and graduate students across campus develop adaptable writing skills applicable to different audiences and numerous career fields

UT doctoral alumna Wanda Rushing expressed her dedication to public higher education and her gratitude to the University of Tennessee with a generous gift that established the Rushing Fellows Program. Her impactful gift will support graduate students in the Department of Sociology for years to come as they work toward their master’s and PhD degrees.

Faculty Community Grows Through Endowed Professorships

Alumni David and Barbara McDonald established two endowed professorships in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences that support new faculty who specialize in critical minerals and energy. Assistant Professor Manuel Scharrer is the David McDonald Endowed Professor in Critical Minerals. Assistant Professor Lluís Saló-Salgado is the Barbara McDonald Endowed Professor in Energy Transition. These professorships reflect the McDonalds’s desire to help UT prepare students for roles in broadening US energy sources and reinforcing critical mineral capabilities.

The Noranna Burridge Warner Endowed Faculty Chair in the Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology will support current and future faculty for exceptional teaching, research, creativity, or service by providing a salary supplement, research funds, administrative support, graduate student funding, and more. This is the department’s first chair-level endowment, honoring Burridge Warner, the first woman to earn a PhD in biochemistry at UT. It will enable the department to recruit and retain more world-class faculty who inspire students and shape the world through their research and expertise.

New Spaces Bring Room for New Opportunity

The new Jenny Boyd Theatre celebrated its successful first production, “Cabaret,” this spring, carrying on the decades-long tradition of exciting, world-class theater at UT through a transformational gift from the Boyd family. It is named for longtime Knoxville arts advocate and UT alumna Jenny Boyd and joins the storied Clarence Brown Theatre as a venue for the arts and a launching space for Vols building careers in performance and other stage work.

Construction on the new Charles and Julie Wharton Chemistry Building is well underway, bringing students and faculty new research and teaching labs and collaborative spaces to meet the increasing demand for high-level chemistry education and training. The facility’s naming honors the remarkable legacy of the late Julie Wharton and her husband Charles Wharton, whose generosity and vision will have a lasting impact on teaching and learning at UT.

Today’s Investment Builds Continued Success

Our students, faculty, programs, and facilities all benefit from the investment by those who want to make our world a better place through the study and application of the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. The dedicated engagement of our Volunteer alumni and other donors provides vital support for this mission and the ongoing progress of all aspects of our academic and research community. These investments create access to data-informed experience that boosts retention and graduation while preparing graduates for meaningful lives and careers in Tennessee and beyond. We encourage you to help us shape the next generation of leaders by making a gift to the college.

We hope you enjoy learning about the activities and achievements we have shared in this issue of Higher Ground, and we thank you for being a part of our community as a college on the rise.

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