Tennessee Technological University, or Tennessee Tech, is a public co-educational, and comprehensive university located in Cookeville, Tennessee, about 75 miles east of Nashville. It is operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents, and is only the second public university to receive a Tennessee Quality Award. The history of the Tennessee Tech begins in 1909, when the state approved the charter of a church-supported school named the University of Dixie. The school opened its doors in 1912, as Dixie College. But due to the lack of enrollment and insufficient funding, the college struggled to keep its doors open. As a result, the classes were temporarily suspended. The institute, with 13 faculty members, reopened its doors to 19 college students at the start of the 1916-17 academic year. Then, Tennessee Tech’s campus consisted of 18 acres of undeveloped land, an administrative building and two dormitories. For the next eight years, Tennessee Tech offered courses only at the high school and junior college levels. In 1929, the first class of four-year graduates received their bachelor’s degrees from the State Board of Education, which authorized a complete college program. In 1938, the instructional program was divided into two main divisions, “Arts and Sciences” and “Professional and Technical Subjects.” In 1949, the programs were expanded into five schools. When Tennessee Polytechnic Institute gained university status, becoming Tennessee Technological University in 1965, these schools were reorganized into colleges. In 1980, the university’s new School of Nursing and the Joe L. Evins Appalachian Center for Crafts began their BS and BFA programs. Since its inception, Tennessee Tech has blossomed from three buildings located on the fringes of a daisy field, to an 87-building complex situated on 235 acres in north Cookeville. TTech houses seven strong academic divisions - the College of Agriculture and Human Ecology, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business Administration, College of Education, College of Engineering, the School of Nursing, School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Extended Education. The university places special emphasis on undergraduate education in fields related to engineering and technology, although degrees in education, liberal arts, agriculture, nursing, and other fields of study can be pursued as well. Additionally, there are graduate offerings in engineering, education, business, and the liberal arts. Library facilities include the Angelo and Jennette Volpe Library and Media Center, which contains approximately 358,000 books, more than one million microforms, and subscriptions to more than 3,690 magazines, journals, and newspapers. In addition to the academic programs, TTU is also home to the Bryan Symphony Orchestra and a number of professional faculty ensembles, the artists of the Joe L. Evins Appalachian Center for Crafts, and four art galleries.