Photo / University Relations
Dr. Teresa Collard, who has served 30 years at UT Martin, announced that effective June 30, 2023, she will officially retire as a professor from the Department of Mass Media and Strategic Communication.
Collard has guided countless students and has had the honor of watching students develop from academics into professional workers. Her teaching style has focused on personal relationship development, never hesitating to reach out on her own time.
Dr. Robert Nanney, MMSC professor, and chair, praised Collard for her long career, which has benefited the department in creating many top students.
“Dr. Collard has significantly impacted this department, and by extension the campus, with her energy and enthusiasm, her being so student-centered or being so tenacious about anything she believes in. She encourages students to be the best they can be,” Nanney said.
Collard was the founder and first director of the Women’s Center on campus. Proud of her achievement in leading this for nearly a decade, she said, “I love that we work to educate women about our communication opportunities for them. I love the group because it’s not just Media Design or it’s not just PR; it’s all those students that come and I just love it.”
Collard will continue to remain in Martin, where she will pursue her hobbies.
“There are exciting adventures ahead of me and, hopefully, an equal amount of time to simply enjoy the seasons as they come and go. I am excited to move forward into the unknown, yet hoped for tomorrow to come and be the one charting my own course,” she said.
As Collard prepares to finish her final semester at UT Martin, she takes invaluable knowledge with her. Asked about the first step in her new journey, she said, “I have an immediate vacation, just to go to Crystal Bridges. And then Bentonville, Arkansas. The Walmart heiress created a free museum, Art Museum, but it’s on several acres. They have a Frank Lloyd Wright house and all of these works of art. And so I’m going to go over there, my best friend and I, and then we’re going to the folk music capital of Arkansas and have fun.“
Collard is also embarking on an artistic journey to paint every day for a thousand days. With this next chapter in her life, she has already steered toward that number, recently passing the two-year mark on her journey.
Her final wish to all of her students, past or present, she said, is for them to “do your best, be your best, expect only the best of others, and accept only the best for yourself. Enjoy every moment of your life because it is not guaranteed. But one day, you will look back and be proud of what you’ve accomplished. So just keep moving forward.”
“I’ve known Dr. Collard first as a student,” said Dr. Tracy Rutledge, MMSC professor. “I think the one consistent thing I can say is that she loves her students. You can tell that by the people who still interact with her. She genuinely loves her students as people. She follows them, and they stay friends. People still talk to her, and she keeps up with them. She could tell you what graduates from 20 years ago is doing, what I think that says a lot about her and as a colleague. She has done a lot over the past 30 years, from fun things like planning the awards banquet to not-so-fun things like assessment planning. She is always a team player and always has been.”
Dr. Jerald Ogg, MMSC professor, and former university provost, agreed.
“If I had to summarize the one thing we are looking for, that is, do you love students? If you love students, you will be a good fit for UTM, and students will recognize that. They will listen and learn better. Dr. Collard simply loves students. Students know it, and we, as colleagues, know it. We are really going to miss her up and down the halls,” he said.
“Dr. Collard is my dear friend, my valued colleague, and someone I will miss around here immensely,” said Tomi McCutchen, MMSC instructor, and Pacer faculty adviser. “I am so happy for her, but I am also really sad for us and for future students, who won’t benefit from her positive outlook on life and steady encouragement of everyone around her.”
Dr. Richard Robinson, MMSC professor, and WUTM faculty advisor, also praised Collard’s positivity.
“She is always accentuating the positives; she is just fearless in that way. Collard has inspired students in her 30 years of teaching, and she has inspired the faculty as well. She is ready to move on to the next chapter of her life; no reason to believe it will not be anything but enjoyable, relaxing, and successful for her as she pursues things differently from her previous 30 years.”
“Dr. Collard was my public speaking professor at UTM while I was here as an undergrad,” said Heather Hodges, MMSC program resource specialist. “Then and now, my life has been blessed and enriched because Dr. Collard is in it. She will be incredibly missed, but I am so happy for her.”
Former UT Martin chancellor and current UTIA Senior Vice President Keith Carver spoke directly to Collard with his parting words to her: “I’m so proud to have been able to serve at UTM during your tenure. You are a marvelous mentor, professor, and scholar. Best of all, your smile, laugh, and incredible sense of humor brightened my day each and every time I saw you. You are such an incredible part of the UTM story.”
