Board of Trustees Approves Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs

The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees today approved new academic units for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, including the transformation of the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy into the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs, effective July 1, 2023.

The proposal now goes to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission for consideration.

This transformation:

• Addresses the critical need to prepare future leaders in government, public policy, and public service​ by grounding them in Baker-style leadership and pragmatic problem-solving;
• Strengthens interdisciplinary research for more durable solutions to the state’s most pressing challenges; and
• Builds on the 20-year achievements of the Baker Center and the legacy of Howard Baker​ by embodying what he stood for: confidence in America’s democratic institutions and an absolute commitment to the competition of ideas and civic processes.

“At a time when Howard Baker’s legacy is more inspiring and necessary than ever, the Baker School would become the first and only school of public policy and public affairs at any public university in Tennessee,” Baker Center Executive Director Marianne Wanamaker said. “We want to thank the Board of Trustees, UT Pres. Randy Boyd and UTK Chancellor Donde Plowman. There could not be a better time for a school bearing the Senator’s name to enter the fold.”

Read the Task Force Report to learn more about the upcoming school.

Stay tuned for additional details on this transition during the next few months.

To read the full UTK press release, click here.