A Message from the President

Joe DiPietro at his desk in his office

As of this new year of 2017, the Tennessee Alumnus has published for the past 100 years, a milestone that puts the magazine in a small circle of alumni publications. This magazine got there by telling the stories of you, our alumni. And in doing so, it has served as the mortar binding us all together, regardless of which UT campus is your alma mater.

While the magazine’s appearance has changed drastically over its century of publication—just look at the cover of this issue—one thing has been constant. We tell the stories of what makes us uniquely the University of Tennessee.

This year, we celebrate our ongoing story. We begin, in this issue, by considering the past. Looking back, we can see how far we’ve come and the momentous changes that made the university what it is —unique in the state for our scope and our impact, united across the state under the UT banner.

Approximately 370,000 UT alumni impact their communities, their states, and the nation. Your lives are our success stories.

To celebrate the Alumnus’ centennial, the magazine is bringing you stories of 100 notable alumni from the last 100 years. These profiles will be presented in installments of 33 in each of 2017’s three issues (plus one in the final issue). Some names you’ll know. Some you may not. You’ll even find stories on people often associated with the university, but you may be surprised to discover didn’t earn a UT degree. They are friends of the UT family, just the same.

The UT family impacts lives in every Tennessee county and well beyond the state. And whether you graduated from Knoxville, Chattanooga, Martin or the Health Science Center, you’re part of our one, big family.

Join me in celebrating this magazine that showcases the strengths of our university.

All the best,
Joe DiPietro's signature
Joe DiPietro

Dr. Joe DiPietro has served as UT president since January 2011.