Stories

Because Vols Help Vols.

By supporting the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, you are changing lives. Your generosity ensures hardworking Volunteers are able to achieve their dreams. Your support creates a better future for our Volunteer community through exceptional student experiences, access to expert faculty, top-ranked academic programs, and enhanced learning environments.

We are grateful for your thoughtful demonstration of the Volunteer spirit.

Two students hold Vols-themed signs for a 360 picture

Your Impact

Giving

What Volunteers Are All About

Vol basketball’s Admiral Schofield (’19) learned valuable insights about leadership through the VOLeaders Academy. Make a Gift In 2017, Admiral Schofield’s VOLeaders cohort visited Vietnam. “To see the orphanages and how many kids are there,” says Schofield, “and to see what they go through postwar, and then see the impact we have through sport, we …
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Giving

Better Leaders. Better People. Beacons for the World.

Vol basketball’s Grant Williams learned to touch hearts in the VOLeaders Academy. Make a Gift Playing wheelchair basketball in Ecuador, Grant Williams realized how he could use his sport to make a difference. “There was a man who had just recently been paralyzed,” says Williams. “He was nervous about playing, but I showed him he …
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Giving

Creating Opportunities for Experiential Learning

Nick Giecek’s passions come together in adaptive recreation sports. Make a Gift “I am passionate about sports,” says Nick Giecek, who played hockey and lacrosse during his years at Knoxville Catholic High. “But more importantly, I am passionate about helping people with disabilities.” Giecek’s twin brother, Drew, has an intellectual disability and autism. “Having a …
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Giving

Faculty, Staff Show Volunteer Spirit by Giving Back to UT

For six years in a row, faculty and staff have chosen to support UT through the Big Orange Family Campaign. This year, the campaign reached 61.6 percent participation, with a record number of faculty and staff members donating to the university. Some of the largest participation growth in the campaign was among Facilities Services employees. …
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Giving

Endowing a Legacy of Excellence

Rachel Rui creates an endowment in memory of her late husband. Make a Gift Rachel Rui (’09, ’14), assistant to the chancellor of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, recently created the Harrison Pang and Rachel Rui International Excellence Endowment to honor the memory of her late husband Harrison Pang (’10, ’11), a former UT employee, …
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Giving

Trustees Approve Naming of the Clay and Debbie Jones Center for Leadership and Service

The Jones family made a landmark gift of $5 million to the center to enhance programs and initiatives offered to students. Make a Gift UT has named a campus hub for educating and engaging students in meaningful leadership and service opportunities in recognition of alumnus Clay Jones and his wife Debbie. The Jones family made …
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Giving

Four-Time Alumna and Faculty Member Gives Back for More Than 50 Years

“I want other people to have the same opportunities that I’ve had. This money helps students with scholarships and other expenses. I know how important it is and I want to pay it forward.” Make a Gift The door to Sandra Thomas’s office on the third floor of the College of Nursing features a menagerie …
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Giving

Third Annual Alumni Scholarship Challenge

On February 25, 2019, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, alumni chapters and councils from around the country will compete in the third annual Alumni Scholarship Challenge. The weeklong campaign is an exciting time to see the Volunteer family come together to support current and future students in their area. Last year, over $60,000 was raised from …
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Giving

With Financial Support, Shooting for the Stars

Benjamin Barnhill, a senior from Memphis, is thankful for the role donors and scholarships have played in his education at UT. Make a Gift In a scene straight out of the movie October Sky, Benjamin Barnhill and his design project partner Drew Nickel place their hybrid rocket on the launch platform at the UT Cherokee …
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