University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee Student-Athletes Excel in the Classroom
November 07, 2009 | General
Nov. 7, 2009
The University of Tennessee Athletics Board met on Saturday and presented an update on academic and community success of student-athletes, UTAD's budget and several facility projects.
The meeting began with the introduction of UT's new faculty athletic representative, Dr. Dan Murphy, and 14 new athletic board members.
The first topic of discussion was UTAD's academic success and community involvement in 2008-09:
- Ten members of the football team are playing the 2009 season having already earned an undergraduate degree. Those Vols are enrolled in graduate classes, while five more members of the 2009 squad have met the requirements for one undergraduate degree and are working on a second certificate. This distinction makes Tennessee #1 nationally in the number of graduates on their current football roster. Of the 15 athletes who have graduated or met the requirements to graduate, 12 are contributing this the season.
- During the 2008-09 school year 78 student-athletes graduated for the University of Tennessee.
- In the spring of 2009, 227 out of 493 (46%) student-athletes had a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Forty-seven former student-athletes have earned their degrees through the Renewing Academic Commitment (RAC) program in the past five years.
- Nineteen student-athletes were Chancellor Citation recipients, six were Academic All-Amer¬icas and two were NCAA post graduate scholarship winners.
- Lady Vol Swimmer Christine Magnuson was the SEC female Boyd McWhorter winner.
- UT student-athletes completed over 2,000 hours of community service in 2008-09
The Volunteer Athletics & Scholarship Fund (VASF) and Boost-Her Club have joined together to create the Tennessee Fund. The Tennessee Fund was designed to consolidate and streamline the athletic benefit program and ensure equity in the program. Through the Tennessee Fund, the athletic department will assume central responsibility for the management of all athletic benefit priority programs, including the benefit program for those who contributed to non-athletic programs, and athletics will provide additional guaranteed direct cash support to the University at an average of $3.155 million per year over the next 10 years in addition to two other direct cash support payments the athletic department currently makes to the University.
The Tennessee Fund raised $37.27 million in 2008-09. This included $21.94 million in annual gifts and more than $12 million in gifts to capital projects, additional endowments and miscellaneous gifts. Athletic sales and marketing announced revenues of $13.67 million for 2008-09.
Men's athletics director Mike Hamilton and women's athletics director Joan Cronan presented an update on several facility projects:
- Football Training Complex - UTAD is breaking ground on the new football training complex this weekend. Construction of the new four-story 132,000 square foot facility will feature a new locker room, team lounge, equipment room, team and position meeting rooms, coaches offices, two-story weight room, men's training room, and hydrotherapy room.
- Goodfriend Tennis Center - UTAD is looking at the feasibility of expanding the existing indoor tennis facility from four courts to six courts.
- Indoor Track and Volleyball Facility - UTAD is undergoing a feasibility study for a new indoor track and volleyball facility to be located off of Leinart Lane near the soccer and softball facilities.
- Intercollegiate Golf Complex - The golf complex is still under construction. Unfortunately due to the inordinate amount of rain the area has received this year, the construction crews have not had enough dry days to complete the tees and greens in time for the fall planting season. They are currently planting winter grass and are finishing the tee boxes.
- Lindsey Nelson Stadium - The second of four phases of renovations has begun at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville. Included will be the addition of a new club area and MVP seating behind home plate that will allow fans to sit closer to the field. Permanent chair-back seating will also be added throughout the entire main grandstand, while the stadium's exterior will be faced with brick. In addition, a new batting cage facility, approximately 60 yards in length, will be added down the right-field line and the visitor's locker room behind the third-base dugout will be renovated. Work is scheduled to be completed prior to the beginning of the 2010 campaign.
- Neyland Stadium - The first portion of Phase III renovations were completed in August. Work on the second phase will begin following the Vanderbilt game for completion for the 2010 season. The second portion of Phase III includes a new Gate 21 entry plaza, brick and wrought iron façade work along the north and west sides of the stadium, the addition of the Tennessee Terrace, and a statue of General Robert Neyland on the west side of the stadium which will be unveiled during Homecoming in 2010. The addition of the Tennessee Terrace is the primary funding source for the second portion of Phase III renovations. All season ticket holders impacted by these areas will be contacted about joining the Tennessee Terrace or moving to another area of the stadium based on their preference and availability. No one will be displaced out of Neyland Stadium or be required to increase their annual donation to maintain their current number of season tickets.
- Thompson-Boling Arena - Phase II of Thompson-Boling Arena renovations are going up for bid this spring. Phase II will include new coaches offices, new locker rooms, a new lobby for Tennessee basketball, a new souvenir store and street level facade work.
