John D. Tickle helped engineer a better college of engineering and now it is being named after him.
The UT College of Engineering was renamed the John D. Tickle College of Engineering on Nov. 3 during an inaugural ceremony commemorating John D. Tickle himself and his support for the UT engineering community.
The college is being renamed after a gift that will allow the creation of the Tickle Graduate Fellows program to fund doctoral students, new professorships and the creation of a team of professional advisors.
John D. Tickle graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1965 with a degree in engineering. Tickle addressed the crowd at the event, giving his take on the importance of promoting a strong engineering school at UT.
“Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have thought that I would have a school named after me,” Tickle said. “It’s about the alumni, the students, the faculty and the staff that help support this school. I just want to ask all of you to not let me down. Keep making this school go far.”
The naming of the College of Engineering after John D. Tickle is only the second time a college program at UT was named after a donor, the other one being the college of business named after James A. Haslam II in 2014.
Engineering Professor and Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs Masood Parang opened the ceremony.
“This is a historic day,” Parang said. “This is a very unique event, it’s quite rare for a college to be named twice.”
Dean of the College of Engineering Wayne Davis also spoke at the ceremony, explaining that the college has grown to have 4,300 students and now has the largest freshman class than ever before.
Mary McBride, senior in the College of Engineering with a focus in chemical engineering, spoke on behalf of her fellow students.
“I am honored to represent the engineering students here at UT during this exceptional time for our college,” she said. “I thank John and Ann Tickle for this wonderful gift bestowed upon our program. There are many strides we will take based on their support. We will expand our faculty numbers and put more resources into the recruitment of engineering students.”
UT Chancellor Jimmy Cheek also attended the event, touching on the importance of donors like John and Ann Tickle for the college.
“This is certainly a historic day for UT and the College of Engineering,” Cheek said. “John and his family have been active in the UT community ever since John graduated from UT. We’re very proud to have the Tickle name permanently associated with the College of Engineering. This day signifies the growth, commitment and health of UT’s College of Engineering.”
The John D. Tickle College of Engineering was officially named on Nov. 3, 2016.
