PULASKI, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee is expected to establish a new campus in Middle Tennessee soon after the Board of Trustees voted to acquire Martin Methodist College on Friday.
The new campus will be called "UT Southern," according to a release from officials. It will be created from the campus of Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tennessee. It will be the first new campus since UT Chattanooga was created more than 50 years ago, according to officials.
They also said it will be the only four-year and graduate college between Sewannee and Freed-Hardeman. It will serve 13 counties near the Alabama border, according to officials.
“As we begin to see an overall decline in the college-going rate across the nation, providing more choices for post-secondary education will be critically important in achieving our state’s Drive to 55," said John Compton, the chair of the Board of Trustees.
The Board also appointed Mark La Branche as the inaugural chancellor of UT Southern. He served as the president of Martin Methodist College since July 2017, according to officials. UT System President Randy Boyd said La Branche also brings a unique understanding of the region.
"UT Southern is more than our newest campus,” said Boyd. “It represents opportunity, revival, long-term economic success and forward momentum in the southern Middle Tennessee region."
The University of Tennessee also has campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Martin and Memphis. The UT Space Institute is located in Tullahoma, and the UT Institute of Agriculture has a presence in every county in the state.
It enrolls around 50,000 students across Tennessee and graduates around 11,000 of them every year.