Spring semester enrollment at the University of Tennessee at Martin will reach approximately 7,550 students, a more than 6% increase over spring 2025. The enrollment news was announced during the winter meeting of the UT Martin Advisory Board held Jan. 23 in the Boling University Center. The enrollment news was among several reports and updates provided to board members by university staff and UT Martin Chancellor Yancy Freeman.
The meeting also marked board chair Art Sparks presiding over his final meeting with the advisory group. The Union City resident is one of only two original advisory board members remaining from the original appointees and has served as the board’s only chair since 2019.
Hal Bynum of Dresden is the remaining original advisory board member and was elected by acclimation at the meeting’s conclusion to succeed Sparks as chair.
Advisory boards were created for each University of Tennessee campus under the UT FOCUS Act passed in 2018 during Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration. Board members are appointed by the governor, confirmed by the Tennessee General Assembly, and advise the chancellors, UT president and UT Board of Trustees on matters related to the university campuses.
Dr. Destin Tucker, assistant vice chancellor for enrollment management, reported spring enrollment numbers, which will become official following the 14th day of classes later in January. The enrollment goal for spring was 7,506 students or 5% above last spring’s final enrollment of 7,092 students.
The spring enrollment follows the university’s second-highest enrollment in history when student numbers reached 8,101 in fall semester 2025, bringing the university closer to its strategic-plan goal of 10,000 students enrolled by 2030. The highest university enrollment was 8,469 students in 2010,
“Of course we’re pleased to have exceeded that overall (spring) enrollment goal,” Tucker said. “We do have some work to do in some of our student categories … but overall, the progress towards that goal of 10,000 students is very positive.”
Tucker pointed to continued strong student retention, which indicates students who remain enrolled at the university year to year, as a major contributor to enrollment success. She highlighted the new Library Learning Commons that opened fall semester in the Paul Meek Library and the added tutoring and academic support that the learning commons has created for students as factors for stronger student success.
In other reports:
• Petra McPhearson, senior vice chancellor for finance and administration, offered an unaudited FY 2025 year-end budget overview that showed a $175,648 surplus of revenue over expenses and transfers based on a total unrestricted university budget of $135,037,805.
• Kurt McGuffin, vice chancellor and athletics director, reported a successful fall for Skyhawk student-athletes, who achieved a cumulative 3.39 Grade Point Average, 94 students who achieved 4.0 GPAs and 323 athletes who earned recognition on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. This marked 12 consecutive semesters in which student-athletes have achieved at least a cumulative 3.2 GPA dating back to spring 2020. He also offered an Ohio Valley Conference update, news on Name Image Likeness and progress with athletics facilities projects.
• Jake Bynum, UT Martin chief of staff, reported progress made with the university’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, including fall enrollment exceeding projections by 7.9%, housing occupancy reaching a record 98.62%, international student enrollment increasing 51% (37 to 56 students), 193 new wireless access points installed across campus, and the inaugural Chancellor’s Leadership Academy class for emerging university leaders.
• Dr. Jeffrey Bibbee, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Allan Sterbinsky, director of the new J. Houston and Debbie Gordon Center for Rural Innovation, offered an overview of the new center’s work in assisting rural communities through economic development and cultural preservation. UT Martin students will benefit from this work by serving as interns in local government.
Chancellor Yancy Freeman followed individual reports by reminding board members of the ongoing 125th anniversary celebration recognizing UT Martin’s founding in 1900 as Hall-Moody Institute. Board members received a personal copy of the new history book written to commemorate the milestone. He credited Samuel Richardson and Karen Elmore of the Paul Meek Library and Nathan Morgan in the Office of University Relations for writing and compiling the book.
Freeman also reviewed major capital projects, including planning for a new College of Business Administration Building. The current building will be closed and demolished after spring semester, and the new building will be constructed on the existing site. Projected completion is in 2029.
In addition to a new Business Administration Building, a new 400-bed residence hall will be built to replace Browning Hall that will be closed and demolished following the 2026 spring semester. The new residence hall is expected to open in fall 2028.
He also reported that some occupants of the Hall-Moody Administration Building are scheduled to return to the building in March following building improvements. Work in other portions of Hall-Moody will continue.
Freeman concluded the meeting by thanking Art Sparks for his advisory board service and many years of support for the university. Sparks is a 1976 UT Martin graduate and partner in ATA Advisory, LLC.
“Thank you for your leadership and for what you’ve done for this institution (and) what you’ll continue to do for UTM,” Freeman told the outgoing chair. “You’re stepping away from this (the chair position) but not away from us, and so we absolutely appreciate that effort and the work.”
While thanking everyone for his experience with the board, he also challenged members to continue their important work of promoting the university.
“We’re the people that need to go out to our communities and talk about what a great institution this is,” he said. “We’re the ones that also need to talk to students and potential students … to help this university grow. That’s our responsibility.”
He also noted the importance of giving back to others for blessings received.
“The repayment of your blessings is not an obligation – it’s an honor,” he said. “It’s an honor to be able to go back and help this institution, and it’s an opportunity to help the students that are here now and the ones that will be here in the future.”
Sparks will remain as a board member, and in addition to new board chair Hal Bynum, other members are Jennifer Hampton, a new board appointee from Martin; Darby Self, student representative, Fayette County; Dr. Dan McDonough, faculty representative, Martin; Stefan Maupin, Dyersburg; and Dan Strasser, alumni representative, Chapel Hill.
The full board meeting is archived for viewing at www.utm.edu/abmeeting. The UTM Advisory Board’s next meeting will be May 15, 2026, in Martin.
PHOTO: The UT Martin Advisory Board met for its winter meeting Friday, Jan. 23, in the Ed and Carolyn Boling University Center. Pictured from the meeting is newly elected advisory board chair Hal Bynum. Outgoing chair Art Sparks has served as the board’s only chair since its creation.
