Alumni and Friends
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To the Zoo
Studying ecology and evolutionary biology at UT helped prepare John Humphrey (’26) for his dream career as a zookeeper. By the time he was in second grade, John Humphrey (’26) knew he wanted to be a zookeeper. Months before he graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, he landed his dream job as an animal…
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Purposeful Volunteer Connections
Blake Cantrell builds relationships throughout UT faculty and alumni circles to help deliver the arts and sciences advantage. Blake Cantrell took on the role of senior director of development in early 2026, overseeing advancement opportunities for all three divisions of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). He joined the college in March 2024 as…
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Endowment Boosts International Democracy Studies
An estate endowment by former history and political science faculty members supports student research on democracy in the Middle East. The Louay Bahry and Phebe Marr Middle Eastern Democracy Studies Endowment will establish a scholarship to reward the best undergraduate or graduate student essays on topics of democracy in the Middle East. Bahry served as…
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McDonald Family Endowments Add Professorships
Alumni share geologic passion through new endowed professorships. Alumni David and Barbara McDonald established two endowed professorships that support new faculty members specializing in critical minerals and energy in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences (EEPS). Assistant Professor Manuel Scharrer began in August 2025 as the David McDonald Endowed Professor in Critical Minerals.…
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Collins Takes the Vol Spirit to the Second Mile
Alumna Hannah Collins built her successful business on language and communications skills honed in the College of Arts and Sciences. Hannah Collins shaped her path as an entrepreneur on the strong communications skills and cultural understanding she developed as a Spanish major at UT. Early goals of possibly working at the United Nations grew into…
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UT Art Alum Printing to Preserve Cherokee Language
Printmaking faculty drew Tatiana Potts (MFA ’16) to UT, and now she’s working with college students in North Carolina to print books in the Cherokee language. When Tatiana Potts (MFA ’16) was growing up in Slovakia, she first learned how to draw and paint mostly through books in her local library. Now her bookmaking skills…
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Big Orange Give
Vols support Vols during the Big Orange Give. UT’s 2025 Big Orange Give on Wednesday, November 5, is the university’s annual 24-hour online challenge for alumni, friends, parents, students, faculty, staff, and fans to show their support for Rocky Top. This year’s university goal is to raise $2.5 million, and our College of Arts and…
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Harb Family Helps Launch Middle East Study Abroad
With the Harb family’s help, a new study abroad program to Jordan will immerse students in Palestinian history and culture, add perspective on global issues, and prepare students for international careers. Nearly 75 years after the first person of Palestinian descent graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a new program will allow students to…
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Toni Twitty Rocky Top Winner
Toni Twitty founded her successful acupuncture clinic with skills and insight built through the College of Arts and Sciences. Toni Twitty (BA, Anthropology ’06) built a rich perspective through her studies at the University of Tennessee that she now applies to helping others seek pain relief through acupuncture. Her educational foundation and Volunteer Spirit led…
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T-shirt Hunt Leads to Award-Winning Business
Alumni Mike and Tanya Ickowitz maintain their Vol connection through their award-winning Patdome Promotions. UT alumni Mike and Tanya Ickowitz earned recognition in the 2025 Rocky Top Business Awards for their Knoxville-based company Patdome Promotions. Their entrepreneurial success began almost 20 years ago because they couldn’t buy a t-shirt. In 2006, the Patriots basketball team…