Tennessee Family-owned Small Business of the Year

Final Flight Outfitter Inc. wins award

Final Flight Outfitters Inc., based in Union City, was selected the Tennessee 2015 Family-owned Small Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Owned and operated by UT Martin alumni, the company specializes in retailing high-end hunting products. Representatives from the SBA visited the company in August 2015 to present the award. Pictured (left to right) are UT Martin Interim Chancellor Bob Smith; Landy Fuqua (’84, ’13), director, UT Martin Regional Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Center; Jon Ed (’95), Kelley (’02) and Tripp Powers (’97), owners, Final Flight Outfitters Inc.; and Walter Perry III, U.S. Small Business Administration district director.

Dual Admission Partnership

Bob Smith and Karen Bowyer
UT Martin Interim Chancellor Bob Smith (left) and Dyersburg State Community College President Karen Bowyer signed a dual admission partnership agreement in September 2015. The agreement is to provide a seamless and guaranteed transition from a DSCC associate’s degree program to a UT bachelor’s degree program by providing one curriculum plan for earning both degrees. DSCC students who meet certain criteria at the end of their associate’s degree program will be guaranteed admission to UT Martin to continue their four-year degrees with junior status.

Alumni Awards Presented

Duane Campbell, Reginald Hill and Kent Landers
Duane Campbell, Reginald Hill and Kent Landers

UT Martin Interim Chancellor Bob Smith presented UT Martin alumni awards to (from left) Duane Campbell (’81), Reginald Hill (’77) and Kent Landers (’98) during homecoming festivities in October. Campbell, originally from Saulsbury, Tennessee, and now living near Seattle, received the Outstanding Alumni Award, which recognizes a UT Martin grad for outstanding achievement in his or her chosen profession. Hill, originally from Paris, Tennessee, but now living in Nashville, received the Chancellor’s Award for University Service, which recognizes exemplary service to UT Martin. Landers, originally of Maryville, Tennessee, and now a resident of Atlanta, received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, which honors a graduate younger than 40 for extraordinary achievement in his or her profession.

Headshot of Hannah Robison

Robison Finishes Top Seven in 2016 Miss America Pageant

UT Martin senior chemistry major Hannah Robison finished in the top seven contestants in the 2016 Miss America Scholarship Pageant, broadcast in September 2015. Robison was selected as the People’s Choice contestant based on social media votes cast on her behalf. She has won more than $37,000 in scholarship awards from the Miss America Organization since claiming the Miss Tennessee title in June 2015.