of Trustees unanimously voted in favor of integrating Martin Methodist College into the UT system as UT Southern. This merger is aimed at providing higher education to the residents of rural southern Middle Tennessee. On June 27, 2021 The Tennessean reported that MMC had been fully accepted as a system campus, with the tuition to be adjusted accordingly. Campuses There are six educational units of the university system, four of which are separate universities within this statewide higher education system. University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT) UT Knoxville is the flagship campus of the UT system, based in Knoxville. The largest university in the state, it has a current total enrollment of 27,523. UT awarded 6,345 degrees in over 300 programs in the 2009-10 academic year. While not a separate entity, UT Knoxville operates a campus in Nashville that is part of the UT Knoxville College of Social Work. The Nashville Campus awards the M.S.S.W. in conjunction with UT Knoxville. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) UTC is a large university located in downtown Chattanooga. The university was founded as a private school in 1886, joined the UT system in 1969, and currently has over 10,000 students. University of Tennessee at Martin (UT Martin) Located in rural northwest Tennessee in Martin, UT Martin began in 1900 as Hall-Moody Institute, a private Baptist school. In 1927, the Tennessee Baptist Convention merged Hall-Moody Institute with Union University. The University of Tennessee System took over the former Hall-Moody campus and the school became known as The University of Tennessee Junior College in Martin. It operated under this name until 1951 when four-year fields of study leading to bachelor's degrees were added. The name was then changed to The University of Tennessee Martin Branch. In 1967, it was designated a primary campus in the UT system and was given its current name, The University of Tennessee at Martin. With approximately 8,000 students, UT Martin comprises the main campus in Martin and four extended campuses located in Parsons, Selmer, Jackson, and Ripley. University of Tennessee Southern (UT Southern) As a consequence of a planned meeting between then-Acting System President Randy Boyd (later named the system's permanent head) and Martin Methodist College President Mark La Branche in 2020 about the plans for UT to open an Agricultural Extension Office in MMC's hometown of Pulaski, a wider-ranging discussion ensued about the low level of affordable higher educational opportunities