University of Tennessee President Tours Rural High Schools to Boost College Enrollment
Randy Boyd, President of the University of Tennessee System, recently completed a two-week tour visiting 16 rural high schools across the state. This initiative aims to encourage more rural students to consider higher education, particularly at the University of Tennessee. Boyd's visits are part of a broader effort to address the historical underrepresentation of rural students in college recruitment and enrollment. During his tour, Boyd emphasized the affordability of a UT education and highlighted that fewer than 50 percent of UT graduates leave with debt. He also informed students about the option of attending UT campuses closer to their hometowns to mitigate room and board costs. This outreach strategy seeks to change the perception among some rural communities and school leaders that college is not a viable path for their students. The tour included appearances by UT alumni from the respective high schools and chancellors from nearby UT campuses, with the distribution of UT merchandise to students.
