By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Paris, Tenn.–“We’re proud to be your next-door neighbors and partners”, University of Tennessee at Martin Chancellor Dr. Keith Carver said Thursday morning at a session at the Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce.
Carver discussed the importance that Paris and Henry County holds to UT-Martin and talked about the initiatives that the university has been taking to increase enrollment and to enhance the college experience for its students. UT-Martin also is dedicated to forming partnerships which improve the job market in the area and helping its students leave college with good jobs.
Carver appeared at the Chamber office as part of the regular “Donuts With The Director” series organized by Chamber Director Travis McLeese.
Thanks to the job that Destin Tucker is doing as Director of Admissions, he said, enrollment at UT-Martin is back on the upswing. Tucker was also on hand at the meeting and Carver noted her roots are in Northwest Tennessee, as she is from the Bruceton/Hollow Rock area.
Carver also highlighted his local connections, noting that he originally is from Crockett County and his family has a cabin in the Springville area on Kentucky Lake. “Actually, I bought my first fishing pole at Uncle Lee’s in Paris. That tells you how old I am.” His father still lives in the Springville area. And, Carver and his wife named one of their sons Britton after being inspired by the Britton Ford area on the lake.
“We were in a steep decline over the past two years” in enrollment, but UT-Martin “is now reclaiming the market we once had,” Carver said. That has been done by keeping tuition low and attractive, expanding scholarships and developing new programs that attract students and help them find a profitable and worthwhile future, he said.
Carver noted manufacturing engineering, mechatronics, and a wide range of agriculture-related programs as helping to attract students and help local communities at the same time. “And when we talk about ag-related programs, we’re not just talking about the traditional ag classes. We’re talking about the food industry, too,” he said. With Allegro and Tosh Farms in Henry Co. and Tyson and Williams Sausage in Union City, “we’re a hub for Tennessee food products right here” and UT-Martin has been working with local industry and communities to expand opportunities locally.
“We try to be a service to the local communities,” Carver said. “We want to add value to the local community. It’s a new day in education and we’re not just going to be a diploma factory.”
Photo: Dr. Carver (center) talks before Thursday’s session with Chamber President Keith Morrison, left, and Chamber Director Travis McLeese. (Shannon McFarlin photo).
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