July 5, 2023

In This Email:

1. Latest News - President's Award Winners Announced

2. July Observance Calendar

3. Employee Spotlight - Meet Our New Employees

UT System President Randy Boyd has announced the recipients of the 2023 President’s Awards. The announcement was made during the annual Board of Trustees meeting held in Memphis.

Fourteen staff members across the UT System received awards to celebrate their accomplishments and dedication to the Be One UT values. These values are intended to shape culture across the system, build purpose, improve team cohesion and create a shared sense of commitment in the workplace. Recipients were nominated by campus and institute leaders and are annually selected from a system-wide pool.  They will be honored by the president and his Be One UT cabinet at a special luncheon on Aug. 3 in Nashville.

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June 12 and 13 marked the first Mental Health Summit hosted by the UT System's Division of Academic Affairs, Research and Student Success. Staff members who support the mental health and well-being of students and faculty learned from Ben Locke, a licensed psychologist and the chief clinical officer for Togetherall. Staff developed greater sense of camaraderie with mental health staff on other campuses and a shared desire to collaborate moving forward. They were provided with tangible goals and action steps in response to the specific challenges on their campuses.

If you have questions about the summit or would like information about upcoming opportunities to engage, please contact Leigh Cherry Morales (lcmorales@tennessee.edu).

This spring, the University of Tennessee System (UT) partnered with Gallup to develop and distribute the 2023 Campus Climate Survey, designed to solicit feedback about free speech and viewpoint diversity on each campus.

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Congratulations to David Miller, senior vice president and chief financial officer, for being selected to join the 2023-2024 class of Leadership Tennessee.  Amy Cathey, associate dean (graduate and executive education) at the UT Knoxville Haslam College of Business, was also selected to the class. 

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Our brand is our story—the embodiment of who we are, all we’ve accomplished and all we will accomplish. Telling our story successfully requires the consistent use of carefully chosen elements that—when woven together—achieve meaningful and recognizable impact. The UT System Division of Communications and Marketing has created an online brand guide designed to help you tell our story.  The site includes resources such as logos, document and presentation templates, email signatures, stationary ordering and an apparel store.  Looking for something you don’t see, let us know.

Mike Gregory, Executive Director of Emergency Management

Have you got your running shoes on? Activities are accelerating as we head into the one-year countdown for the July 1, 2024 go-live! A lot of exciting things are happening, and you can learn all about it on the Friends of DASH website.

There’s never been a better time to become a Friend of DASH! Sign up here to be the first to hear about important updates for the project. The news and information we share will only become more important as we move closer to go-live!

Did you know that the Public Building Authority (PBA) offers a service to transport employees with mobility issues from Summer Place garage to UT Tower?  

For more information on this benefit, please contact Sherry Sims at sherry.sims@tennessee.edu.  Please note that in order to take advantage of this benefit, an employee must have a valid disabled person license plate, placard or decal.

This latest iteration of the Windows operating system includes a host of exciting features and improvements that will enhance our productivity, security and user experience.  The Department of Technology Solutions will begin a phased rollout of Windows 11 to all UT System-owned Windows machines in the coming months.  

UTSA Desktop Support is available to provide support and address any concerns you may have.  If you are interested in learning more about Windows 11 follow the links below.

https://tiny.utk.edu/75lPb

https://tiny.utk.edu/6e7rA

Amaya Beck joined the UT System on June 12 as an internal auditor with Audit and Compliance. Beck is from Birmingham, Alabama, and has a degree in finance from University of Alabama in Huntsville. She has experience as an internal auditor, along with accounting and payroll. When not at work, Beck enjoys crocheting, playing video games, doing yard work and enjoying her cats.

Raven Edwards joined the UT System on June 5 as the marketing manager for the UT Research Foundation. Edwards is from Johnson City and has a bachelor's degree in human ecology from UT Knoxville. Edwards worked as a transcriber and digital marketing manager in Student Disability Services with UT Knoxville. Prior to working at UT Knoxville, she has 20 years of experience in marketing and design. In her spare time, Edwards loves to paint, read and get out on the lake as much as possible. She spends as much time as she can with family. Her husband, David, is a fellow UT alumnus. Her son and daughter, Parker and Mary-Kate, will be, respectively, a senior and freshman at UT Knoxville in the fall.

Erica Smith joined the UT System on July 1 as a principal auditor with Audit and Compliance. Smith is from Tennessee and has professional certifications including Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). She has a master's degree in higher education leadership from Appalachian State University and a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity and information assurance from Western Governors University. Her background includes 18 years in higher education, with 10 years dedicated to finance and administration, and the past eight years adding value through service as an internal auditor. In addition to higher education, her career path includes work in nonprofit, partnership accounting and service with the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury. When not working, Smith spends time watching “Chicken TV” with her spouse and dog.

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