Author: khintz

KNOXVILLE — A group of 67 students and four faculty members from UT’s full-time MBA program were en route to Santiago, Chile, for a 10-day international immersion experience when the magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit on Saturday. Another three faculty members had arrived in Santiago on Thursday.

All faculty and students are fine.

Except for the three faculty members still in Santiago and three students who opted to spend the week in Lima, Peru, all have returned to Knoxville.

When the quake hit, the three planes carrying the students and faculty were diverted to either Atlanta, Miami or Lima.

The three faculty members on the ground in Santiago — Tara Mohrfeld, the MBA program’s director of operations and global initiatives; Dick Reizenstein, associate professor emeritus of marketing; and Jack Mills, a lecturer and former Procter & Gamble executive — were in their downtown hotel when the earthquake hit. The hotel maintained power, and that area of Santiago sustained limited damage.

Reizenstein, Mohrfeld and Mills remain well and are receiving good service from the hotel where they are staying. They will return to Knoxville as soon as air travel allows.

“As soon as (the pilot) said there was an earthquake, and we were turning around, I didn’t know what to think,” said Erin Flanagan, a student who was on one of the planes en route to Chile. This was going to be her first trip outside of the country.

“I turned to one of my fellow students, and we were just worried about the people — the three staff members that were already down there.”

Amy Cathey, executive director of the full-time MBA program, also was on one of the diverted planes.

“It made all of us realize how very lucky and blessed we were to be able to avoid the disaster,” she said.

The purpose of the MBA trip is to familiarize the class with the complexities of doing business internationally through experiential learning. Students were expected to evaluate a specific business issue and meet with educators and government officials as well as with high-level leadership in both local and foreign companies to discuss how business is conducted in this specific global business environment.

The students will resume classes on March 15, as originally planned.

“The students will have the option to complete the international portion of their curriculum based on their learning over the past few days,” Cathey said.

C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, [email protected]@utk.edu)

KNOXVILLE — More than 100 employers will be on hand to speak with soon-to-be graduates at Thompson-Boling Arena from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., Tuesday, March 2, for the Spring Job Fair sponsored by the Career Services Office at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

UT Career Services hosts the Spring Job Fair each year to give graduating students the opportunity to meet representatives from corporate employers, government agencies and nonprofit organizations recruiting for full-time, entry-level positions or internships. The event is open only to current UT students and is the final campus-wide job fair of the school year.

The annual Spring Job Fair is one of seven such on-campus opportunities for UT students to connect with potential employers. Career Services also offers résumé critiques and sessions on successful interviewing, as well as job search-related workshops throughout the year. A “how to interview” workshop and a session on careers with creative outlets were offered last month to students interested in getting a jump on the job search before graduation.

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C O N T A C T :

Rebekah Winkler (865-974-8304, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — Bill Baker, renowned visionary in public television and co-author of the recent book “Leading with Kindness: How Good People Consistently Get Superior Results,” will speak on his book’s subject on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 2.

Sponsored by the College of Business Administration’s Department of Management and the Management Society at the University of Tennessee (MSUT), a new student organization, the event will be held in rooms 223-224 of the University Center and is free and open to the public.

The session will identify the six ingredients of kindness that are essential to powerful leadership. The one-hour event will include a question and answer session.

Baker is an expert in the fields of leadership and public television. He is a seven-time Emmy award winner and served as CEO of the Educational Broadcasting Corporation for 20 years. He previously served a dual role as president of Westinghouse Television, Inc. and chairman of Group W Satellite Communications, where he was instrumental in establishing five cable networks, including the Disney Channel and the Discovery Channel. Baker also is an executive in residence at Columbia University Business School and professor at Fordham University.

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C O N T A C T :

Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, [email protected])

Former Vice President Al Gore

KNOXVILLE — Former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore will be honored by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with only the third honorary degree granted by the campus. The degree was approved by the UT Board of Trustees at their meeting today.

Gore will receive the degree — an Honorary Doctor of Laws and Humane Letters in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology — at the spring commencement exercises of the College of Arts and Sciences on May 14. He will be the featured speaker at the ceremony, addressing graduates and their families along with the gathered faculty.

“Vice President Gore’s career has been marked by visionary leadership, and his work has quite literally changed our planet for the better,” said UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “He is among the most accomplished and respected Tennesseans in history, and it is fitting that he should be honored by the flagship education institution of his home state.”

Gore, whose career in public service and business has spanned four decades, is currently chairman of Current TV, an Emmy-award-winning, independently owned cable and satellite television nonfiction network for young people based on viewer-created content and citizen journalism. He also serves as chairman of Generation Investment Management, a firm that is focused on a new approach to sustainable investing.

Gore’s appreciation and personal interest in the institution of higher education is apparent as he serves as faculty member/visiting professor at various institutions across the country. A UT Knoxville faculty member holds the Nancy Gore Hunger Chair for Excellence in Environmental Studies, endowed by Gore to honor his late sister. Gore also is a distinguished member of the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy’s board of directors and honorary co-chair of the Tennessee 4-H Club Foundation Inc. with UT Extension.

Gore, a native of Carthage, Tenn., was inaugurated as the 45th vice president of the U.S. on Jan. 20, 1993, and served eight years in that office. During that time, Gore was a central member of President Clinton’s economic team. He served as president of the Senate, a Cabinet member, a member of the National Security Council, and as the leader of a wide range of administration initiatives. Prior to his service as vice president, Gore was twice elected to the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, in 1984 and 1990, and represented Tennessee’s 4th Congressional District — the seat held by his father, Al Gore Sr., before his own service in the Senate — in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1976 to 1982.

He received a degree in government with honors from Harvard University in 1969. After graduation, he volunteered for enlistment in the U.S. Army and served in the Vietnam War. Upon returning from Vietnam, Gore became an investigative reporter with the Tennessean in Nashville, where he also attended Vanderbilt University’s Divinity School and then Law School.

Gore was the co-winner, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for informing the world of the dangers posed by climate change. He is the author of the best-selling books “Earth in the Balance” and “An Inconvenient Truth” and also is the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary.

In addition to his roles with Current TV and Generation Investment Management, Gore is a member of the board of directors of Apple Inc., a senior adviser to Google Inc., and a partner with the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. He is a visiting professor at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and chairs the Alliance for Climate Protection, a nonprofit organization designed to help solve the climate crisis.

He and his wife, Tipper, live in Nashville. They have four children and three grandchildren.

Gore will join entertainer and philanthropist Dolly Parton and former Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr. as the only recipients of honorary degrees from UT Knoxville.

KNOXVILLE — This weekend, prom dress shopping can be a charitable activity.

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, sophomore Katie Riley is co-chairing the “Fierce & Fancy Formals” fashion show to raise money for a secondary school in Boucan-Carre, Haiti. Riley is a volunteer for an organization called Haiti Outreach Program, which is an ecumenical mission of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Knoxville.

“Every single one of these dresses has been donated,” Riley said, adding that the group has collected about 550 dresses so far.

The event is from 2 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26, in The Emporium Center on Gay Street in downtown Knoxville.

Tickets are $5 for students and $8 for adults if purchased before Saturday on their Web site. Tickets sold at the door cost $10.

“Fierce & Fancy Formals” will feature desserts, a silent auction and fashion show at 3 p.m., which will feature UT students as models. To encourage participation in the event, Riley said, “We visited as many student organizations as would have us. We asked them to nominate a model from their group or an outstanding girl that deserved to be recognized. Then they nominated girls and sent them to us.”

Knoxville-based Prestige Cleaners has cleaned all of the donated dresses.

“People have just been cleaning out their closets and dropping off dresses,” Riley said. “Then Prestige gets them to us.”

Girls from the community can try on the dresses and purchase them on the spot during Saturday’s event.

Riley, a communication studies major and a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, has been involved with the Haiti Outreach Program for about 4½ years. She’s visited Haiti twice and hopes to go back soon.

Committee member and UT sophomore Angela Scruggs hopes the Haiti Outreach Program will encourage the community to aid their mission in Boucan-Carre.

Scruggs said, “Haiti has touched my heart since I had a little brother adopted from there. I really want to help the people of Haiti, and this fashion show is a great way to spread awareness and raise funds for our missions.”

“Fierce & Fancy Formals” was planned prior to the 2009 earthquake.

Riley and her committee members — Scruggs, Jarett Beaudoin, Jessica Henderson, Katie Erpenbach and Morgan Moore — have worked very hard on this event. Riley is featured in a video on the Ready for the World Facebook page.

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PHOTO CUTLINE: Pictured left to right are Jessica Henderson, committee member; Angela Scruggs, committee member; Chance Vineyard, model for fashion show; Jarett Beaudoin, committee member; and Katie Riley, co-chair of the fashion show/event.

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C O N T A C T :

Bridget Hardy (865-974-2225, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — The Ready for the World Café will celebrate Wellness Week March 1-4 with food and facts.

The international buffet’s menu will include coconut-crusted mahi mahi with pan-roasted garlic, rosemary and tomato sauce (great source of omega-3s); vegetarian pad Thai; broccolini with lemon and shallots (100 calorie or less per serving); roasted pepper, cucumber and tomato salad (a full serving of vegetables); fennel-dusted chicken with brown butter and capers (600 mg or less of sodium per serving); herb-marinated pork tenderloins (15 grams or less of carbohydrates per serving); and sour cream and chive mashed potatoes (a good source of calcium).

Diners can watch a slideshow of nutrition facts and pick up pamphlets about healthy living.

In addition, a jazz band will play at the café on Thursday.

The Ready for the World Café will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each Monday through Thursday in the Hermitage Room on the third floor of the University Center.

Diners pay $11 for the all-you-can-eat buffet or $9 for a plate of food to carry out.

The Ready for the World Café accepts dining dollars and All Star, and faculty and staff can use ARAMARK’s UT Reward Card to receive a 15 percent discount.

Students enrolled in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism (HRT) 445, the advanced food production and service management class, plan the menu and operate the café. ARAMARK, UT’s provider of dining services, prepares the food.

HRT 445 student Kerri Kimzey is in charge of the café the week of March 1-4. Kimzey, of Germantown, is a senior in nutrition. She is minoring in Spanish and hotel, restaurant and tourism management. She works for Rex Bradford Jones Catering Co. as a catering server.

“I lived in Granada, Spain, for a semester, which is where I realized my passion for food and food service,” Kimzey said, adding that she plans to attend culinary school soon.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, [email protected])

Students from Austin East Magnet High School who are in the Black Law Students Association’s Street Law Program will make their first visit to the UT Knoxville College of Law today to observe classes and participate in a panel discussion as part of the BLSA week of service.

Classes begin at 10:30 a.m. and the panel discussion begins at noon on Thursday, Feb. 25.

All classes will take place in the College of Law at the following locations:

• Room 135, Contracts II;
• Room 241, Contracts II;
• Room 132, Constitutional Law;
• Room 136, Torts II;
• Panel discussion: Room 135.

The Street Law Program gives high school students the opportunity to learn and understand the history of the law, and to apply both critical thinking and communication skills to solve problems. Students are encouraged to have an open dialogue on how to develop a justice-centered society, and at the conclusion of each semester, students participate in a mock trial to simulate what it is like to be a lawyer.

As instructors, BLSA members research and prepare weekly lessons to present to students. Lesson topics include First Amendment freedoms, Fourth Amendment search and seizure rights, as well as Tennessee’s gang and drug laws.

During this event, the high school students will attend one of four classes and then participate in a panel discussion featuring two law professors and two alumni. Afterward, the students will be given a campus tour.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — The Great Decisions Program, coordinated by the Center for International Education and funded by the Ready for the World initiative, will bring five speakers from around the country to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, this semester to address our nation’s most pressing foreign policy issues.

The series will kick off with Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C., speaking about “The Global Financial Crisis” at 7 p.m. on Feb. 23 in the Great Room of the International House.

The following three lectures in the series, all to be held at 7 p.m. in the Great Room of the International House, are:

• March 16 – John Marks, president and founder of Search for Common Ground, Washington, D.C.,”Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution.”
• March 23 – Edward Miguel, professor of economics and director of the Center of Evaluation for Global Action at the University of California, Berkeley, “Global Crime.”
• April 20 – David Michael Lampton, dean of faculty, George and Sadie Hyman Professor, and director of China studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, “U.S.-China Security Relations.”

The last lecture will be held in the Baker Center:

• April 28 – Retired Ambassador Barbara K. Bodine, lecturer in public and international policy, director and scholar in the Nation’s Service Initiative, The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, “The Persian Gulf.”

Baker, the co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C., is the author of several books, including “False Profits: Recovering From the Bubble Economy,” “Plunder and Blunder: The Rise and Fall of the Bubble Economy,” “The United States Since 1980,” “The Conservative Nanny State: How the Wealthy Use the Government to Stay Rich and Get Richer,” “Social Security: The Phony Crisis” (with Mark Weisbrot), and “The Benefits of Full Employment” (with Jared Bernstein). He was the editor of “Getting Prices Right: The Debate over the Consumer Price Index,” which was a winner of a Choice Book Award as one of the outstanding academic books of the year.

He appears frequently on TV and radio programs, including CNN, CBS News, PBS NewsHour, and National Public Radio. He writes a weekly column for the Guardian Unlimited (UK), and his blog, Beat the Press, features commentary on economic reporting. His analyses have appeared in many major publications, including the Atlantic Monthly, the Boston Review, the Financial Times, and the New York Times.

Baker’s own blog, Beat the Press, features commentary on economic reporting.

Baker received his bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College and his doctorate in economics from the University of Michigan.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — Good food will be paired with a good cause the week of Feb. 22 as the Ready for the World Café raises money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The international buffet’s menu will include wilted spinach salad with roasted peppers, scalloped eggplant, salmon cakes, sweet and sour tempeh, grits and cheddar soufflé, appled pork chops and chicken sauté with onions, garlic and basil.

Musician Eric Johnson will perform at the café on Monday, Feb. 22, and the rock/hop-hop artist Jaystorm will perform on Wednesday, Feb. 24. T-shirts and wristbands will be given out to diners.

Diners will have the opportunity to donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation during their visits to the café.

The Ready for the World Café will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each Monday through Thursday in the Hermitage Room on the third floor of the University Center.

Diners pay $11 for the all-you-can-eat buffet or $9 for a plate of food to carry out.

The Ready for the World Café accepts dining dollars and All Star, and faculty and staff can use ARAMARK’s UT Reward Card to receive a 15 percent discount.

Students enrolled in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism (HRT) 445, the advanced food production and service management class, plan the menu and operate the café. ARAMARK, UT’s provider of dining services, prepares the food.

HRT 445 student Joe Maples is in charge of the café the week of Feb. 22. Maples, of Knoxville, is a senior in hotel, restaurant and tourism management. He has attended UT’s Culinary Institute and has worked at a number of restaurants, including Audrey’s, Jenna’s, Beef O’Brady’s and Edison Park Steakhouse. He’s also done banquet work with Broaden Your Palette.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — Students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, are kicking up their heels this weekend to raise money for children with cancer and other blood-related diseases.

UT’s Dance Marathon lasts from 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, to noon Saturday, Feb. 20. Check-in for participants begins at 8:30 p.m. in the Aquatic Center. Participants will then move to the Tennessee Recreational Center for Students (TRECS).

The event is the culmination of a year of fundraising for the hematology and oncology clinic at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.

Dance Marathon, the largest student-run philanthropy on campus, has been held every year since 1995 and to date has raised more than $900,000. Last year alone about 450 UT students participated to raise around $45,000.

UT is one of 77 colleges and universities around the country participating in the Children’s Miracle Network Dance Marathon program. Each school chooses an area hospital to benefit.

Dance Marathon is not a dance-a-thon in which students have to keep dancing all night long. Rather, each participant raises money before the event, which is a celebration of their efforts. This year’s event features a wide variety of entertainment including live music and performances. Bands include Kelsey’s Woods, On the House and Second String. Hypnotist Gabriel Holmes will perform, as well as the Jim Lineham Dance Troupe.

For more information about donating to Dance Marathon, contact the Office of Student Activities at (865) 974-5455 or go to http://www.utkdm.com.

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C O N T A C T :

Rebekah Winkler (865-974-8304, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Office of Undergraduate Admissions is now taking applications for its student recruiting group.

Student recruiters serve a key role for the campus as the primary ambassadors for the university and connection with potential students and families during open houses, campus visits, staffing the Visitors Center and other events and programs. Students are required to attend training sessions and biweekly meetings, and perform specific functions as outlined by the Office of Admissions advisers. Students receive minimum wage for the hours they work. Advisers will chose team captains who will receive a $500 scholarship, in addition to an hourly wage.

As many as 125 members will be selected to become student recruiters. Current members must also reapply and go through an interview process every year.

Information sessions are planned for 7 p.m. on Feb. 22 and Feb. 24 in the Hodges Library auditorium. The sessions will include an overview about the activities and expectations associated with the position. The session will last approximately one hour and include a time for students to ask questions.

“Our student recruiters play a key role in helping to acquaint students, families and friends to the University of Tennessee. Being a part of this group is a wonderful way to demonstrate your Volunteer spirit and gain leadership experience,” said Vern Granger, director of the UT Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Students must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 and are required to go through a series of interviews as part of the selection process. The deadline to apply is Feb. 26. Training will begin in May and recruiting activities will commence with the start of the fall semester in mid-August.

The comprehensive student recruiting group brings together the talents and responsibilities of the former UT Ambassador Scholars (UTAS), Orange Pride (OP) and Minority Enhancement for the University of Tennessee (ME4UT). Students who are selected for this organization will be highly trained in all aspects of the recruitment of students at UT through a wide range of specialized recruiting programs and activities.

“The first group of selected students will have the advantage of creating a name for the group and helping to develop its overall concept and image,” Granger said.

For an application, click here. For more information, call Laura Stansell, assistant director, at 865-974-0634 or e-mail her at [email protected].

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C O N T A C T :

Karen Collins (865-974-5186, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — The former director of the U.S. Census Bureau will be the featured speaker at a luncheon sponsored by the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy on Feb. 22.

Charles Louis Kincannon will speak on “Who Counts in the Decennial: The Politics of the 2010 Census” at 11:30 a.m. Toyota Auditorium in the Baker Center, 1640 Cumberland Ave.

Registration is required. RSVP by Friday, Feb. 19 to Betsy Harrell at 974-0931 or [email protected]. Lunch is $15. A no lunch option is available.

Kincannon will discuss the political implications of this year’s decennial census. He will cover how the census counts people and whether to count immigrants, documented or not, where to count prisoners, and how to deal with university students, American residents overseas or persons with residence in two states.

In March, mandatory census forms will be delivered to every residence in the United States and Puerto Rico. The information collected in the census is crucial in apportioning seats in the U.S. House of Representative and deciding how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding is spent each year on infrastructure and services, such as hospitals, job-training centers, schools, senior centers, public works projects and emergency services.

Kincannon served as the director of the U.S. Census Bureau from 2001-08. He began his career at the U.S. Census Bureau in 1963 after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin. In 1975, he joined the staff of the Office of Management and Budget, where he worked on statistical and regulatory policy. He also served as the statistical liaison to Vice President Nelson Rockefeller’s office and provided administrative leadership that supported the successful implementation of the first Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980. He returned to the Census Bureau in September 1981 as deputy director, and also served as acting director from July 1983 to March 1984 and again from January to December 1989, during which time he directed the final preparations for the 1990 census. Throughout his tenure with the federal government, Kincannon received several awards recognizing his contributions, including the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Service and the Department of Commerce Gold Medal. In October 1992, Kincannon was appointed as the first chief statistician in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris. He left that post in June 2000 to return to the U.S. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed him as director of the U.S. Census Bureau.

For more about the Baker Center and this program, visit http://www.bakercenter.utk.edu.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — The Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy and the College of Law at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will host a one-day symposium on the role of courts in shaping policy in public higher education on Wednesday, Feb. 24.

The event, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Baker Center, 1640 Cumberland Ave., is free and open to the public.

The symposium will focus on the precedent-setting Geier vs. Bredesen case and its impact in public higher education in Tennessee and other states. Speaking at the event will be the parties, counsel and judge who were involved in the case, as well as legal scholars and university administrators who will share their perspectives about the future of policy affecting access and diversity in public higher education in the current legal, fiscal and policy environments.

Rita Sanders Geier, a Tennessee State University faculty member in 1968, filed a suit in the U.S. District Court challenging the constitutionality of Tennessee’s higher education system, claiming it was still segregated. The suit resulted in the 2001 Geier Consent Decree, which provided $77 million in state funds to diversify students and faculty of all state higher educational institutions. Up until the consent decree was dismissed in 2006, more than 1,300 black students benefited from Geier-funded scholarships at UT Knoxville. The lifting of the Geier Consent Decree prompted initiatives including the Tennessee Pledge and Tennessee Promise scholarships that are awarded to academically qualified students based on need and attendance at high schools that have traditionally sent few students to UT.

Geier now serves as an associate to the chancellor and a senior fellow at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy. She helps implement the goals of the university’s diversity plan and Ready for the World, UT’s international and intercultural awareness initiative.

Additionally, the symposium will feature Tennessee Deputy Governor John Morgan, who will discuss recent public higher education reforms and the future of access and diversity in Tennessee.

The lunch keynote speaker is Julius L. Chambers, counsel in landmark civil rights cases and former director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

There is a $15 charge for lunch. A no lunch option is also available.

Registration for lunch is required by Friday, Feb. 19. To register, contact Betsy Harrell at [email protected] or 974-0931.

CLE credit is available for attending this symposium.

A full agenda can be found on the Baker Center Web site.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, [email protected])

The Access and Diversity Staff Retention Fund (ADSRF) has an extended deadline that is fast approaching. Wednesday, Feb. 17 will be the last day applications will be accepted during this review period.

Applications are reviewed by the ADSRF committee members. An important factor in granting awards will be the potential benefits to the employee, the department and to the university. All staff eligibility guidelines apply.

For further details about the ADSRF, how to apply, brochure, and application form please visit the ADSRF Web site. If you have questions contact Shannon Bruce at 974-6089 or [email protected].

Senator Bob Corker

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, will be on the UT campus to talk to graduate students and industry leaders about the 2008 financial crisis and his involvement in helping draft the Senate’s version of regulatory reform legislation.

Corker will present “A Discussion on Financial Regulatory Reform” at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15 in the James A. Haslam II Business Building Room 402.

The forum is hosted by UT’s Corporate Governance Center in UT’s College of Business Administration.

Corker was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006. He is a member of the Banking, Energy, and Foreign Relations committees and ranking member of the Special Committee on Aging. Corker grew up in Chattanooga and graduated from UT Knoxville. He was a successful businessman before serving as Tennessee’s commissioner of finance and as mayor of Chattanooga.

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C O N T A C T :

Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — The College of Architecture and Design at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has invited several nationally and internationally prominent architects, designers, historians and theorists to present their work as part of the Robert B. Church III Memorial Lecture Series this semester.

Free and open to the public, all presentations and lectures are held at 5:30 p.m. in the McCarty Auditorium of the Art + Architecture Building.

The series kicks off Monday, Feb. 15, with Dan Hoffman, principal at STUDIO MA in Phoenix. His lecture, “Green Desert: The Work of STUDIO MA,” will explore the projects of the architecture and environmental practice.

The rest of the lecture series lineup this semester includes:

• Feb. 22 — Michael Rock, a professor of design at the Yale University School of Art, is also a founding partner and creative director at 2×4, a multidisciplinary studio focusing on design for art, architecture, fashion and cultural clients worldwide. He will present “A Brief History of the Screen.”
• March 15 — Anita Berrizbeitia, a professor of landscape architecture at Harvard University, will present “Charles Eliot’s Scientific Landscape Architecture.”
• March 22 — Alberto Perez-Gomez, director of post-professional programs and chair of the history and theory of architecture division at the McGill University School of Architecture in Canada, will present “Ethical Architecture Beyond Globalization.”
• March 25 — Marc Neveu, assistant professor of architecture at California Polytechnic State University, will present “Theses on Thesis.”
• March 26 — Peter Cardew of Peter Carew Architects in Vancouver, British Columbia, is this semester’s General Shale Lecturer, the highlight presenter of the series. He will present “Drawing Conclusions.”
• April 5 — Ben Nicholson, a Max Fischer Professor of Architecture from the University of Michigan, will present “Architecture’s Sixth Sense: The Labyrinth.”

Additional information about each lecture will be available closer to the presentation dates.

The lecture series will be viewable both live and in archive form online.

For more information about the series, visit http://www.arch.utk.edu/Special_Programs/currentlectureRBC.html.

C O N T A C T :

Kristi Hintz, (865-974-3993, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — Is your “inner entrepreneur” demanding to be set free? Do you want to join that elite group of individuals who have taken ideas and turned them into successful businesses, creating value, jobs and considerable wealth in the process?

If so, the College of Business Administration at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, invites you to enter the third annual Business Plan Competition.

“The first two competitions launched five businesses that we know of and distributed $30,000 in seed money across nine teams,” said Tom Graves, director of operations for UT’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

With the mission to strengthen the entrepreneurial culture and spirit of the university, the competition allows participants to enhance their understanding of new venture creation, polish their communication skills by presenting ideas to investor/judges, and network with successful local entrepreneurs, business owners and venture capitalists.

All UT Knoxville undergraduate students are eligible. Students can enter any idea, from the world’s best lemonade stand to a new way to harness solar energy.

The 2010 competition is offering awards in two categories: growth businesses and lifestyle businesses. Growth businesses typically are technology-enabled and have the potential for significant national and international expansion; lifestyle businesses typically remain local to a specific regional area. The top three plans in each category will win $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000, respectively.

Judges determine into which category each submission falls.

“The college designed the Business Plan Competition to simulate a real-world entrepreneurial challenge and stress,” said Graves. “By providing students with experiential, out-of-the-classroom learning opportunities, the university greatly enhances the students’ chances for future success.”

“This competition provides participating undergraduate students an excellent chance to develop planning and persuasive presentation skills,” said Donde Plowman, head of the Department of Management. “The Business Plan Competition is another way that the college is using applied learning to enhance the educational level of our graduates.”

Students can work individually or in teams of up to four people. The competition is encouraging students with both technical and commercial skills to come together to build strong, well-rounded teams. Each round of competition requires an exceedingly more difficult amount of quantitative and qualitative analysis that allows students to put theories they have learned into use.

Following are important dates in the competition:

• Feb. 17 — Drop-in Workshop: “Translating Your Idea into a Simple Concept Statement.” The topic will be covered every 30 minutes between 5 and 7 p.m. in the University Center Crest Room.
• March 1 — Deadline for concept statement submissions to be submitted to the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at [email protected]. (Requirements for concept summaries are listed under “judging sequence” at http://cei.utk.edu/HelpwithPlanDetails.htm.)
• March 5 — Top 10 concepts in each category will be announced. Winners will be notified and move on to second round.
• March 15 — Workshop: “Business Plan Writing for Dummies”; 5 – 7 p.m. in the University Center Crest Room.
• March 26 — Top 10 teams in each category will submit seven bound copies of the business plan for the judges’ review and make a 15-minute presentation to the judging panel followed by five minutes of questions.
• March 29 — The five finalists in each category will be announced.
• April 9 — Final round of judging will take place. Teams will have five minutes for a “final sell,” followed by 20 minutes of questions from the judges.
• April 12 — Winners announced.
• April 16 — Awards presented.

The judges will be UT professors, local entrepreneurs, business professionals and individuals who serve the entrepreneurial community.

For more information on the business plan competition, visit http://cei.utk.edu/business_plan.html.

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C O N T A C T :

Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — Listening to public radio station WUOT 91.9 FM is now as easy as turning on your iPhone, thanks to a new application launched this week by the station.

The “WUOT iPhone App” is a free download from the Apple iTunes store for iPhones and iPod/Touch devices.

The application broadcasts 24 hours per day from the University of Tennessee-licensed station’s two audio streams, WUOT and WUOT-2, on the station’s Web site.

“Radio isn’t radio in the traditional sense in this day and age,” WUOT Director and General Manager Regina Dean said. “We continually work to serve our listeners in the best way we possibly can. As technologies emerge, it’s important for us to stay up-to-date and give WUOT fans options in how and when they listen.”

WUOT’s application was developed for WUOT by Jacobs Media, which has developed applications for commercial and public radio stations, events and syndicated radio programs including the popular public radio show “Car Talk.” That program can be heard on WUOT Saturdays at 10 a.m. and on WUOT-2 Saturdays at 1 p.m.

Listener-supported WUOT is a member of National Public Radio and a Public Radio International affiliate. The station’s primary format is classical and jazz music, news and public affairs. WUOT serves listeners throughout East Tennessee and parts of Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia. WUOT’s second audio channel, WUOT-2, is available on HD Radio™, Internet radio and on the Web.

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C O N T A C T :

Cindy Hassil, WUOT (865-974-6167, 865-974-3941, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — Food and photos are on the menu at the Ready for the World Café the week of Feb. 15.

The international buffet’s menu will include orange peel chicken, spiced squash and goat cheese salad, eggplant and spinach lasagna, salmon in a lemon cream sauce, Mexican pork chops, bacon smashed potatoes, and Tuscan vegetable soup.

The café also will feature photography by Juliet Lee, a junior in studio arts.

The Ready for the World Café will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each Monday through Thursday in the Hermitage Room on the third floor of the University Center.

Diners pay $11 for the all-you-can-eat buffet or $9 for a plate of food to carry out. The Ready for the World Café accepts dining dollars and All Star, and faculty and staff can use ARAMARK’s UT Reward Card to receive a 15 percent discount.

Students enrolled in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism (HRT) 445, the advanced food production and service management class, plan the menu and operate the café. ARAMARK, UT’s provider of dining services, prepares the food.

HRT 445 student Holly Phillippi, of Gallatin, is this week’s café manager. She is a junior in nutrition with a minor hotel, restaurant and tourism management with a concentration in pre-med. She plans to go to medical school and become a doctor.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, wants to know what students think about their university.

This week, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is being e-mailed to all UT Knoxville freshmen and seniors. The survey asks students about their participation in programs and activities that promote learning and personal development.

Every year, NSSE surveys students at UT Knoxville and hundreds of other four-year colleges and universities, and provides the institutions with detailed reports on the results.

This year, NSSE is expanding the survey to include all freshmen and seniors. In previous years, a random sample of students was selected to receive the survey.

UT Knoxville Dean of Students Maxine T. Davis says it’s very important that students fill out the survey.

“With the expanded scope of the survey this year, the results will help us make the university experience even better for our students,” Davis said.

Much of the feedback from previous years has led to improvements here at UT Knoxville, Davis said, including the following:

Improving academic help and advising to students, making it more accessible, focused and worthwhile;

Connecting incoming freshmen with fellow students, faculty and the institution;

Developing and improving the First Year Studies 129 seminar series to help inspire students with the love of learning that’s at the heart of the university experience; and

Boosting awareness among students of the university’s Ready for the World intercultural and international initiative and related diversity efforts.

The survey is being sent this week, and students who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing for one of four $100 credits to an existing All Star account. All Star funds can be used in campus dining halls, vending machines, laundry facilities and the UT Bookstore. They also can be used to purchase student football tickets.

“We urge all students who receive the e-mail to please fill out the survey,” Davis said. “Our students’ time here at UT is special, and we want to know what think about their UT experience.”

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C O N T A C T :

Charles Primm (865-974-5180, [email protected])