UT President Randy Boyd tours high schools to showcase higher ed opportunities

UT President Randy Boyd speaks to high school students during a recent tour of schools across the state. (Photo by the University of Tennessee)

University of Tennessee (UT) System President Randy Boyd recently began visiting several high schools across the state to highlight the system’s academic programming and financial aid options to prospective students.

According to an announcement, the main goal of Boyd’s tour, dubbed the “FindYourUT tour,” is to provide students with an in-depth look at programs across the system’s five campuses: UT-Knoxville, UT-Chattanooga, UT-Southern, UT-Martin, and the UT Health Science Center.

Since kicking off the tour last week, Boyd has visited Creekwood High School in Charlotte; Houston County High School in Erin; McEwen High School in McEwen; Tullahoma High School in Tullahoma; Franklin County High School in Winchester; Lawrence High School in Lawrenceburg; Union County High School in Maynardville; Grainger County High School in South Rutledge; and Cumberland Gap High School in Cumberland Gap.

“We understand that every student’s journey is different,” Boyd said. “Our goal is to meet students where they are and help them get to where they want to go. No matter what you’re looking for in a college experience, the UT System provides an environment for every kind of student, a location for every Tennessee resident and an education for every mind.”

UT System President Randy Boyd (standing on the left) speaks to students about programming within the system. 

In addition to highlighting academic offerings at UT System campuses, Boyd said that part of the tour’s goal is to showcase UT System initiatives that make higher education more affordable, such as UT Promise, a scholarship program that ensures free tuition for qualifying Tennessee residents whose adjusted gross household income is below $75,000.

“We recognize the cost of higher education can feel like a barrier for many, but we are committed to breaking down that barrier,” Boyd said. “We are working to ensure that finances don’t stand in the way of students’ dreams, making education more accessible for all Tennesseans.”

The tour comes after the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees voted in June to extend Boyd’s tenure as president of the system, through the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2030. According to UT Board of Trustees Chairman John Compton, the decision reflected the board’s confidence in Boyd’s vision and his ongoing commitment to educational excellence and community engagement initiatives like high school tours to help drive up enrollment.

Since fall 2019, total enrollment has increased 13.8 percent, while six-year and four-year graduation rates have increased 3.8 percent and 3.0 percent, respectively. Bachelor’s degrees awarded grew 9.3 percent, while graduate and professional degrees increased 17.1 percent under Boyd’s leadership.

“Serving as president of the University of Tennessee is the honor of my life,” Boyd said in a statement. “The progress we have achieved together thus far inspires great confidence and enthusiasm for what lies ahead. As we approach the second half of the greatest decade in UT history, I’m excited about all the things we will accomplish together.”