UTM was recently notified that four programs housed in the departments of English, Health and Human Performance and Agriculture and Natural Resources will receive funds totalling more than $120,000.

The National Writing Project will continue to fund, for the 12th year, the “West Tennessee Writing Project” (totaling $101,159) under the direction of Dr. Margrethe Ahlschwede, professor in the Department of English.

Dr. Paul Blair, chair and associate professor in the Department of Health and Human Performances, will direct the activities of the “Health Science Education” program funded by the Tennessee Department of Education Division of Vocational Technical Education for a total program amount of $8,668.

Funding for the “Promotion of Agricultural Tags to High School Agricultural Students in West Tennessee” project, under the direction of Dr. Joey Mehlhorn, associate professor in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is derived solely from the sale of the Tennessee “Ag Tag” specialty license plate and provided by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Development Fund in the total amount of $5,060.

The “UT Martin Arboretum Project,” funded through the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry, will be directed by Dr. Phillip Smartt, assistant professor in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The total amount of this project will be $9,960.

The “Arboretum Development Project” will allow for the improvement of a section of the UT Martin campus known as the Quad. The 10.5 acres quad was designed as a common area and is circled by the campus academic and administration buildings. Several of the trees in the quad have been damaged in recent years from lightning, pests and mowing equipment.

The end result of the project is to assist UT Martin in receiving arboretum status from the Tennessee Division of Forestry so that at least 30 different tree species located in the Quad will receive ID signs.