The University of Tennessee Southern

History of the University

The University of Tennessee Southern was previously Martin Methodist College, bearing the name of Thomas Martin, who provided for the establishment of a "school for girls" in Giles County, Tennessee. Martin gave the original endowing gift of $30,000 in stocks and additional funds for buildings and grounds through a provision in his will in 1870. His bequest was the fulfillment of a dream of his daughter Victoria, who, before her death at the age of twenty, requested that her father establish a school for young women. The first graduating class, in 1874, was composed of four young women: Emma Bramlette, Mildred Ezell, Mollie McBride, and Mamie Wilson.

Martin, the son of a Methodist minister, was born in 1799 and moved to Pulaski, as a young man. He possessed unusual business acumen and made his mark in the business world early in life, soon becoming a millionaire. A friend of President James K. Polk of nearby Columbia, he was once offered the position of United States Treasurer. Martin served as president of the Nashville and Decatur Railroad and as president of a local savings bank; an influential political figure in the region, he was a loyal member of the Methodist Church in Pulaski. The College moved to its current location in 1875, on seven acres purchased from Governor John C. Brown for $16,000. For many years the College was operated as a four-year boarding college for women, with an elementary division for the children and young people of Pulaski. Many persons of influence are numbered among its illustrious graduates. Its first building stood near the current site of Martin Hall. As the College grew, new facilities were added and the site of the campus expanded.

In 1908, an agreement was reached whereby the Board of Trustees transferred the College to the Tennessee Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The name was changed from Martin Female College to Martin College, and financial support for the institution, as well as its influence, began to increase. In 1938, the College became coeducational. The number of male students has grown until the student body shows a ratio of approximately half women and half men. As the College grew, adjoining property was purchased and added to the campus.

In 1983, the College constructed the Curry Athletic Complex from the proceeds of a capital funds campaign. It is now used by the campus and community.

In April 1986, the Board of Trustees added the word “Methodist” to the College’s name, affirming Martin’s strong ties to The United Methodist Church and clearly affirming the undergirding values of the Wesleyan tradition.

Martin Methodist College became a four-year institution beginning with the 1993-94 academic year. In 2015, graduate programs were added, first the MBA and then the M.S. in Criminal Justice (2020). 

The College purchased the antebellum home of former Governor John C. Brown in 1995, located on the east side of the campus adjacent to Upperman Hall. Damaged by age, fire, and winds, the home has been reconstructed and is now known as Herbert and Grace Grissom Colonial Hall, using as much of the original material from the old structure as possible. The building houses admissions and other administrative offices, reception and meeting rooms, and the Senator Ross Bass Archives.

In 1998, the College purchased 44 acres 1.5 miles east of the main campus and developed an athletic complex. 

In April 1999, the Turner Center was established as part of its mission as a church- related institution of higher education. Currently, The Turner Center for Rural Vitality serves to create collaborations among state, regional, and local leaders, businesses, non-profits, and faith communities to find creative solutions to support healthy communities and resilient economies. 

In 2017, the Reveille House (c. 1868) was added  to house the offices of the Chancellor, Advancement, and Alumni Affairs.

Like Charles Dickens' two-volume masterpiece A Tale of Two Cities, at 11:59 p.m. on June 30, 2021, Martin Methodist College closed the back cover of Volume I, the first 151 illustrious years. At midnight, July 1,that same evening, Volume II began, the pages waiting to be written. As Dickens said, "It was the best of times." As a campus of the University of Tennessee System, the University of Tennessee Southern has greatly expanded the affordability, accessibility, and capacity of our mission in southern Middle Tennessee.

Campus and Buildings

The architecture of the campus is contemporary. Martin Hall (1957) houses classrooms; the nursing, public health education, and business programs; the Warren Wilson Room for lectures and dinners; and a 500-plus seat auditorium that also serves as The Martin, Pulaski’s only first-run movie theater.

The Dr. W. Harold Andrews Science Building (1959) houses classrooms, laboratories, and office space for biology, chemistry, and physics, and features a large lecture room. It underwent extensive remodeling in 2018-2021.

The D. W. Johnston Center (1975) contains 16 classrooms, 16 faculty offices, and the Warden Memorial Library. This building is the center of the educational activities for the University.

The Virginia and Thomas Gault Fine Arts Center, the result of a major renovation completed in the fall of 2009, was originally constructed in 1931 as the University's gymnasium, serving in various functions until the 1990s. The renovated facility contains a 124-seat recital hall, an art gallery, offices, and classrooms for art and music, including a music technology lab. The Gault Center also houses a fleet of Steinway pianos, making UT Southern only the 86th “All-Steinway School” in the world, one of the smallest institutions to earn that designation.

The Starnes Student Union Building (1968; remodeled 2018) contains the University's dining hall, the Firehawk Cafe, student mailboxes, and space for student gatherings, indoor and outdoor.

The Curry Athletic Complex (1983), which sits atop the hill on the western edge of the campus, houses a gymnasium, an indoor pool, an indoor track, weight room, racquetball courts, a cardio room, sports medicine training room, intercollegiate volleyball courts, and other physical education facilities. The Grissom Natatorium underwent a $1 million renovation in 2008.

The Grissom Gazebo, located at the east end of the Campus Green, is used for graduations, concerts, theatrical performances, and other outdoor events.

Herbert and Grace Grissom Colonial Hall (2002), located beside Upperman Hall, houses administrative offices, including Admissions, Financial Aid, Business Office, Academic Affairs, Registrar and Academic Advising, Career Services and Vocational Discernment, and Human Resource Office.

The Turner Center is located across the street from Criswell Hall in what was formerly known as the Owens House. Religion and Philosophy faculty also have offices there.

The Student Resource Center is located on the southwestern edge of the campus, near the Curry Athletic Complex. Originally a private residence, the building was completely renovated in 2004.

The University Clinic is located on the northwestern edge of the campus, beside the student apartments. The clinic provides basic health care needs to students, faculty, staff and their families.

The East Campus is unique among athletic facilities in our region, supported by a 14,000 square foot indoor practice facility. Located a mile and a half from the main campus, it consists of 46 acres containing lighted soccer, baseball, and softball game fields plus practice, intramural fields, and coaches' offices.

The Jacquelyn D. Guthrie Student Life Center is home to the Student Food Bank, student meeting and lounge spaces, commuter lounge, lockers, and a kitchen, as well as the offices of Events,  Residential Life, Student Organizations; Student Activities and Intramurals; Civic Engagement; Title IX; Access and Engagement; and the Dean of Students

Reveille (1868), located next to Upperman Hall, was bought and renovated in 2017; it now houses the Chancellor's Office as well as Offices of Advancement, Alumni Affairs, and Strategic Marketing and Communication.

The Justice House (renovated in 2019) houses a classroom, faculty offices, Campus Security, the crime scene lab, and a student lounge.

UT Southern offers four residence halls: Upperman Hall, Criswell Hall, Student Apartments, and Oakwood Apartments.

Presidents of Martin Methodist College

Chancellors of the University of Tennessee Southern