Student success through Community Engagement

University of Memphis

The University of Memphis (U of M), established in 1912, is a metropolitan research university located in Memphis, TN. As an institution, the University is focused on providing learner-centered educational experiences, along with the pursuit of knowledge through research, artistic expression, interdisciplinary and engaged scholarship.

Among the 13 colleges within the University and 40 departments, there are over 120 undergraduate majors and more than 180 graduate and professional degree programs. The 

U of M houses 25 Chairs of Excellence and five state-approved Centers of Excellence, which is the largest number in Tennessee. As of Fall 2017, the University had 17,394 undergraduate students, 4,127 graduate students comprising a total of 21,521 students. Of that population, there were 6,426 minority students, 562 non-resident alien students, 127 unspecified, and 7,161 white students. The U of M also reports a 75.9% first-year retention rate and a 43.6% six-year graduation rate with a six-year graduation rate including transfer-out students of 48.2%.  Cohorts include all first-time, full-time, degree-seeking freshmen who initially matriculated in a fall term or began their studies in the summer. This includes students who entered with advanced standing (college credit earned before graduation from high school). Within campus settings, the U of M funds and supports over 250 registered student organizations, offering students a wide range of opportunities to be involved on campus. 

As a metropolitan university, the U of M exhibits multiple forms of engagement within an urban and regional setting. This engagement takes the form of educational programming and  research with service connections in social, cultural, and economic development. 

As examples of the social connection, the U of M is home to The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change and The Center for Research on Women. Both are recognized for research and efforts regarding social justice issues. As a partner with the main campus neighborhood, the University Neighborhood Development Corporation has assisted in producing over $500,000,000 in area housing and commercial development investments. 

As examples of the cultural aspect of community engagement, residents of Soulsville, USA, partnered with U of M faculty members and students on a range of projects building on the neighborhood’s role in a major U.S. artistic form, soul music, for revitalization of the area.  One project, the Memphis Slim Collaboratory, is the recipient of multiple national architectural and music awards for engagement and artistic preservation. Similarly, partnering with the Vance Avenue Collaborative, University faculty and students helped create the Green Machine Mobile Food Market, providing high quality fruits and vegetables to seventy Memphis communities lacking a full-service supermarket.  In other areas of culture, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra is relocating to the U of M providing enhanced opportunities for cultural program development. And an academic specialization in Globalization, Development and Culture offers specializations in Community Development, Environmental Justice and Sustainability and Cultural Heritage and Identity.

As the home of the international headquarters of the Federal Express Corporation, Memphis is a hub in the international movement of goods with non-stop connections to all continents. U of M connections to the global economy include the on-campus FedEx Institute of Technology and the Crews Center for Entrepreneurship for development of applications of the Institute’s discoveries.  Other connections to international logistics include the Intermodal Freight Transportation Institute. The University has partnered with the City of Memphis Urban Fellows Program providing student urban research and technical assistance to the community.  Clinical services are provided to the community through programs like the University’s Speech and Hearing Center. Additionally, the U of M is recognized as one of the top ten institutions in the U.S. for the size and quality of its student internship programs.

Programs being evaluated

  • TRIO
  • First Scholars
  • Academic Coaching for Excellence (ACE)
  • Strengthening Communities Initiative (SCI)

Example demographics

  • Founded in 1912
  • Metropolitan research university
  • One of three comprehensive doctoral-extensive research universities in Tennessee
  • With an enrollment of over 21,000 students, it awards more than 3,000 degrees annually
  • 13 Colleges and 40 Departments
  • Houses 25 Chairs of Excellence and five state-approved Centers of Excellence, the largest number in Tennessee
  • Campus is comprised of 1,607 acres and 239 buildings at eight sites
  • Mission:
    • Provide learner-centered educational experiences 
    • Pursue knowledge through research, artistic expression, interdisciplinary and engaged scholarship

Information about campus community

  • Strengthening Communities Initiative
  • University Neighborhood Development Corporation Partner
  • University Memphis Design Collaborative
  • Center for Sustainable Design
  • Public Safety Institute
  • Ecological Research Center
  • School for Urban Affairs and Public Policy

What characterizes your community?

  • Main campus located in a 1.3 million population metropolitan setting
  • Multiple sites throughout metropolitan setting
  • Satellite campus 90 miles away in Jackson, Tennessee
  • Significant underserved student enrollments
    • 43% minority enrollment 
    • 37% Pell eligible
    • 29% First generation students
  • Multiple community social justice, community service and economic development initiatives and connections
    • Social justice
      • Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change
      • Center for Research on Women
      • Center for Economic Education
    • Community Service
      • Community Engagement and Campus Partnerships
      • Institute for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership
      • Civic Engagement Board
    • Economic development
      • FedEx Institute of Technology
      • Crews Center for Entrepreneurship
      • Intermodal Freight Transportation Institute

Campus and student demographics

General campus (Office of Institutional Research | Resources for prospective students)

  • More than 120 undergraduate majors
  • More than 180 graduate and professional degree programs.
  • More than 250 student organizations

Fall 2017 University of Memphis student demographics

  • 17,394 undergraduate students
  • 4,127 graduate students
  • 21,521 total students
  • 28.3% four-year graduation rate
  • 43.6% six-year graduation rate
  • 75.9% first-year retention rate
  • Full-time enrollment for students by ethnicity: 14,276
    • Unspecified: 127
    • Alaskan: 2
    • Am Indian: 38
    • Asian: 509
    • Black: 4,588
    • Hispanic: 740
    • White: 7,161
    • Pacific Islander: 9
    • Multi Race: 540
    • Non-Resident Alien: 562
  • Full-time students: 14,276
  • Part-time students: 7,245
  • Male Full-time: 6,066
  • Female Full-time: 8,210
  • First-time freshmen
    • 2,669 total
    • Minority Students: 1,402
    • White: 1,198
    • Unspecified: 69

Other resources

Student community engagement opportunities

Community Partnerships

Health

Community revitalization

Education

Economic development