Tennessee universities, typically rivals, come together to encourage college enrollment

Ten public universities across Tennessee announced a joint campaign to promote awareness of the value of earning a four-year degree.

The consortium of schools kicked off its “Four the Future” campaign Tuesday that features billboards, TV spots and digital media. The campaign will also include community meetings across the state. The unifying theme of the campaign is emblazoned across all its ads: “Tennessee universities support Tennessee communities.”

“From Memphis to Mountain City, one of the hallmarks of Tennessee has always been our strong higher-education system, and this is an investment in our state,” UT System President Randy Boyd said in a campaign news release. “The goal of this alliance is to share that strength with everyone in the Volunteer State. From business owners to young adults, we want people to know the value of a degree from a public university in Tennessee.”

The campaign marks an unusual move for schools that typically compete for prospective students. It comes amid national declines in enrollment in colleges and universities, driven in part by the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, enrollment numbers are slowly beginning to rebound statewide, according to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.

The commission reported college-going rates dipped from 63.8% for the graduating high school class of 2017 to 52.8% for the class of 2021. The class of 2022 saw a slight increase with a 54.3% college-going rate. Data for the class of 2023 is not yet available. Public universities and community colleges saw a 2.2% bump in enrollment in Tennessee this fall. The University of Tennessee reported an all-time high enrollment, while several others posted significant gains.

‘A workforce crisis’

But the campaign is not just about enrollment — it’s also about workforce development and economic growth.

“We have a workforce crisis in our state and our country,” materials released by the campaign said. “At the same time that we need a more highly trained workforce, the number of students going to college is nationally declining.”

Around 70% of Tennessee business leaders said there are not enough appropriately trained workers for their needs, according to a 2022 survey by UT Knoxville’s Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research. Research also shows that earning a four-year degree can help boost the national economy and help degree holders earn and invest more, work in jobs with fewer safety hazards, forge valuable social connections and achieve economic mobility.

Financial aid awareness is also a key factor in the push by the schools, including a tuition program through Tennessee HOPE.

A look at the universities participating in the campaign

All public colleges and universities in Tennessee were invited to participate in the multiyear campaign. Here are the 10 that joined:

• Austin Peay State University (Clarksville)
• East Tennessee State University (Johnson City)
• Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro)
• Tennessee State University (Nashville)
• Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville)
• University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
• University of Tennessee Health Science Center (Memphis)
• University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• University of Tennessee, Martin
• University of Tennessee, Southern (Pulaski)

The campaign costs $1.5 million for its first phase, with each university contributing part of the cost in proportion with its enrollment. The University of Memphis is the only school that did not join the campaign.

“In light of our recently deployed Ascend Strategic Plan and the ongoing reorganizations occurring at our institution, the University of Memphis has opted not to participate in the statewide value of education campaign,” interim executive vice president for university relations Leah Jones said. “The UofM offers its support to the campaign and the participating institutions.”

What university leaders are saying about the campaign

The campaign shared input from several university presidents as their efforts got underway. Here’s some of what they had to say:

“Many of our students are the first in their families to go to college, and you can see the positive results through the stories of our graduates. They become business leaders, scientists, medical professionals, artists, engineers and government leaders. These graduates help our state and regional economies continue to thrive.”

-Michael Licari, president, Austin Peay State University

“East Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 with a singular purpose: to improve the quality of life for people in our region and beyond … Tennessee’s public universities are here to serve the people of this great state, and our higher-education system is among the best in the nation. At ETSU, we strive to make a positive impact in the lives of all Tennesseans, even those who never set foot on our campus.”

-Brian Noland, president, East Tennessee State University

“Tennessee State is proud to be a part of this first-of-its-kind campaign with the other public universities in the state … As a university that has a unique mission of ensuring equitable opportunities for students of color, we are proud to stand with our peers in this campaign. As Tennessee grows, it’s imperative that our students from all backgrounds take part in that growth.”

-Glenda Glover, president, Tennessee State University

“Tennessee’s public universities like Tennessee Tech are not simply preparing workers for jobs, we are preparing leaders for careers. When students entrust four years of their time and resources to Tennessee’s public universities, we multiply that to provide them the knowledge, skills and talents to last a lifetime … There is no better investment one can make in their future than a four-year public university degree.”

-Phil Oldham, president, Tennessee Tech University

“A bachelor’s degree increases the life trajectory of not only those who earn them, but also their families. That is why we are proud to be part of this unprecedented message, delivered loud and clear by our state’s leading public universities, of the great value, tremendous worth and tangible benefits of a four-year college degree.”

-Sidney A. McPhee, president, Middle Tennessee State University

Learn more

Information on the campaign, research and data on college enrollment and four-year degrees, and a wide variety of resources can be found at FourTheFutureTN.com.