Martin, Tenn.–Fall enrollment and new academic programs were highlighted as the University of Tennessee at Martin Advisory Board met Friday, Sept. 17, in the Boling University Center for its scheduled fall meeting. Art Sparks, of Union City, chairs the seven-member advisory board that includes Hal Bynum, Sharon; Dr. Philip Smartt, faculty member, Dresden; Kelsea Koonce, student member, Newbern; Monice Hagler, Memphis; Julia Wells, Jackson; and Johnny Woolfolk, Madison County. The meeting was the first official meeting for Koonce as she begins a one-year board term.
Sparks opened the meeting and introduced Dr. Keith Carver, UT Martin chancellor, who offered a brief COVID-19 report in which he noted a downward trend in both active virus cases and in total quarantines and isolations among university faculty, staff members and students. The previous meeting minutes were then approved, and an enrollment report and an overview of new academic programs were then presented by Dr. Philip Acree Cavalier, university provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Cavalier reported strong application numbers for this fall and a positive response to the university’s intent-to-enroll survey, but more students “melted” or didn’t enroll as expected. He said that personal and family finances likely played a role in many decisions not to attend. “I think we all suspect that some of those students just felt like, at the last minute, they were not able to pay, that the financial picture … it wasn’t going to work this semester,” he told the board. First-time freshmen attending UT Martin this fall total 1,042 students, down about 6% from 2020 as reported by the university’s Office of Institutional Research.
Total fall enrollment reached just over 6,700 students, compared to 7,119 students who attended the university last fall, a decline that Cavalier said can be traced largely to multiple factors related to the pandemic. He said the university is moving forward proactively and will re-recruit many of the students who chose not to return this fall. A search is also underway to hire a new director this fall to coordinate retention efforts across the university.
Cavalier’s enrollment report transitioned to an overview of new academic programs that will address workforce needs and appeal to a wider range of students. Those programs include a Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Science and Technology, which is available this fall, and a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity that is set to be available in fall 2022. A new Master of Science in Criminal Justice will begin in spring 2022.
Photo: From left, Art Sparks, of Union City, advisory board chair; Hal Bynum (foreground), board member from Sharon; and UT Martin Chancellor Keith Carver.