The University of Tennessee
Founded in 1794 as Blount College, the first nonsectarian college west of the Appalachians, The University of Tennessee today is the state's largest university and Land-Grant institution with about 17,000 undergraduates, 7,500 graduate and professional students, and a faculty of 1,600. Bachelors degrees are offered in over 150 fields, masters degrees in 85, and doctoral degrees in 52.
Although a program entitled "chemical engineering" appeared in the University of Tennessee catalog as early as 1905, true chemical engineering courses were not offered until 1934, first in the Department of Chemistry and two years later in a separate Department of Chemical Engineering. The first Chemical faculty member was Robert M. Boarts, a Ph.D. graduate of the University of Michigan and student of the legendary W.L. Badger. The Masters program was begun in 1935 and the Ph.D. program in 1949 as the first doctoral program in engineering offered by any institution in Tennessee. The undergraduate program in chemical engineering received its initial accreditation from the Engineers' Council for Professional Development (now known as ABET, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) in 1939, making it one of the first four chemical engineering programs in the South to receive accreditation. (Programs at Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech were accredited in 1938, while those at Tennessee and Louisiana State were accredited in 1939). The program has been continuously accredited since that time. The Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department has had only five Heads in its 58-year history: Dr. Robert M. Boarts (1936-1960), Dr. Homer F. Johnson (1960-1984), Dr. Joseph J. Perona (1984-1990), Dr. John W. Prados (1990-1993), and Dr. Charles F. Moore (1993-present).
In accordance with the University's overall mission as a Land-Grant institution, the department has the threefold mission to:
- provide excellence in chemical engineering education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels,
- provide a strong research program which fortifies the educational process and which advances engineering knowledge, and,
- serve industries in Tennessee and the nation by providing educational opportunities for practicing engineers, research services, and technical assistance.
The University of Tennessee is located in Knoxville near the headwaters of the Tennessee river and roughly in the center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee. The main range of the Appalachian Mountains lies 40 miles to the southeast, with the Cumberland Plateau about he same distance to the northwest. Within an hour's drive are six Tennessee Valley Authority lakes and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Knoxville metropolitan area has a population of 600,000 but enjoys a pleasant, generally uncrowded atmosphere and consistently ranks among the nation's top ten metropolitan areas in surveys on quality of life. East Tennessee has a four-season climate, ranging from summer temperatures in the 90's to winter temperatures cold enough for snow skiing in nearby mountain resorts.
For further information about The University of Tennessee, visit their home page.