The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, launched three new degree-granting academic units on July 1: the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs, the College of Music, and the College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies.
The university’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved the new units, the first major academic structure change in 50 years, in February.
“Each new academic unit is uniquely special and will bring enhanced opportunities for our students,” said Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor John Zomchick. “The Baker School opens doors for those interested in public policy–related issues and civic engagement. The College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies will bring together faculty from multiple disciplines and in the near future will offer students the chance to combine courses from a variety of departments to address important contemporary challenges. And while our outstanding College of Music will continue to train performers, composers, educators and historians, it will expand its offerings to include those who plan a career in music-related fields. Our students and our state are sure winners with the launch of these three units.”
The Baker School, formally the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, is the first school of public policy and public affairs at any public university in Tennessee and will house the bipartisan Institute of American Civics.
The standalone College of Music, formally the School of Music in the College of Arts and Sciences, is the first college of music at a public university in Tennessee and the first in the SEC.
The College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies, an entirely new unit, brings together faculty from all UT colleges to create interdisciplinary programs for students to align their education with careers of the future, such as data science and artificial intelligence.
The new units support UT Knoxville’s mission as the state’s flagship land grant research university to deliver a world-class education to students and meet the needs of the state.