The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, often referred to simply as the “University of Tennessee” or “UT,” is a public land-grant university and the flagship university of the University of Tennessee System. ¹

Leadership and Governance

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, often referred to simply as the “University of Tennessee” or “UT”, is the state’s flagship public university.  ¹ It is part of the University of Tennessee System, which includes five universities and two statewide institutes. ²

In 2018, the UT System’s governance was overhauled with the state legislature’s passage of the FOCUS Act.  ³  The law restructured the system’s Board of Regents of 22 appointed members and five ex-officio members down to an appointed board of 10 voting members and one ex-officio member, the state’s commissioner of agriculture. ³ All members of the Board of Regents are appointed by the governor, with some seats designated for residents of specific areas of the state or alumni of the university system. ³

UT-Knoxville is managed on a day-to-day basis by a chancellor selected by the Board of Regents. Chancellor Donde Plowman has been in that role since 2019. ⁴

Controversies

Charlie Kirk Facebook Post

In September 2025, UT assistant professor Tamar Shirinian posted about the murder of right-of-center activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on her personal Facebook page.  ⁵ Among other comments, she reportedly wrote, “The world is better off without him in it” and “his kids are better off living in a world without a disgusting psychopath like him.” ⁵

In February 2026, UT chancellor Donde Plowman dismissed Shirinian from her position as an anthropology professor.  ⁵  In a letter to Shirinian, she explained, “If your message had advocated a political position or engaged in civil debate, I would have a different perspective. Instead, your words celebrated a gruesome murder, which horrifically took place on a college campus similar to our own.”  ⁵

Shirinian disputed Plowman’s intentions, claiming, “You know as well as I do that my termination is a result of political pressure that you experienced […] My termination is viewpoint discrimination as well as political retaliation.” ⁶ She sued the university over her termination, claiming violation of her First Amendment rights. ⁷

Handling of Pro-Palestinian Encampments and Anti-Jewish Rhetoric

On May 2, 2024, activists associated with the left-of-center pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel group Students for Justice in Palestine constructed an encampment on the University of Tennessee campus. ⁸

The university warned participants that if they remained in the encampment after 9 p.m. that evening they would be in violation of university policy and that they would be arrested. Beginning at 9:15 p.m., university police began arresting protestors who would not leave the encampment.  ⁸

UT police arrested nine protestors that evening and ultimately arrested 11 people in total in conjunction with the encampments. ⁸ Seven of the arrestees were reportedly students at UT, while the other four were unaffiliated with the university. ⁹ The seven students who were arrested also reportedly faced disciplinary action by the university’s student conduct board. ⁹

In May 2025, two of the protestors filed suit against UT, the University of Tennessee System, and university regents and executives claiming their First Amendment rights had been violated and that the university had engaged in viewpoint discrimination against them. ¹⁰

Two months later, a Knox County grand jury returned indictments for criminal trespass against the 11 protestors. ¹¹ County prosecutors dismissed those charges in October 2025 after the defendants completed 100 hours of community service. ¹²

Participation in Chinese Scholarship Program

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville was a participant in the China Scholarship Council program, through which the university and the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) jointly funded scholarship programs for Chinese nationals to attend the university’s master’s and Ph.D. programs. ¹³

In July 2025, members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent letters to UT and eight other universities that were participating in the China Scholarship Council, warning them that the program was in effect a mechanism for espionage and was harmful to U.S. interests. ¹⁴ U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) characterized the program as “a CCP-managed technology transfer effort that exploits U.S. institutions and directly supports China’s military and scientific growth.”  ¹⁴

UT ended its participation in the Chinese program shortly after receiving the letter, which reportedly impacted three Chinese students.  ¹³

Compliance with Anti-DEI Policies

In July 2025, UT faced questions from U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and other federal and state officials after undercover videos captured UT staff members stating that left-of-center diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and programs remained in place at UT despite state and federal policies calling for the elimination of DEI in public universities. ¹⁵

Chancellor Donde Plowman responded to Blackburn that the university staffers’ comments misrepresented the university’s policies, and that UT complied with “the spirit and the letter” of all applicable laws. ¹⁶

Trump Administration Civics Education Program

UT operates the Institute of American Civics, which was created by the Tennessee legislature to promote civics education, public participation, and civil discourse in the state. ¹⁷

In October 2025, the U.S. Department of Education awarded a grant of more than $2 million to the IAC program to support the distribution of the IAC’s civics curriculum materials to K-12 classrooms in Tennessee as part of a broader Trump administration initiative to support civics education. ¹⁸

1. “Quick Facts.” University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Accessed March 19, 2026. https://www.utk.edu/about/quick-facts.
2. “Home.” The University of Tennessee System. Accessed March 19, 2026. https://tennessee.edu/.
3. “Bill Information” Tennessee General Assembly. Accessed March 19, 2026. https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default?BillNumber=HB2115&ga=110
4. “About the Chancellor.” Office of the Chancellor. Accessed March 19, 2026. https://chancellor.utk.edu/about-the-chancellor/.
5. Morgan-Rumsey, Camruinn. “UT Knoxville Chancellor Fired Assistant Professor over Charlie Kirk Comment in February, Letter Says.” https://www.wvlt.tv, March 18, 2026. https://www.wvlt.tv/2026/03/18/ut-knoxville-chancellor-fired-assistant-professor-over-charlie-kirk-comment-february-letter-says/.
6. Hollingsworth, Matt. “Former UT Knoxville Professor Fired after Charlie Kirk Comments.” WATE-TV, March 18, 2026. https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-news/former-ut-knoxville-professor-fired-after-charlie-kirk-comments/.
7. McAlee, Hope. “UT Professor Suspended over Charlie Kirk Comments Sues, Alleges 1st Amendment Rights Violated.” WATE-TV, October 30, 2025. https://www.wate.com/news/top-stories/ut-professor-suspended-over-charlie-kirk-comments-sues-alleges-1st-amendment-rights-violated/.
8. Webster, Dominic. “Pro-Palestinian Demonstrations Continue on University of Tennessee, Knoxville Campus.” WATE-TV, May 3, 2024. https://www.wate.com/news/top-stories/pro-palestinian-demonstrations-continue-on-university-of-tennessee-campus/.
9. Smith, Shea. “After Arrests at Nonviolent Pro-Palestinian Demonstration, 7 UT Students to Face Discipline by Conduct Board.” WBIR-TV, May 3, 2024. https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/possible-punishments-following-pro-palestinian-demonstrators/51-deff24d0-a2a0-4795-9227-e811a619666c.
10. Salvemini, Chris. “Pro-Palestinian Advocates File First Amendment Lawsuit against UT, a Year after Arrests Stemming from Nakba Day Vigil.” WBIR-TV, May 15, 2025. https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/lawsuit-filed-against-university-of-tennessee-after-arrests-of-pro-palestinian-advocates/51-1810f93d-5d92-4287-b916-d255d8d76743.
11. Duke, Michael. “Ut Protesters Indicted for Anti-Israel Encampment, Defense Blames ‘Trump Era.’” Campus Reform, July 7, 2025. https://www.campusreform.org/article/ut-protesters-indicted-anti-israel-encampment-defense-blames-trump-era/28167.
12. Dennis, Angela. “Knox County Drops Criminal Charges for Pro-Palestinian Protesters at University of Tennessee • Tennessee Lookout.” Tennessee Lookout, October 4, 2025. https://tennesseelookout.com/briefs/knox-county-drops-criminal-charges-for-pro-palestinian-protesters-at-university-of-tennessee/.
13. Hollingsworth, Matt. “University of Tennessee, Knoxville Ends Agreement with Chinese Scholarship Program.” WATE-TV, July 17, 2025. https://www.wate.com/news/education-schools/university-of-tennessee-ends-agreement-with-chinese-scholarship-program/.
14. Binkley, Collin. “Republicans Urge US Universities to Cut Ties with China-Backed Scholarship Program.” Associated Press, July 9, 2025. https://www.mypanhandle.com/news/national-news/ap-republicans-urge-us-universities-to-cut-ties-with-nefarious-chinese-backed-scholarship-program/.
15. Maffei, Johnny. “Investigations Launched at Tennessee Universities after Covert Dei Videos Surface.” WZTV, July 30, 2025. https://fox17.com/news/local/investigations-launched-at-tennessee-universities-after-covert-dei-videos-surface.
16. Thomas, Keenan. “‘Access … Is Not Dei’: University of Tennessee Addresses Blackburn after Secret Recording.” Knoxville News Sentinel, July 25, 2025. https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/education/2025/07/25/university-of-tennessee-donde-plowman-replies-to-marsha-blackburn-after-secret-dei-recording/85365134007/.
17. “Institute of American Civics.” Baker School, May 12, 2025. https://baker.utk.edu/research-centers/institute-of-american-civics/.
18. Estep, Stacy. “US Department of Education Awards over $2 Million to UT’s Institute of American Civics.” University of Tennessee, Knoxville, October 16, 2025. https://news.utk.edu/2025/10/16/us-department-of-education-awards-over-2-million-to-uts-institute-of-american-civics/.