Episode 6: Donde Plowman

In this episode, Monica sits down with Donde Plowman, Chancellor of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for an unfiltered conversation about leading one of the country’s most beloved universities through one of the most turbulent moments in higher education. Plowman shares her vision for UT as a modern land grant built on undergraduate excellence, high-impact research and championship athletics. She explains why flagship schools are uniquely positioned to restore public trust in college degrees and reflects on the viral letter that earned six billion social media engagements when she took a public stand against the NCAA over NIL enforcement. Donde shares how she thinks about integrity in an era of transfer portal chaos and sports betting and what she has learned about the gap between studying leadership and actually doing it.