Jimmy Cheek, Guest column 3:00 a.m. ET Feb. 12, 2017

Jimmy Cheek is the outgoing chancellor of the University of Tennessee.(Photo: Courtesy of Jack Parker)

Its been a privilege to serve as the chancellor of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the states flagship university. Simply said, its great to be a Tennessee Vol.

UT has always been a special place, but its an even better place today because of the hard work and dedication of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and community partners. They believed in the journey.

Shortly after I arrived, then-Gov.Phil Bredesen challenged us to become a top 25 public research university. Many have asked why this challenge was so important; the short answer is because it gave us a common measurable goal. In everything we do, we keep the focus on our students, and we measure ourselves against the very best.

Are we there yet? No, were not its an ambitious goal. But are we better? Absolutely. Our progress allows us to better serve the state of Tennessee and its citizens. One of Gov.Bill Haslams top priorities is education, and UT is an important part of his initiatives. As the flagship, we set the standard.

Our students, 85 percent of whomare Tennesseans, are among the best and brightest in the nation. We began challenging them to graduate in four years, and we set up processes to help them overcome any hurdles. Our graduation rate has grown by a remarkable 10 percent, and weve been recognized nationally for our efforts.

When students graduate in four years, we can increase the size of our freshman class and serve more Tennesseans. Our two most recent classes have been among the biggest ever.

Through all these changes, we have never strayed from our mission of providing access to education. About 30 percent of our students are eligible for Pell grants, and its important to provide additional resources for our students who otherwise couldnt afford to attend UT. Fifty percent of our students graduate with no debt, far better than the national average.

These bright students deserve to learn from the very best faculty. The quality of our facultys teaching and research is at the heart of everything we have accomplished in our journey to become a top-tier university. Many departments across the university are currently ranked among the top 25 in their disciplines.

Such great work cant happen in outdated buildings. When I first walked into a lab on the UT campus, it looked just like the labs Id used in college and thats been a long time ago. It was critical to address our infrastructure issues.

With the help of Haslam, Bredesen, our state legislatorsand our donors, we have invested more than $1 billion into the transformation of our campus. If you havent walked across campus lately, youre in for a pleasant surprise. It looks great. We have six new academic buildings, new residence halls for the first time in 40 years, a new student union and new athletics complexes. We have created a campus thats friendlier to pedestrians and the environment.

All of these investments have led to tremendous growth in research. Our partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory uniquely positions us in the world of scientific discovery and innovation. Scientists from UT and ORNL work together on big ideas that are changing our world.

The impact of our research, engagement and discovery on the lives of Tennesseans is tremendous and can be measured in many ways, including dollars and cents. The latest study by the Boyd Center for Economic Research estimates that the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, generates $1.6 billion in annual income for the state and creates 33,000 jobs.

But most importantly, education changes lives. I was the first person in my family to attend college, and I know what a difference it made for me. We have worked hard to make a difference in the lives of our students and their families. We are turning out a highly qualified workforce and better citizens for the state of Tennessee and beyond.

I want to thank the greater community for its support of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and I ask you to continue to believe and invest in this wonderful university.

Jimmy G. Cheek is the chancellor of the University of Tennessee.

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Jimmy Cheek: UT chancellor appreciative of hard work, progress on journey - Knoxville News Sentinel