Today is a momentous day for our shared initiative as we announce a historic partnership with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA).
Through UTIA, we gain an enterprise partner whose mission, values, and priorities align with those of the Tennessee RiverLine. For generations, UTIA has provided leadership for the state of Tennessee and the broader Tennessee River Valley to enhance the prosperity of our region, steward its natural and cultural resources, and improve the health of the diverse people who call it home.
This partnership between the Tennessee RiverLine and UTIA is a natural fit. The Tennessee RiverLine amplifies and innovates the Institute’s contemporary land grant mission, and builds on its legacy of education, outreach, and discovery. UTIA’s networks of extension and research personnel across Tennessee and its ability to engage with land grant university partners in Alabama, Kentucky, and Mississippi will build synergy between our complementary, mission-driven programs, expand capacity, and catalyze new investments that improve the quality of life in diverse river communities.
The Institute also offers a platform to continue engaging the faculty, students, and staff of the Herbert College of Agriculture, allied colleges, and disciplines across the UT Knoxville Campus, and universities across the region as creative resources for concept enrichment and research development. This includes the UT College of Architecture and Design and School of Landscape Architecture that are the genesis of the Tennessee RiverLine vision, and whose ongoing support are essential its fulfillment.
Since its inception, the Tennessee RiverLine has been powered by partnerships, and committed in the idea that we can accomplish something by working together that no one can accomplish alone. Through UTIA’s leadership, and with the sustained vision and ongoing support of our principal partners, UT Knoxville and Tennessee Valley Authority, we continue to exercise that power of partnerships to realize our aligned missions, shared priorities, and the vision for North America’s next great regional trail system.
Please join us in celebrating this momentous partnership and the impact it will have for all who seek to experience the Tennessee River for generations to come!
Brad Collett – Director, Tennessee RiverLine
Read the Official Announcement.
Visit the Tennessee RiverLine webpage.
Read Tennessee RiverLine, River Communities Complete Major Planning Milestone, from Chattanoogan.com.
(Image: TN RiverLine)