UTK Chancellor Plowman unveils $3.5B campaign to advance research, athletics and student experience at 2026 Flagship Address
"Today, we launch our historic 'It Takes a Volunteer' fundraising campaign. It's a campaign that values generosity of the purse, but also generosity of the spirit."
Chancellor Donde Plowman delivered her eighth Flagship Address on Friday to a packed crowd at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville‘s (UTK) Student Union, where faculty, students and community supporters filled the room in orange.
Plowman used the address to lay out her vision and goals for the 2026-27 academic year, opening with a recap of the university’s recent milestones before announcing the school’s newest historic fundraising effort.
Milestone highlights
- Fourth-consecutive year of record first-to-second-year retention, now at 93.1%.
- Highest four-year graduation rate: 71%, up nearly five points from last year.
- No. 8 nationally for honors programs.
- No. 10 nationally for online bachelor’s degree programs.
- Record research expenditures, surpassing $400 million.
- Eight new preeminent faculty hires in priority research fields.
- Ranked among the top 20 public universities for innovation.
- Fifth consecutive year of postseason play for six flagship sports.
- Highest average student-athlete GPA (3.49 in fall 2025).
- $1.15 billion in total economic impact throughout the state thanks to athletics.
- Largest fall enrollment: 41,287 students.
- Record year of giving: over $580 million, including the largest investment in university history from Dee and Jimmy Haslam.
- $1.4 billion in campus construction since 2020.
A $3.5 billion historic campaign
The centerpiece of Friday’s address was the launch of “It Takes a Volunteer,” a $3.5 billion fundraising campaign aimed at expanding the university’s institutional impact through generosity and service.
“Today, we launch our historic ‘It Takes a Volunteer’ fundraising campaign,” Plowman said. “This is a campaign inspired by you — volunteers who have given your time, your effort and your compassion. It’s a campaign that values generosity of the purse, but also generosity of the spirit. It is an invitation to share your time and your wisdom, to share your stories, to share how the university has prepared you, shaped you, inspired you, and to help us grow our impact on others.”
The campaign centers on three pillars all aimed at keeping Tennessee a global hub for innovation and economic development:
- Groundbreaking research that changes lives.
- Leading the way in premier athletics.
- Creating an unparalleled student experience.
“Our greatness as a university isn’t defined by our own accomplishments,” Plowman said. “Our greatness is defined by the difference we make for others, by the problems we solve, the opportunities we create and the impact we have.”
Following the address, attendees moved to a pop-up in the student union ballroom featuring immersive exhibits on student life, research and athletics designed to show how philanthropic support transforms the university, Knoxville and the state.
Learn more about the campaign and give today.
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