It is an honor and privilege to serve as the President of the University of Tennessee Alumni Association. Thank you for all you do for our five campuses, the 47,000 students, thousands of faculty, staff & administrators, and more than 305,000 alumni. We are the University of Tennessee and proudly uphold the traditions of this great University system.
As the Federal Affairs Liaison for the Education Section of the American Physical Therapy Association, I took a course on effective lobbying strategies for Congress. Three steps were suggested that I think can be used as we deliver a united message about the value of higher education.
Storytelling is a Tennessee tradition made famous by volunteers like Davy Crockett and others. My story is similar to many of yours. My grandmother grew up in rural Polk County, deep in the hills of Tennessee. She attended school in a one room schoolhouse. At the completion of the eighth grade, because there was no high school, she stayed and helped the teacher with the children. Married at a young age, the couple became the proud parents of nine children. It was one of the younger children that forever changed this family. The infant daughter became gravely ill and there was not enough money to provide the necessary health care. The baby girl died before her first birthday. Tragedy struck multiple times. My grandmother was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, one of the most crippling of disorders and then abandoned by her husband and left to raise her children alone. She was a woman of great faith and believed that a brighter future could occur for her children through education. It is evident in the outcomes.
The miracle of this story is that all of the children graduated from high school and seven of the children attended college. Six completed their education with five earning graduate degrees. They dedicated their lives to education by becoming teachers, college professors, school librarians, and elementary school principals. Their leadership impacted thousands of children in our state.
Children who grow up in families with educated parents are more likely to graduate from college. I promised my grandmother that I would grow up and become a physical therapist so that I could help people just like her. Because of my education, for the past 28 years, I have had the pleasure of helping people whose lives have been forever changed by disease, traumatic events, and disability. My passion is now being fulfilled as I prepare the next generation of therapists.
The southern states face many educational challenges. Sixty percent of Tennessee ninth graders graduate from high school and only 15% of these ninth graders actually graduate from college. Thus, it is not surprising that the state of Tennessee ranks 47th in the nation for adults with college degrees. In some of our rural Tennessee counties, only 5% of the adults have a college education.
The impact is recognized in economic and healthcare challenges. People who don’t earn high school degrees earn roughly $10,000; high school graduates double their earning power while college graduates triple to quadruple it.
People with limited incomes often lack health insurance and delay access until facing a significant crisis. It should come as no surprise to you that the 2006 Health Rankings by state listed Tennessee #47. An even more telling finding by the Kaiser Foundation reveals Tennessee is ranked #1 in the nation for prescription drug use: 15.3 prescriptions per person per year.
I believe alumni can help with a major theme of the University’s strategic plan: improving student access and success in college. First, I want you to share your stories about how education changed your life and the life of your family. Volunteer to share your story in alumni meetings, social and service organizations, and local schools (help with career fairs, speak to classes).
The Alumnus Magazine will be featuring some of your stories this year. Please share them with me (Debbie-Ingram@utc.edu ).
The second thing I want to ask you to do is serve as a mentor to high school or college students and help them stay on track in their pursuit of education. You can make a difference in their lives.
Lastly, I think as alumni leaders we need to financially support the University. Our alumni association annually provides $1 million in scholarships to attract the best and brightest students to our campuses.
We must do all we can to change a generation of Tennessee families.
Visit our web site often for the latest UTAA news and events. Get more involved by becoming active in one of our 117 alumni chapters.
