September 2024

NEWS

Registration is closing soon for the Office of Community Engagement and Outreach's 7th Annual Engagement and Outreach Conference. This year's theme is “Advancing the Modern-Land Grant Mission: UTK's Response to Grand Challenges, Complex Problems, and Broader Impacts."

The 7th Annual Engagement and Outreach Conference will highlight mutually beneficial partnerships and the positive impacts of community-engaged work while sharing strategies and solutions for sustainable partnerships. It will also provide a platform for intentional conversations about the many ways that UTK’s community engagement impacts lives
across the city, region, state, country and globe. View the conference schedule here. 

The Office of Community Engagement and Outreach is pleased to announce the cohort of scholars selected the 2024 Fall Community Engagement Academy (CEA). The following new UTK faculty (0-3 years), postdocs, and graduate students will learn the fundamental concepts of community engagement, academic outreach, and community-engaged scholarship, and strategic ways to apply community engagement in their research, teaching, and practice:

Vols Vote has created a plethora of resources for faculty, staff, students, and community members, including an interactive online curriculum to create a personalized voting plan, and an incredible FAQ resource.

Vols Votes is also competing with Florida in the 2024 Voter Challenge. UTK fans who check their voter registration, register to vote (if needed and eligible), and sign-up for election reminders can help us beat Florida. View the challenge and leaderboard here.

Javiette Samuel, associate vice chancellor & executive director of community engagement and outreach is one of the newest members of the Leadership Knoxville board of directors. Samuel is a native Knoxvillian, three-time UT alum, and member of the Leadership Knoxville class of 2021. Fully aligned with Leadership Knoxville’s mission, Samuel will serve as the Community Impact Chair as the organization strives to build a stronger Knoxville by developing people and groups, ultimately leading to a greater community and region.

This past weekend, thousands of individuals participated in cultural festivities at the 11th Annual Knoxville Asian Festival hosted in the World's Fair Park. Notable highlights from the VIP event on Saturday included ASHURA (a Japanese Ninja Show), an Indian dance, and a Matsuirza performance (a Japanese drum troupe that performs at Walt Disney World). On Saturday, the festival included the annual parade, and offered authentic cuisine, performances, and traditional activities from Japan, Indonesia, China, The Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Nepal, and Pakistan. 

In addition to UTK's Office of Community Engagement and Outreach and the Center for Global Engagement serving as sponsors of the event, this year's Japanese Tea Ceremony was held in a structure built by Interior Architecture students at UTK.  

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESOURCES

Are you interested in learning more about academic outreach, community engagement, and engaged scholarship? Join the Office of Community Engagement and Outreach for one or all of our Community Engagement Seminar Series this fall and spring semester. The sessions kicked off on Friday, September 6 at 2:00 p.m. and will run bi-weekly until the end of the academic year. Our next session, "What You Don't Know That You Don't Know: Cultural Humility and Community Engagement" will be facilitated by Tanisha Fitzgerald-Baker, a strategist, analyst and community leader.

Faculty Senate will host a panel titled Writing for The Conversation: Opportunities, Challenges, and Tips on September 24 at 3:30 pm in Student Union 262B/C. UTK is a partner institution with The Conversation, an independent news organization that works with scholars to publish brief but informative articles. The University is a leader in the SEC in terms or articles written. The panel is co-sponsored by the Office of Community Engagement and Outreach, Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, and Office of Communications and Marketing.  Register here.

The Office of Community Engagement and Outreach and the Judith A. Herbert Writing Center are co-sponsoring a Community-Engaged Scholarship Writing Group in 2024-25. The writing group will launch on Tuesday, October 29, from 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. 

The Office of Assessment, Culture, and Education continues to host Thoughtful Thursdays, a series revolving around inclusive excellence through intentional professional development. Sessions are held on the first and third Thursday of each month from 12:00 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. 

ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES

Campus Compact will be hosting their 2025 National Conference from March 31-April 2, in Atlanta, GA. In 2025, they will celebrate "40 years of Campus Compact and imagine a future where the cumulative impact of communities, campuses, and individuals working together brings about a collective flourishing for all." 

Compact25 plans to be the largest national conference focused on the role of higher education in building healthy communities and fostering a just and equitable democracy.  Proposals for the conference are being accepted through September 27. 

The mission of the Gulf-South Summit on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Through Higher Education is to promote networking among practitioners, research, ethical practices, reciprocal campus-community partnerships, sustainable programs, and a culture of engagement and public awareness through service-learning and other forms of civic engagement. The 2025 Gulf-South Summit will be held at Belmont University in Nashville, TN from March 26-28, 2025. The theme will be "Celebrating Harmony. Learning from Dissonance." Proposals for the conference are being accepted through October 15. 

The Tennessee Conference on Volunteerism and Service-Learning aims to increase service and volunteerism across Tennessee. The conference encourages collaboration between service leaders and participants to address needs in Tennessee while utilizing service and service-learning as a vehicle of change. Volunteer Tennessee invites you to submit a proposal to present a workshop or panel session at the Tennessee Conference on Volunteerism and Service-Learning, to be held February 17-18, 2025, at the Franklin Marriott in Franklin, TN.

FUNDING, FELLOWSHIPS, AND AWARDS

In support of The Allstate Foundation’s youth empowerment strategy, the Center for Expanding Leadership & Opportunity (CELO) has partnered with them to (re)define youth service for a new generation and empower youth to serve and improve communities. As part of this ongoing collaboration, higher education institutions are encouraged to apply for The Allstate Foundation’s 2024-2025 College Service Grant. These grants are designed to help higher education institutions empower young people on their campuses to lead and drive service initiatives and usher in a return to service for young people amid the challenges of a global pandemic and rapidly evolving technologies. Grants in the amounts of $10,000 will support initiatives that inspire and equip young people to lead, serve, and make a positive impact in their communities.

Funded initiatives must fall into one of the following categories:

Microgrants: Directly provided to students for new, youth-led service initiatives.

Access Support: Initiatives that increase student access to service experiences.

Increasing Impact: Initiatives that enhance the depth of impact of existing youth-led service activities.

Institutions must apply by September 27 to be considered. 

Toshiba America Foundation (TAF) is dedicated to helping classroom teachers make STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) learning fun and exciting for students in U.S. schools. TAF funds innovative STEM projects designed by teachers for use in their own schools and classrooms. Teachers at public and nonprofit private schools throughout the United States are eligible to apply. Grade K-5 applications are accepted once a year on October 1. The upcoming application deadline for grades 6-12 for up to $5,000 is December 1. Grant requests of more than $5,000 are reviewed twice a year. Applications for grants of more than $5,000 are due November 1 and May 1 each year.

The Pilcrow Foundation’s mission is to provide children’s books to rural public libraries across the United States. Through its Children’s Book Project Grants, the Foundation provides a two-to-one match to rural public libraries that contribute $200 to $400 through a local sponsor for the purchase of up to $1,200 worth of new, quality, hardcover children’s books. Applications must be submitted online or postmarked by October 1, and grant recipients will be posted on the website by October 15. 

The Volunteer Tennessee Award of Excellence for Volunteerism and Service-Learning annually recognizes K-12 schools (both private and public) that actively promote student involvement in volunteerism and community service. Applications are due November 15. Winners will be recognized at the 2025 Tennessee Conference on Volunteerism and Service Learning in Franklin, TN.

OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH

If you are conducting community-engaged research, scholarship, or outreach work, we invite you to share your activity with us. Your work is important and deserves to be elevated to the highest extent possible. Please complete the Engagement Project Form here. 

If you received a copy of this newsletter from someone else and want to subscribe, please click here. 

Office of Community Engagement and Outreach
within the Division of Access and Engagement
301 Andy Holt Tower
1331 Circle Park Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996
Phone: 865-974-4742
communityengagement.utk.edu
communityengagement@utk.edu