University of Tennessee Knoxville

Office of the Provost Newsletter

Welcome!

While the summer months offer a well-deserved rest from the hectic pace of the academic year, I have no doubt that many of you continue to pursue scholarly and creative endeavors, collaborate on research projects, and engage in professional development. Thank you for all your contributions to our campus community.
It is an exciting time to be a Volunteer! July 1 marked the official launch of three new academic units, and each of them offers new opportunities for our students.
The Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs provides pathways for students eager to make a difference in policy-related issues and civic engagement. The College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies represents a bold investment in interdisciplinary education and collaboration. The College of Music enhances music education in a state with a robust music economy and heritage.
Enjoy the rest of your summer break. I look forward to welcoming everyone back at the start of the new academic year.
With warm regards,
John Zomchick
Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor

News and Notes
The Division of Student Success welcomes two new members of its campus leadership team. Meredith Malburne-Wade is the new Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research & Fellowship. Francis Canedo has been appointed as the new Director of University Honors.
The UT Humanities Center is partnering with the UT One Health Initiative (OHI) to offer a Multidisciplinary Research Seed Grant of up to $40,000 for an arts/humanities project that fosters cross-cutting research, education, or outreach efforts tackling complex issues from a One Health approach. Proposals are due by September 8, 2023. Click here for competition details.
The three divisional deans have been appointed in the College of Arts and Sciences: Patrick Grzanka, divisional dean for social sciences; Kate Jones, divisional dean for natural sciences and mathematics; and Beauvais Lyons, divisional dean for arts and humanities.
The Vols and Lady Vols recorded the best performance in the classroom ever for a single semester in Tennessee Athletics history. The Spring 2023 semester saw UT student-athletes achieve a cumulative grade-point average of 3.38—the highest ever recorded. For the first time ever, all 16 sports earned a team GPA of at least a 3.0.
A 37-year collaborative partnership between the College of Social Work and the College of Veterinary Medicine has culminated in the establishment of the UT Center for Veterinary Social Work (CVSW). The center focuses on attending to the welfare of all species through excellence in global interprofessional practice.
UT is ranked among the best colleges in America by Money Magazine. The university received a four-star rating out of five in Money’s 2023 Best Colleges rankings. It is the only public university in Tennessee to make the list.
Mark your calendar for the Clarence Brown Film Festival, August 16-20 in various locations in downtown Knoxville. The festival includes on-campus activities on Friday, August 18, including: keynote with Gwenda Young, author of Clarence Brown: Hollywood’s Forgotten Master, at Hodges Library; tours of Clarence Brown Theatre; and an outdoor screening of National Velvet.

Congratulations!
In Case You Missed It (ICYMI): Achievements, recognitions, and more good news
UT has received a prestigious Materials Research Science and Engineering Center from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to spark discoveries that will lead to new industries in clean energy, computing and national security. The new Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (CAMM) will receive $18 million in NSF funding to develop sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) and computational tools and deploy them in the design and synthesis of next-generation materials. CAMM researchers will characterize these revolutionary materials using state-of-the-art instruments at UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Thorsten Huth, an associate professor in the Department of World Languages & Cultures and the Department of English, has been selected as the UTHC's 2024 Digital Humanities Faculty Fellow. Huth will spend spring semester of 2024 in residence at the UTHC to focus on building a digital platform for his project, "Interaction in Second Language Studies."
The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals has selected Ted Stank, Chancellor’s Professor, to receive the 2023 Distinguished Service Award. This selection means Stank, who is also the Harry J. & Vivienne R. Bruce Chair of Excellence in Business, co-executive director of the Global Supply Chain Institute, and head of the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative at the Department of Supply Chain Management, will be inducted into the Supply Chain Management Hall of Fame.
The US Office of Naval Research has awarded $7.5 million to a five-year research initiative to investigate how deep-sea animals manage high pressure. James Conklin Fellow and Associate Professor Andy Sarles has been granted nearly $1 million as part of the grant. He and his team will create and study protocells, which are membrane bubbles up to 100 times smaller than a human blood cell, using neutron-scattering instruments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
There is more good news on campus than can fit in one newsletter. If you have some good news you'd like to send us for a future monthly edition, we'd love to hear it. Send a 2-3 sentence summary and link to jroder@utk.edu.

Save the Date!
Save the date for these fall faculty events.
  • Coffee and Conversation: September 12, October 18, and November 17
  • Faculty Pub: August 31, October 19, and December 7
  • Mic/Nite: November 16

Contact Us

Office of the Provost
527 Andy Holt Tower
Knoxville, TN 37996-0184
Phone: 865-974-2445
Website: provost.utk.edu
Email: provost@utk.edu
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