Countdown to 100: Tennessee Alumnus 1917-2017

Countdown to 100

In 1917, $2 a year got you membership in the alumni association and a magazine subscription. Advertisers in the first issue included Southern Pipe & Foundry Co., the Co-op book store and Holston National Bank.

Survey Says

We asked. You told us what you think. Thanks to all of you responded to our reader survey. You confirmed that this magazine is an important source of information about the statewide university, and you told us what you like and dislike, what you want more of and what you don’t want at all. For the record, 68 percent of respondents were age 50 or older, and 58 percent were male. The survey was conducted through email sent to randomly selected recipients of the magazine.

Here are some of your responses:

  • 75% Read most or all of each issue
  • 71% Keep the magazine for a month or more
  • 67% Prefer to read the magazine in print rather than online

What do you like most about the magazine?

  • Terrific photography
  • Alumni successes
  • Makes me proud of UT

What do you like least about the magazine?

  • Articles contain waaay too much text
  • Superficial
  • Not enough articles about older and retired alums

Changes you suggested:

  • Candor about achievements and challenges
  • Include a memorabilia column
  • Develop an app

Oak Ridge Origins

Did you know the university’s relationship with Oak Ridge National Laboratory began during World War II? Or that, through a partnership with Battelle Memorial Institute, the university manages the Department of Energy’s largest science lab? Since UT-Battelle became lab manager in 2000, ORNL has been transformed and revitalized. Learn all about the unique UT-ORNL relationship in Breaking the Mold, a coffee table book commissioned by UT. For more information, go to utpress.org/breaking.

Worldwide Impact

A group of Ernst & Young consultants from Moscow, Russia, visited Tennessee to participate in a training and certification program in Advanced Lean Manufacturing developed by the UT Center for Industrial Services, part of the UT Institute for Public Service, in conjunction with Nissan and Volkswagen. The training provided best practices exposure to the innovative and thought-leading processes prevalent in American manufacturing.