Tim Cross, senior vice chancellor and senior vice president for agriculture, and Chancellor Donde Plowman with a plaque from the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities.
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has earned national recognition as an Innovation and Economic Prosperity (IEP) University. This designation acknowledges the exceptional ways UT cultivates community engagement, economic growth and workforce development across the state of Tennessee and beyond.
UT is one of only three universities to earn this designation in 2020.
“This designation reflects both our land-grant mission and our Volunteer spirit, opening tremendous opportunities to expand our capacity to serve,” said UT Chancellor Donde Plowman. “We are always looking for new and better ways to increase access to education, make important discoveries, develop our state’s workforce and enhance quality of life for all Tennesseans. This designation recognizes what we are already doing and opens new doors for the future.”
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) established the IEP Universities Program to identify and further equip institutions that drive economic and community engagement through public and private-sector partnerships.