News from UT

The Reach and Impact of UT Turfgrass Alumni

By Dr. Becky Bowling

(Follow me @TNTurfWoman, Follow us @UTTurfgrass)

Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, University of Tennessee

In October 2023, the UT Turfgrass program launched its UT Turfgrass Alumni network. A brief questionnaire has been used to create a visualizable, public-facing University of Tennessee Turfgrass Alumni map to showcase the reach of UT Turfgrass alumni across the globe and within the industry (Figure 1). Links to the live map and questionnaire are provided at the end of this article. The network allowed us to collect information about our impressive alumni, which we thought may be interesting and fun to share here with our Tennessee turfgrass industry.

Figure 1. University of Tennessee Turfgrass Alumni Network depicting the distribution of alumni that have joined the network as of March 2023.

Educational Achievement

The network includes alumni who may have received multiple degrees from UT. To date, 118 alumni have joined the network, with 108 earning a bachelor’s degree, 15 earning a master’s degree, and 10 earning a PhD between 1971 and 2023. Figure 2 depicts trends in graduation numbers among alumni that have joined the network so far. Approximately 74% alumni members majored in Plant Sciences, roughly 21% majored in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design, and the remaining 5% pursued other majors like Ag Business with a minor in turf.

Figure 2. Number of graduates each year between 1974 and 2023 based on current membership of the UT Turfgrass Alumni Network.

Industry Impact

Network members were asked whether they were willing to share the sector of the industry they work in. Exactly 50% of all members work in the golf industry, while 8.5% work in sports field management, 3.4% work in community turf management (schools, parks, etc.), 2.5% work in lawn and landscape, 3.4% work in turfgrass production, 11.9% work in product sales and distribution, 6.8% work in research and development, 7.6% work in academia, and all remaining respondents work in other areas. This breakdown is depicted in Figure 3, while the geographic distribution of industry impact is shown in Figure 4.

Figure 3. Distribution of UT Turfgrass Alumni Network members across key sectors of the turfgrass industry.

Figure 4. Geographic distribution of UT Turfgrass Alumni Network members and the primary industry sector with which they identify.

Looking Ahead

The network will create new opportunities for alumni to see and connect with each other, while also providing a reliable mechanism for our UT Turfgrass program to engage alumni in news, events, and other opportunities to stay involved in our program in the future. We look forward to staying connected and keeping track of alumni as they advance in their careers and leave their mark on the global turfgrass industry.

Vols in Turf

University of Tennessee Turfgrass alumni are also encouraged to check out Vols in Turf, the University of Tennessee Turfgrass Science Program Alumni Foundation. Founded as a 501(c)(3) in 2021 by motivated alumni seeking to connect with and support former, current, and future program graduates. Visit their website at https://volsinturf.square.site or follow them on X @TurfVols

Relevant Links

UT Turfgrass Alumni Network Map:

https://myutk.maps.arcgis.com/apps/ instant/basic/index.html?appid=78909f2f924440979051603c89f3718a

Join the network here:

https://arcg.is/0WPjCW