Tennessee Technological University

Tennessee Technological University, popularly known as Tennessee Tech, is an accredited public university located in Cookeville, Tennessee, US, a city approximately seventy miles (110 km) east of Nashville. It was formerly known as Tennessee Polytechnic Institute (1915), and before that as Dixie College, the name under which it was founded as a private institution in 1909. It places special emphasis on undergraduate education in fields related to engineering and technology, although degrees in education, liberal arts, agriculture, nursing, and other fields of study can be pursued as well. Additionally, there are graduate offerings in engineering, education, business, and the liberal arts. It is operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents, and its athletic teams compete in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Tennessee Tech is ranked among the Top 8 Public Schools in the South in U.S. News & World Report's 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, & 2012 editions of "America's Best Colleges." It was also ranked among the Top Public Schools in the South in the 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006 college guides. The Princeton Review also listed TTU as a "Best College Value" in 2006 and 2007. TTU is one of "America's 100 Best College Buys" as reported by Institutional Research & Evaluation, Inc. in 2006.

As of the 2011 fall semester, Tennessee Tech enrolls over 11,768 students (9,920 undergraduate and 1,848 graduate students), and its campus has 87 buildings on 235 acres (0.95 km²) centered along Dixie Avenue in north Cookeville. The average class size is twenty six students and the student to faculty ratio is 18:1. Less than one percent of all classes are taught by teaching assistants with the rest of the classes being taught by professors. The ethnic breakdown of the undergraduate student population is: 88.2% White/Caucasian, 4.1% African American, 1.5% Asian/Pacific Islander, 1.3% Hispanic, 0.3% American Indian/Alaskan Native, and 4.6% Other.

Educational or Administrative



 * Roaden University Center (RUC)
 * Bartoo Hall (Department of Curriculum and Instruction)
 * Brown Hall (Mechanical, Electrical, and Computer Engineering)
 * Bruner Hall (Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science)
 * Bryan Fine Arts (Music and Art)
 * Clement Hall (Basic Engineering)
 * Derryberry Hall (Administration, main auditorium)
 * Henderson Hall (English literature, History)
 * Johnson Hall (Business - named after past Business School Dean, Louis Johnson)
 * Kittrell Hall (Earth Sciences)
 * Lewis Hall (Industrial Technology)
 * T.J. Farr Building (Education, Psychology, and Honors Program)
 * Foster Hall (Chemistry)
 * Matthews Daniel Hall (Psychology, Sociology, Philosophy, & Political Science )
 * Pennebaker Hall (Biology)
 * Prescott Hall (Chemical, Civil, and Industrial Engineering)
 * South Hall (Agriculture and Human Ecology)
 * The Hooper Eblen Center ("The Hoop")
 * Volpe Library (named after past TTU President Angelo Volpe)
 * Whitson-Hester School of Nursing

Traditional halls

 * Browning Hall (Men's)
 * Cooper Hall (Coed)
 * Crawford Hall (Women's)
 * Dunn Hall (Coed)
 * Ellington Hall (Coed)
 * Evins Hall (Men's)
 * Jobe Hall (Business)
 * Maddox Hall (Engineering)
 * McCord Hall (Engineering)
 * MS Cooper Hall (Coed and international students)
 * Murphy Hall (Honors)
 * Pinkerton Hall (Coed)
 * Warf Hall (Coed)

Suites

 * New Hall North (Coed)
 * New Hall South (Coed)

Departments



 * Accounting & Law
 * Agriculture
 * Biology
 * Chemical Engineering
 * Chemistry
 * Civil and Environmental Engineering
 * Computer Science
 * Curriculum and Instruction
 * Decision Sciences & Management
 * Earth Sciences
 * Economics, Finance, and Marketing
 * Education
 * Electrical and Computer Engineering
 * English & Communications
 * Exercise Science, Physical Education and Wellness
 * Foreign Languages
 * History
 * Human Ecology
 * Industrial & Systems Engineering
 * Manufacturing & Industrial Technology
 * Mathematics
 * Mechanical Engineering
 * Music & Art
 * Nursing
 * Physics
 * Psychology
 * Sociology & Political Science
 * Web Design
 * World Cultures & Business

Programs

 * Cooperative Education
 * Educational Technology
 * Distance MBA
 * Honors
 * Military Science

Research Centers

 * Center for Energy Systems Research (CESR)
 * Center for Manufacturing Research (CMR)
 * Center for the Management Utilization & Protection of Water Resources
 * Center for Teaching & Learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM)
 * Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit (TNCFRU)

Athletics
Main article: Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles



The Tennessee Tech athletic program is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.

The school's teams are known as the Golden Eagles, the team colors are purple and gold, and the mascot is Awesome Eagle.

Honors Societies



 * Alpha Kappa Delta - Sociology
 * Alpha Kappa Psi - Business
 * Alpha Lambda Delta - Freshman
 * Alpha Mu Gamma - Foreign Languages
 * Alpha Psi Omega - Theatre
 * Beta Alpha Psi - Accounting, Finance, and Information Systems
 * Beta Beta Beta - Biology
 * Beta Gamma Sigma - Business
 * Chi Epsilon - Civil Engineering
 * Delta Tau Alpha - Agriculture
 * Eta Kappa Nu - Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering
 * Kappa Delta Pi - Education
 * Kappa Mu Epsilon - Mathematics
 * Kappa Omicron Nu - Human Ecology
 * Mortar Board - Senior
 * Omega Chi Epsilon - Chemical Engineering
 * Omicron Delta Epsilon - Economics
 * Omicron Delta Kappa - Leadership
 * Order of Omega - Greek system
 * Phi Alpha Theta - History
 * Phi Kappa Phi - Scholastic
 * Pi Kappa Delta - Speech and Debate
 * Pi Sigma Alpha - Political Science
 * Pi Tau Sigma - Mechanical Engineering
 * Psi Chi - Psychology
 * Scabbard and Blade - ROTC
 * Sigma Pi Sigma - Physics
 * Sigma Tau Delta - English
 * Sigma Theta Tau - Nursing
 * Tau Beta Pi - Engineering

Religious Organizations

 * Baptist Collegiate Ministries
 * Campus Outreach
 * Canterbury Club
 * Chi Alpha
 * Fellowship of Christian Athletes
 * Intervarsity Christian Fellowship
 * LDS Student Association
 * Newman Campus Ministry
 * Presbyterian Student Association
 * Reformed University Fellowship
 * Servants of Christ
 * University Christian Student Center
 * Wesley Foundation

Fraternities

 * Alpha Gamma Sigma
 * Alpha Phi Alpha
 * Kappa Alpha Order
 * Kappa Sigma
 * Kappa Kappa Psi
 * Omega Psi Phi
 * Phi Beta Sigma
 * Phi Delta Theta
 * Phi Gamma Delta
 * Pi Kappa Alpha
 * Pi Kappa Phi
 * Sigma Alpha Epsilon
 * Sigma Chi
 * Sigma Phi Epsilon
 * Tau Kappa Epsilon

Sororities

 * Alpha Delta Pi
 * Alpha Kappa Alpha
 * Delta Gamma
 * Delta Sigma Theta
 * Kappa Delta
 * Mu Phi Epsilon
 * Omega Phi Alpha
 * Phi Mu
 * Zeta Phi Beta

Chemistry

 * American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Undergraduate Affiliates Network
 * Chem-Med Club
 * Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society
 * The Institute for Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Experimental Studies (TILNICES)

Engineering

 * American Society of Mechanical Engineers
 * American Institute of Chemical Engineers
 * American Society of Civil Engineers
 * Institute of Transportation Engineers
 * Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
 * TTU Aviation Society
 * TTU Mini Baja Team

Decision Sciences

 * Association of Information Technology Professionals

Points of interest

 * Gerald D. Coorts Memorial Arboretum

Notable faculty

 * Phillip Barham, Professor of Saxophone; Internationally recognized saxophone performer and pedagogue.
 * Greg Danner, Professor of Music; composer
 * Michael M. Gunter, Professor of Political Science; Fulbright lecturer, authority on the Kurds and the Middle East.
 * Joseph Hermann, Director of Bands; President of the American Bandmasters Association.
 * R. Winston Morris - Professor of Tuba; innovator in the fields of tuba performance, education, and chamber music,

Notable alumni

 * Rodney Atkins, Country music singer
 * Jimmy Bedford, sixth master distiller at Jack Daniel's
 * Robert Burton, Sr., CEO of Cenveo, Inc.
 * Roger K. Crouch, NASA astronaut
 * Lincoln Davis, former U.S. congressman
 * Elois Grooms, former NFL player
 * Johnny H. Hayes, former TVA director and presidential campaign finance manager
 * Mike Hennigan, former NFL linebacker
 * Dwight Henry, former Tennessee state legislator and gubernatorial candidate
 * Bill Jenkins, former U.S. congressman
 * Andy Landers, women's basketball coach at the University of Georgia
 * Barbara McConnell, New Jersey state legislator
 * Kevin Murphy, NBA player for the Utah Jazz
 * Frank Omiyale, NFL player
 * David Simmons, Florida state senator
 * Ken Sparks, football coach at Carson-Newman College
 * Scott Stallings, professional golfer
 * Carl Stiner, former Commander in Chief of the United States Special Operations Command
 * Harry Stonecipher, former CEO of Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, and Sundstrand
 * Lonnie Warwick, former NFL player
 * Dottie West, country singer
 * Barry Wilmore, NASA astronaut and United States Navy test pilot
 * Jim Youngblood, former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins

Campus lore



 * "Dammit the Dog": a former university president once said "dammit" to a dog in front of a crowd. He covered by saying that was the dog's name.  The dog has his own tombstone, an operable fire hydrant, on TTU campus opposite Derryberry Hall.
 * T.J. Farr Building is one of the few buildings on campus not called "Hall." It is said this is because when you say "Farr Hall" in the South, people think you're referring to something other than an academic building, namely a Fire Hall.
 * The golden eagle atop Derryberry Hall was stolen by students from a hotel in Monteagle, Tennessee. After being retrieved by the owner of the hotel many different times, the hotel owner later donated the statue to the university. The governor officially pardoned the students involved.
 * The "Blizzard" is a tradition which started in 1984 when students celebrated the first successful shot made by Tennessee Tech in a basketball game against MTSU by throwing showers of "Tech Squares" (toilet paper) into the air. Since MTSU moved to the Sun Belt Conference, the Blizzard is now performed against Austin Peay State University.

The Tennessee Tech Hymn
The quiet hills stand steadfast 'round walls of russet brown.

On halls serene and campus green the smoky hills look down

And steadfast may I cherish what thou hast giv'n to me.

Oh Alma Mater Tennessee Tech, God prosper thee.

Deep purple stand the mountains and golden sets the sun.

We proudly wear these colors fair until our goal is won

We pledge thee faithful service, our love and loyalty.

Oh Alma Mater Tennessee Tech, God prosper thee.

Words and music by Joan Derryberry.