John New’s gift to the University of Tennessee is a three-year pledge that will benefit a multitude of programs in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
When he attended a job interview 30 years ago by W.W. Armistead, the founding dean of the college, New was asked what he thought the new facility could do for the people and animals of Tennessee. Since then, New, who is the head of the college’s Department of Comparative Medicine, has addressed that question by helping the college institute many programs that are mutually beneficial to people and animals.
Among the more well-known are HABIT (Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee), CAIT (Companion Animal Initiative of Tennessee), veterinary social work and dog-bite prevention programs. With their gift in the Family Campaign, New and his wife Jane are providing financial resources for these and other programs that are helping answer Dean Armistead’s question and improving the quality of life for Tennessee’s people and its animals.
Their gift is part of the Campaign for Tennessee, a $1 billion fundraising effort that was officially launched on April 17 at the University of Tennessee.
The Campaign for Tennessee — the most ambitious effort in the university’s 214-year history — places UT among the ranks of the nation’s largest public and private institutions that have sought this level of private support.
The campaign, which launched its silent phase in 2005, will secure private gifts that, in turn, will contribute substantially to the distinct, but linked, campuses in the University of Tennessee system. Funds raised through the campaign will directly support the objectives of UT’s strategic plan, as outlined by UT President John Petersen. Among those objectives are improved student access and success, research and economic development, outreach and globalization.