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Knoxville is the home to the Universtiy of Tennessee at Knoxville! The university was founded as Blount College in 1794, two years before Tennessee became a state. In 1879 the name was changed to the University of Tennessee! Since it became designated in 1869 as the land grant universtiy in Tennessee, it has been growing by leaps and bounds. The University of Tennessee now operates campuses across the state:

• The medical campus, University of Tennessee at Memphis 1911 (originally founded in Nashville in 1879)
• University of Tennessee at Martin 1927 (originally a private institution founded in 1900)
• University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 1969 (originally a private institution)
• The Space Institute 1964 (near Tullahoma, Tennessee)

The Univerity of Tennessee has been recognized as one of the top national public univerities in America. Through a strong emphasis on research, the universities has been able to recruit and retain top academic professionals to teach and conduct groundbreaking research. You can read about research opportunities in the University of Tennessee produced News & Opportunities publication, and you can read about the outstanding achievements by the faculty in the Awards & Recogintion publication. Click HERE for both!

Academics at the University of Tennessee are the main focus. The university has paths to bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. UT boasts eleven colleges with over 300 degree programs and 1,400+ faculty members! The MBA program at UT is ranked 5th among US public universities (Wall Street Journal, 2005) and the nuclear engineering graduate program ranks 10th nationally (U.S. News & World Report). Some well-known alumni include:

• James McGill Buchanan - Nobel Prize in 1986 for his theory of public choice in politics and economics
• Cindy Noble Hauserman - Olympic gold medalist as a member of the U.S. Women’s Basketball Team
• Peyton Manning - Inianapolis Colts Quarterback
• Reggie White - NFL, Philadelphia Eagles (1985-92), Green Bay Packers (1993-98) and Carolina Panthers
• Ali Abul Ragheb - former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
• Howard Baker Jr. - U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 2001 through 2004. Baker served as both minority and majority leader during his 18 years in the U.S. Senate. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984. He was White House Chief of Staff from 1987 to 1988 under President Ronald Reagan
• Dixie V. Carter - Best known for her role in the television series Family Law and Designing Women
• Cormac McCarthy - He won the National Book Award in 1992 for All the Pretty Horses and the Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for The Road
• Kurt Vonnegut - Author of Player Piano, The Sirens of Titan, and Slaughterhouse Five (among other novels and short stories)

In addition to the academic record of The University of Tennessee, the university also boasts top-notch athletic programs. The UT football team finished 2007 with a record of 10 wins and 4 losses. This gave the Volunteers a birth and subsequent win (21 to 17) over the University of Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl on January 1, 2008 in Tampa, Florida. The Lady Volunteers Basketball can boast another National Championship (1997 & 1998) with their win (64 to 48) over Stanford on April 8, 2008 in the St Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida! In addition to these well established programs, there are 500 NCAA student athletes who compete in everything from golf to rowing! There is of course a wide range of sports for all students who wish to participate or compete!

The University of Tennessee's positive impact on the local community is immeasurable. The access to the benefits of higher education however reaches beyond Knoxville and even beyond the state's borders. The enormous contributions of this storied institution have been the fulcrum upon which much progress has been made on a global level.

About the Author

If you are in the market to purchase a home or even refinance an existing loan and you want a loan officer that will walk with you every step of the way, then contact Danny or Rich of the Thornton Team at Home America Mortgage today. We can have you pre-approval in as little as 4 hours. You can visit our website or send an email to thorntonteam@homeamericamortgage.com or call us @ 865-951-0522.