Give to the Department of Nutrition
Giving to the Department
The Department of Nutrition is grateful for the continued generosity of its many supporters. This generosity plays a large part in the department’s ability to provide financial support for our students and faculty. Interested parties may contribute to the department’s general enrichment fund or to more specialized funds.
Unrestricted Funds
The Nutrition Enrichment Fund was established for the purpose of supporting faculty and student exploratory research and new instructional initiatives. The funds are distributed by the Nutrition department head only when faculty (and students who are working with faculty) submit proposals and budget justification statements that describe the purpose and need for the project and what the outcomes will be if the project is funded. Often, enrichment funds are used as seed money to support new research and teaching initiatives that lead to the preparation of much larger proposals.
Restricted Funds
The Department of Nutrition has grown into one of the top research and preparatory programs in the country, focusing on preventive health, acute and chronic care, and identifying those cellular and genetic mechanisms that are the basis for health and disease. Our faculty and students are the foundation for our ability to translate the impact of diet on health and well-being. The Department of Nutrition has specific funds which support particular aspects of its programs. Restricted gifts may be made to the funds below.
Jane Savage Endowed Scholarship
Dr. Savage joined the faculty of the UTK’s Department of Nutrition and Food Science in 1949. She served as associate dean of the College of Home Economics (later the College of Human Ecology and now part of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) from 1984 until her retirement in 1986. In 1983 she was named Alumni Distinguished Service Professor. She gained recognition as a specialist in amino acid imbalance and the international problems of food and people.
This award recognizes students with superior academic performance and show excellent potential. Upper-class or graduate students majoring in Nutrition are eligible and the award may be presented to existing or incoming students and domestic or international students.
Nutrition Food Science Memorial/Honorary Scholarship Fund
This award assists students with financial needs, living expenses, or travel to professional meetings/conferences.
Ruth Huenemann Endowed Fellowship
Dr. Huenemann created UTK’s Public Health Nutrition program in 1941 and was a pioneer in her field. Born on a farm in Iowa in 1910, the second child and the oldest girl of 14 children, she learned to be a skilled cook and a well-organized household manager. To save money for college, she taught in a one-room schoolhouse for five years during the Depression. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nutrition from the University of Wisconsin in 1938 and her master’s degree in nutrition from the University of Chicago in 1941.
After 10 years as an associate professor at UTK, she earned her PhD from Harvard University in 1953, then joined the University of California at Berkeley’s School of Public Health, where she founded its public health nutrition program and taught for 24 years.
This award recognizes graduate students in the Public Health Nutrition Program who have demonstrated professional promise through their academics or other leadership abilities.
Johnnie Rodgers Endowed Scholarship
Betsy Haughton Graduate Assistant Award in Public Health Nutrition
The Dr. Betsy Haughton Graduate Student Award in the Department of Public Health recognizes an exceptional student in the dual MS-MPH student who has a strong interest in improving the health of mothers, infants, children, and their families. The Haughton Award also recognizes a student who excels in professionalism, academic achievement, communication skills, and leadership. Priority is given to students who are interested in workforce development and/or policy, systems, and environmental changes to improve population health.
Bernadette Marie Collins Endowed Fellowship
This award honors Bernadette Collins who is a 1981 UTK master’s level graduate in Nutrition. The fellowship recognizes a master’s or PhD level student who demonstrates successful academic performance and has never before received this award. Mrs. Collins maintained a successful nutrition therapy clinic in the Greensboro, NC area for many years and felt that most of her clients were like family.
Sandra S. Shoemaker Endowed Scholarship
This award was established by Mrs. Shoemaker’s husband Tom who passed away in 2023. “Sandy” is a 1964 UTK graduate with a degree in Home Economics and someone who very much enjoyed the nutrition and dietetics programs within this discipline. She and her husband owned a very successful building company in central Ohio where they were involved in philanthropic organizations throughout the state. This award recognizes either undergraduate or graduate students pursing a major in Nutrition and who demonstrate successful academic performance.
Contact Us
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
Attn: Office of Development
324 Claxton Complex
1122 Volunteer Boulevard
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-3400
For additional information or questions, please contact the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences Office of Development at 865-974-3968.