Impact Stories

Missie Bowers is the Beaman Professor in Business, which is funded by the Alvin G. and Sally M. Beaman Foundation Endowment. Make a Gift The Beaman Professorship in Business helps the Haslam College of Business retain faculty members like Missie Bowers, a national figure in the field of business analytics, applied optimization, and lean operations.

Junior Alex Galindo is grateful for the merit and need-based scholarships that make it possible for him to attend UT. Make a Gift In his graduate speech at Farragut High School, Alex Galindo began by quoting James Cash Penney, the founder of the department store JCPenney: “‘I am grateful for all of my problems. After

In 2019 Clay and Debbie Jones made a landmark gift to UT’s Center for Leadership and Service. Make a Gift Clay Jones (’71) began his lifelong passion and gained an understanding for the importance of leadership in his own roles at UT with Phi Delta Theta, the Student Government Association, and the Air Force ROTC.

“When our alumni and friends make one gift, of any size, each year, it makes a big difference. Their loyalty and support create opportunities for students and will have a lifelong effect on our campus,” said Chip Bryant, vice chancellor for advancement. Make a Gift Thanks to the generosity of many Volunteers, the University of

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

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

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

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.

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,