GIVING

Matching Gifts

CREATING AN UNPARALLELED STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Our goal is to help students stay on track, find community, and thrive after graduation. A personalized approach for students opens new opportunities, making the UT experience even more accessible and transformative.

Matt Hudson, Assistant Professor in the School of Natural Resources, teaches rope climbing to high school students attending the Tennessee Leadership Summit held by Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation and the Herbert College of Agriculture

STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Nina Puckett, the inaugural recipient of the Charlie and Mattie Elrod Internship, hopes to return full-time to UT Extension after graduating in 2026. Pictured, from left, Marilyn Elrod, Puckett, and Bobbie Elrod.

Small Farms and Big Dreams

The Charlie and Mattie Elrod Internship Endowment supports small farms in Tennessee.

Lindsey Babbitt interned at the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center and worked alongside faculty such as Heather Kelly, Extension plant pathologist.

Professional Pathways

Programs and departments within Herbert and other areas of the institute offer internships, and some students receive course credit.

Construction science and management senior Nicholas Dunn stands in front of Pons Aemilius, the oldest stone bridge in Rome built in the second century BC

Built to Last

Herbert construction science and management students go to Italy to study what still stands—and why it matters for what they’ll build next.

With your support, we can:

Expand access and strengthen UT’s land-grant mission through scholarships.
Design unique honors experiences that keep high achievers in the state.
Develop servant leaders who help shape Tennessee and the world.
Provide hands-on experiences and networks that translate into successful careers.

With your partnership:

The UT Institute of Agriculture can set a new national standard for the student experience and ensure that every Volunteer has the chance to succeed and make a difference.

Ways to Support Students

Questions about giving?
Tom Looney
tlooney@utfi.org
865-974-8622

Questions about your estate?
Ashley Eshleman
aeshleman@utfi.org
865-974-5720

Invest in the lives of future Volunteers.

Gifts to the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture are made through and payable to the University of Tennessee Foundation, Inc. (UTFI), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)3 that manages all alumni, development, and philanthropic endeavors of the University of Tennessee and its related campuses and institutes.

MAKE A GIFT