Cindy Welch
Assistant Professor
Information Sciences
Expertise:
Cindy Welch can discuss issues related to teens and reading, public libraries, young adult literature, children’s and young adult library services. Welch also can discuss the history and current operations of public libraries.
Expertise Categories: Veterinary Medicine | Nuclear Medicine | Diagnostic Imaging
Contact Information
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 865-974-7918
Web: https://www.sis.utk.edu/user/667
Federica Morandi
Associate Professor and Director of Radiological Services
Small Animal Clinical Sciences
Expertise:
Federica Morandi can discuss issues related to diagnostic imaging. Her areas of main interest are CT and nuclear medicine, including PET/CT and her specific research focus is the imaging diagnosis of portosystemic shunts via scintigraphy and CT .
Expertise Categories: Veterinary Medicine | Nuclear Medicine | Diagnostic Imaging
Contact Information
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 865-974-5806
Web: http://www.vet.utk.edu/faculty/morandi.php
Kate Vitasek
Lecturer
Center for Executive Education
Expertise:
Kate Vitasek can discuss the practice of supply chain management and outsourcing. Vitasek has been recognized as a “Woman on the Move in Trade and Transportation,” a “Woman of International Influence” and as a “Rainmaker” for her advocacy of improving business practices.
Expertise Categories: Supply Chain Management | Outsourcing| Performance Management | Strategic Sourcing
Contact Information
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (206) 414-8378
Web: http://www.vestedoutsourcing.com/
KNOXVILLE — The Student Government Association at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will be hosting its annual Diversity Week Sunday, Feb. 28, through Thursday, March 4.
This year’s theme is “I am not my stereotype.” Each day will have a different theme representing different aspects of diversity on campus. The purpose of the week is to open students’ eyes to differences they may not be aware of at the university.
All Diversity Week events are free and open to the public.
“The goal of Diversity Week is to promote diversity on campus and to celebrate the diversity we have among the student body,” said Kevin Wang, SGA Diversity Affairs co-director.
The week will start off with “TruExpressions: Not Your Average Poetry Slam,” from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28, in the University Center Auditorium. The event will feature poets reading their original pieces. A reception with light refreshments will follow the event.
Monday will focus on “Reflections of the Disability Perspective.” The day will begin with the Diversity Job Fair, which will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. in Thompson Boling Arena. Then, from 5 to 6 p.m. in the University Center Hermitage Room, SGA will team up with Disability Services for an event featuring former UT students with visible and hidden disabilities.
Tuesday’s concentration will be “Gender & Politics.” This event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. in University Center Room 226 and will cover sexuality, gender and political issues. Attending students will see which role they have been assigned and a forum discussion will be held afterward.
“World Religions” will be the topic on Wednesday. From 7 to 9 p.m. in Hodges Library Auditorium, a discussion on stereotypes of the world’s most popular religions will strive to answer students’ questions on religious views. The book “Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know — And Doesn’t,” by Stephen Prothero, also will be discussed. There will be a screening of a short film based on the book.
On Thursday, student cultural organizations will provide presentations and native foods for “Culture Clash,” 5 to 8 p.m. at the International House.
Diversity Week is sponsored by the SGA’s Diversity Affairs Committee. For more information visit http://sga.utk.edu.
—
C O N T A C T :
Rebekah Winkler (865-974-8304, [email protected])
Construction begins Monday, March 1, on the new UT Knoxville Student Health Center, at the corner of Volunteer Boulevard and Pat Head Summitt Street.
The 109,242-square-foot health center will be built near the old site of The Rock, a beloved landmark and venue for student self-expression that moved across the street last July to make way for the new facility. The completion date for the project is summer 2011.
The project also entails closing and removing a Staff 23 parking lot on the construction site. In order for the contractor to begin work Monday morning, all vehicles must be removed from the parking area Sunday night. The lot will be available for use during the Lady Vols basketball game at 6 p.m. Sunday and will close immediately after the game. All vehicles must be removed from the area no later than 10 p.m.
Employees who normally park in this area may use other Staff 23 spaces or 28/23 spaces located on Andy Holt Ave. between Melrose Place and Francis Street. These parking spaces are currently designated as Staff 28 but will be marked to allow both 28 and 23 permits to park in the area. New signs will be installed to reflect this change in lot designations. Persons with area 23 permits may begin parking in these lots immediately.
If you have additional questions concerning the closing of this parking area, please contact Parking and Transit Services at 974-6031.
Alexei Sokolov
Governor’s Chair Professor
Chemistry
Expertise:
Alexei Sokolov is a UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair and an expert in materials science and polymer science. His work has focused on applications of polymers to meet the growing challenges of energy use. Specifically, Sokolov has examined the creation and application of polymers for use in fuel cells and in batteries.
Expertise Categories: Chemistry | Energy | Materials
Contact Information
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 865-974-3141
Web:
Frank Hale
Professor
Entomology and Plant Pathology, UT Extension
Expertise:
Frank Hale is an expert in integrated pest management of insect and mite pests of ornamental plants, turfgrass, fruit, vegetables and dark tobacco. He has worked extensively with the National Plant Diagnostic Network in their mission to upgrade the detection of exotic pests and disease.
Expertise Categories: Pest Management | Extension | Exotic Pests | Disease
Contact Information
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (615) 832-6802
Web:
KNOXVILLE — “Communication and Information Research in a Digital Age” is the theme of the College of Communication and Information’s 32nd annual Research Symposium on Feb. 26 on the campus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Mike Pardee and Steve Gigliotti, senior executives with Scripps Networks, will deliver the keynote addresses. Pardee, the network’s senior vice president of research, will speak on “Is Viewer Engagement Dead?” and Gigliotti, executive vice president of ad sales and emerging media, will speak on “The Changing Research Needs of the Advertiser and the Effect on the Business of Television Advertising.”
Newly improved spaces in the Communications Building on campus will also be a highlight of the symposium. The recently opened Scripps Convergence Lab will be the site of the keynote addresses and the luncheon, and the research paper presentations have moved from the University Center to the college’s renovated auditorium.
“We’re very proud to host the entire symposium here at the college, and especially to showcase our two keynote speakers from Scripps Networks in the Scripps Convergence Lab,” said Communication and Information Dean Mike Wirth. “Anyone interested in the field of communication and information will enjoy the fascinating array of papers and presentations that are part of this year’s program.”
The symposium begins at 8 a.m. with a continental breakfast in the lobby, followed by research paper presentations in the auditorium exploring topics related to communication and information professions and professional issues.
Another paper presentation session begins at 9:35 a.m. on the topic of understanding risks and crises, and the poster session begins at 10:35 a.m. in the lobby.
The next paper presentation session, exploring digital issues, begins at 11:30 a.m. Lunch begins at 12:30 p.m. and will feature the keynote addresses.
Afternoon paper sessions on communication perceptions and news and the news media begin at 2 p.m., and the closing comments and awards ceremony are set for 4 p.m. Awards will be given to the best paper by master’s students, the best paper by doctoral students, the best faculty-student collaborative paper and the best poster.
For more information about the research symposium, visit http://www.cci.utk.edu/symposium/program.
—
C O N T A C T :
Charles Primm (865-974-5180, [email protected])
KNOXVILLE — Alumnus Allen Bell has established the Julia Bell Accounting Excellence Endowment at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Business Administration in honor of his mother.
“I hope that this endowment will help others have the same opportunities that my mother provided for me,” Bell said. “She would be very proud to know that she had a permanent legacy in her name at an institution for which she cared about so deeply.”
Bell’s gift, which benefits the college’s Department of Accounting and Information Management, is part of the Campaign for Tennessee, UT’s $1 billion fundraising effort.
Bell graduated in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He currently is a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas and is the partner-in-charge of the firm’s North Texas Private Company Services practice.
“The University of Tennessee has been very important to my family. My grandmother, father and brother also received degrees from the Knoxville campus, “Bell said. “While my mother did not attend UT, she was one of the biggest Volunteer fans in the state. Because of her efforts and sacrifices, I was able to graduate from this great university.”
“I take great pride in being a graduate of UT’s College of Business Administration,” he said. “The quality of my education provided the foundation for the successes I have achieved.”
The fund’s proceeds will be allocated each year by the head of the Department of Accounting and Information Management to fulfill the department’s mission, such as funding faculty teaching and research awards, scholarships and teaching assistantships, and technology purchases, as well as supporting visiting faculty scholars and lecturers.
The Campaign for Tennessee is the most ambitious effort in the university’s 214-year history and places UT among the ranks of the nation’s largest public and private institutions that have sought this level of private support.
The campaign, which launched its silent phase in 2005, will secure private gifts that, in turn, will contribute substantially to the distinct, but linked, campuses in the UT system. Funds raised through the campaign will directly support the objectives of UT’s strategic plan. Among those objectives are improved student access and success, research and economic development, outreach and globalization.
—
C O N T A C T:
Meredith Hulette (865-974-7392, [email protected])
KNOXVILLE — Award-winning, adventure-loving author Gary Paulsen will visit the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, on March 2 to discuss his life and his newest book, “Wood’s Runner.”
Sponsored by UT’s Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature and the Knox County Public Library with support from Friends of the Knox County Public Library, the event begins at 7 p.m. in the University Center Auditorium, 1502 Cumberland Ave. It is free and open to the public. Paulsen will be available to sign books after the talk.
Paulsen is a three-time recipient of the John Newbery Medal, a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association. The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
Born in 1939, Paulsen is one of America’s most popular writers for young people. With more than 200 books and as many articles and short stories to his name, his own experiences form the basis for many of his stories. He got the bug for adventure at an early age. At 14, Paulsen ran away from home to join a traveling carnival. He has dabbled in farm and ranch life, worked as an engineer and a construction worker, and has crossed the country as a truck driver. While sailing around the world and racing the sled dogs across Alaska, he also manages to write award-winning children’s books. Three of his novels — “Hatchet,” “Dogsong” and “The Winter Room” — were Newbery Honor Books. His books frequently appear on the best books lists of the American Library Association and, in 1997, Paulsen was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement.
“We are extremely delighted to bring Gary Paulsen to Knoxville,” said Miranda Clark, director of the Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature at the University of Tennessee’s School of Information Sciences.
“Paulsen is a rock star in the world of literature for young people. While his appeal is broad, he reaches boys and young men at a point when they are at risk of disregarding reading for fun. He manages to capture their attention and hold it. Paulsen’s books should be top of the list particularly for boys. We are thrilled to be able to work with Knox County Public Library and their Friends group to make this event happen. It’s exciting for our community,” Clark said.
“Wood’s Runner” is about Samuel, a 13-year-old who spends his days in the forest, hunting for food for his family. He has grown up on the frontier of a British colony, America, far from any town or news of the war against the king that American patriots have begun near Boston. But the war comes to them. British soldiers and Iroquois attack. Samuel’s parents are taken away as prisoners. Samuel follows, hiding, moving silently, determined to find a way to rescue them. Each day he confronts the enemy, and the tragedy and horror of this war. But he also discovers allies, men and women working secretly for the patriot cause. And he learns that he must go deep into enemy territory to find his parents: all the way to the British headquarters, New York City.
The Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, housed in the School of Information Sciences in the College of Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee celebrates and promotes literature for youth. It encourages reading through outreach to children and their parents, to current and future teachers and librarians, to members of the community, and to scholars and thinkers across disciplines.
—
C O N T A C T :
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, [email protected])
KNOXVILLE — Jan Williams, Stokely Foundation Leadership Chair and dean of the College of Business Administration at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been elected chair-elect of the board of directors of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the premier accreditation body for business colleges.
Williams becomes chair in 2011.
“I am honored to hold this esteemed position in such a prestigious organization,” Williams said. “Chairs are elected from AACSB’s membership across 70 countries. Recent chairs have heralded from the University of California, Purdue and the University of Warwick (England).”
AACSB was established as an accrediting body for business schools in 1916. Currently, AACSB accredits 579 business schools, 469 in United States and the remaining 110 across 35 countries.
“Less than 5 percent of the world’s business schools achieve the elite distinction of having AACSB accreditation,” Williams said. “UT’s College of Business Administration has been accredited since 1942, almost 70 years.”
In 1982, AACSB began accrediting accounting programs.
“UT’s accounting program was AACSB-accredited that first year and has remained accredited since,” Williams said. Currently, only 170 accounting programs worldwide are accredited; 166 of those are in the United States.
Securing accreditation is a very rigorous process. For more than 20 years, Williams has been involved in evaluating business schools and accounting programs for accreditation across the U.S. as well as in China (Hong Kong), Australia and Singapore.
As chair-elect, Williams’ 2010 responsibilities include serving as a member of the AACSB Executive Committee, chair of the Committee on Issues in Management Education and a member of the Compensation Committee and Accreditation Coordinating Committee. In addition, he remains chair of the Accreditation Quality Committee, which determines accreditation standards for business schools worldwide.
Williams’ involvement in AACSB over the years has been extensive. He has chaired or been a member of the Accounting Accreditation Committee, Blue Ribbon Committee on Accreditation Quality, Business Accreditation Committee, Finance and Investment Committee, Impact of Research Implementation Task Force, Impact of Research Task Force, Southeastern Conference Business Schools Affinity Group, Special Committee on Global Accreditation Strategy and Strategic Directions Committee, as well as serving as a speaker at a dozen conferences and seminars.
Williams joined UT in 1977, and, before becoming dean, was head of the Department of Accounting and Information Management and associate dean for the college’s academic programs. He is an internationally renowned author in the field of accounting, publishing textbooks for both students and practitioners. For five years, he was the outstanding discussion leader for continuing education for the Tennessee Society of CPAs. Williams also was awarded Outstanding Accounting Educator by both the Tennessee Society of CPAs and American Institute of CPAs.
–
C O N T A C T:
Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, [email protected])
KNOXVILLE — Sarah Gardial, vice provost of faculty affairs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been named board president of the MBA Roundtable, the premier organization that provides guidance and leadership for MBA curriculum worldwide.
“I am honored to be appointed board president of this prestigious leadership group and to be associated with such an esteemed group of colleagues,” said Gardial. “Being involved with UT’s MBA program has been one of my most valued academic experiences, and it will be great to share my learning at this new level.”
Her term runs from January 2010 through December 2012.
The MBA Roundtable establishes MBA curricula worldwide; member schools benchmark against one another, establish the best practices and work to identify educational trends. The roundtable collaborates with students, educators and employers to identify skill sets that MBA graduates must have in order to be productive members of the business community.
“Having UT represented at the highest levels of this organization reinforces the progressiveness, innovativeness and leadership of UT’s full-time MBA program,” said Amy Cathey, full-time MBA program director.
Gardial joined UT in 1986 as an assistant professor in the Department of Marketing and Logistics. She began teaching in the full-time MBA program in 1992 and maintained that role even when she became associate dean of the college’s academic programs and university vice provost.
“Sarah has been an inspirational leader to our MBA students and the entire MBA community,” said Cathey. “The impact she’s had on our students’ lives is immeasurable. She will now be able to apply her skills and knowledge on a much more global scale.”
Gardial has been involved with the MBA Roundtable since 1999 and has been a member of the eight-person board since 2007.
—
C O N T A C T:
Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, [email protected])
KNOXVILLE — University of Illinois at Chicago professor John D’Emilio will visit the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, on Wednesday, Feb. 24, to speak about the life and legacy of civil rights leader Bayard Rustin.
“Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin” will begin at 7 p.m. in the University Center Crest Room. The event is free and open to the public.
D’Emilio teaches history and women’s and gender studies. Before the University of Illinois at Chicago, he taught at George Washington University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He earned his doctorate from Columbia University in 1982, and was named a Guggenheim fellow in 1998 and a National Endowment for the Humanities fellow from 1995 to 1997. He is a former co-chair of the board of directors for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and was the founding director of its policy institute.
D’Emilio has authored or edited several books, including “Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities: The Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States”; “Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America”; “The World Turned: Essays on Gay History, Politics, and Culture”; and “Lost Prophet: The Life and Time of Bayard Rustin,” the basis of his lecture at UT.
Rustin was a civil rights activist widely known for his role in organizing the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and for counseling Martin Luther King Jr. on the techniques of nonviolent resistance. He became an advocate for gay and lesbian rights later in his career, and his homosexuality made him a target for attacks from government officials and agencies, as well as from interest groups. Before he died in 1987, Rustin wrote that the factors that primarily influenced his career were “nonviolent tactics, constitutional means, democratic procedures, respect for human personality and a belief that all people are one.”
D’Emilio’s visit to UT Knoxville is sponsored by the Commission for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) People, which advises on planning, implementation and evaluation of university programs, policies and services designed to improve the status of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people on the Knoxville campus. For more information on the Commission for LGBT People, visit http://lgbt.utk.edu/events.html. Other major sponsors include Ready for the World, the Commission for Blacks, the United Residence Halls Council and the Issues Committee.
—
C O N T A C T :
Rebekah Winkler (865-974-8304, [email protected])
Tyler Scott, a fifth-year senior in marketing, said College of Business Administration lecturer Mike West was an effective teacher because he punctuated his lessons with stories about his own experiences.
A 1989 graduate of the college, West teaches entrepreneurship and marketing strategy in the Department of Marketing and Logistics. West also is CEO of Knoxville-based Northshore Management Co. LLC, a private holding company with controlling investments in a mergers and acquisitions firm, an investment partnership, a national document destruction company and a real estate investment company. Additionally, he is a member of the college’s Advisory Council to the Dean. He and his wife, Tiffiny, also are donors to the college.
Scott said West “taught from real-world experience. He engaged his class with a personable, exciting and engaging attitude. The best concept that he unpacked for the students was corporate strategy: scope, objectives, source of competitive advantage, development strategy, resource allocation and sources of synergy.
“Mike West knows business.”
****
Lucy Cansler Hensley is finishing her master’s degree in social work. She is a case manager for the Department of Children’s Services for eight counties. She plans to remain there as a therapist after graduating.
She says Associate Professor William Bradshaw has been a great mentor.
“I have had two classes with him, and he was willing to share his vast experiences as a therapist. He seemed to really care that we were prepared for what the future of a therapist holds,” Hensley said.
****
After being out of school for nearly 20 years, Bill Goldman, a graduate in teacher education, enrolled in classes taught by Professors Sharon Barkdoll and David Cihak.
Goldman, who teaches students with physical and cognitive disabilities at South Doyle High School, completed his special education certificate this past summer and will complete his master’s degree in the alternative license program at UT and through Knox County in May 2010.
He credits the methods and theories he learned from Barkdoll and Cihak for making him a better teacher.
Barkdoll and Cihak are professors in the Department of Theory and Practice in Education. Barkdoll is a UT alumna and began her career as a teacher in the Knox County Special Education Center working with students with severe emotional behavioral problems.
Cihak is an assistant professor in the modified and early childhood special education program. He advises students earning bachelor’s, master’s and specialist degrees.
“Drs. Barkdoll and Cihak have always provided valuable feedback and instruction,” Goldman said. “Any time I had personal issues that interfered with my education they would go out of their way to accommodate my needs, whether it meant extending deadlines or taking extra time to explain assignments or tutor me.
“I can’t express how dedicated they are to their field and students,” Goldman said. “I only hope I can have the passion, energy and professionalism they do as teachers.”
****
S. Daniel Carter graduated in May 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He is now director of public policy for Security on Campus Inc.
He said he enjoyed his class with sociology Professor Neal Shover so much that he suggested his mom take a class from him, too.
“Professor Shover’s classes were always among the most interesting and riveting. He made you think and argue your case, which is how I learn best,” Carter said. “Also, what I learned in his criminology classes continues to serve as a foundation for what has become my career today — continuing the work I started while at UT — to make college and university campuses safer.
“When my mom went back to school at UT to complete her undergraduate degree, about 12 years after I graduated, I told her she had to take a class with Dr. Shover. She did and thoroughly enjoyed it.”
****
Opheca Jordan will finisher her master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling through the distance learning program in August 2010. She works with people who have suffered traumatic brain injuries through the Tennessee Department of Human Services’ vocational rehabilitation program.
Jordan said Research Assistant Professor Lee Ann Rawlins has made a tremendous impact on her.
“It is because of Dr. Rawlins that I am confident in myself and my future to become a successful vocational rehabilitation counselor,” Jordan said. “Dr. Rawlins is professional, knowledgeable and personable. Her untiring efforts help students understand the material.”
Jordan said Rawlins is able to connect with her students, which motivates them and makes learning enjoyable.
“We actually learn things that we will not only use in class but we will use in our everyday lives,” she said.
—
In honor of Faculty Appreciation Week, Tennessee Today is featuring stories and videos based on comments about great faculty members submitted by students, alumni and others.
You can send a shout out to your favorite faculty member or read what others have written.
Also this week, area merchants will offer a variety of discounts for UT faculty.
Student Michelle Wieczynski explains why math lecturer Jennifer Fowler is No. 1 in her book.
Faculty Appreciation Week is a new event intended to offer special recognition to faculty whose teaching, research and outreach activities have helped make UT Knoxville a great university.
In honor of Faculty Appreciation Week, Tennessee Today is featuring stories and videos based on comments about great faculty members submitted by students, alumni and others.
You can send a shout out to your favorite faculty member or read what others have written.
Also this week, area merchants will offer a variety of discounts for UT faculty.
Deans and administrators from each college suggested one of their faculty members who deserves special “kudos” during Faculty Appreciation Week.
A professor in the Department of Exercise, Sports and Leisure Studies since 1984, Gene Hayes founded Camp Koinonia, a successful camp for kids and young adults with disabilities, visited all 50 states and dived in waters around the world for 20 years.
While his students say they appreciate the example he sets, Hayes said it is his students that energize him the most.
“I consider Dr. Hayes my mentor and I am forever grateful of him for showing me a path that includes passion for helping others, working hard for something I believe in and feeling great about what I am doing with my life,” said second-year graduate student Dale Ernst, who has spent four years working with “Doc” Hayes. “Over the years Doc has changed tens of thousands of people’s lives, including mine. Doc has an incredible passion for helping others. He is easily approachable, friendly and, most of all, genuine.”
Nafiseh Arman is a graduate assistant and the Camp Koinonia director for 2010.
“It means a lot to see how much trust he has in us as he allows us the privilege of heading up and staffing his programs and camps,” Arman said. “He is an amazing teacher and mentor, and I am so thankful that I found my way into the program and am able to work and learn from Dr. Hayes.”
Hayes started the camp when he was at Virginia Tech and has been running it for 33 years. He brought Camp Koinonia to UT in 1986, and it’s been popular with students and campers ever since.
“It’s for surrounding counties and schools near UT,” Hayes said. “We select kids with multiple kinds of disabilities, ages 7 to 21. It’s for kids that don’t have a chance to go other camps.”
Camp Koinonia is also used for research. Students look at attitudes toward persons with disabilities, lifestyle planning techniques and outdoor activities for those with disabilities.
Hayes also serves the community beyond his work at UT. He and his dog, Lanai, frequent nursing homes, classrooms and rehab centers. He has received numerous scholarships and grants, but he still does it all for the students.
“I really appreciate and enjoy the students and quality of them,” Hayes said. “The compassion they have for working with diverse groups and kids with disabilities is incredible. The students keep my interest piqued.”
—
In honor of Faculty Appreciation Week, Tennessee Today is featuring stories and videos based on comments about great faculty members submitted by students, alumni and others.
You can send a shout out to your favorite faculty member or read what others have written.
Also this week, area merchants will offer a variety of discounts for UT faculty.
Deans and administrators from each college suggested one of their faculty members who deserves special “kudos” during Faculty Appreciation Week.
Richard Heitmann loves helping students learn about UT and animal science.
A professor of animal science in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR), he also serves as his department’s undergraduate program coordinator. In that role, he helps ensure that undergraduate students’ experience gives them the best foundation possible for a career in animal sciences or for further education.
“I like the one-on-one contact with the students and parents, especially when they come for campus visits,” Heitmann said. “I like that interpersonal communication.”
One of Heitmann’s favorite experiences was teaching a First Year Studies course that helped students learn about good nutrition for their cats and dogs.
“I was talking with students that weren’t necessarily science students,” he said. “It was a whole new approach.
“After I got done teaching about behavior and domestication students brought in their own animals or brought in pictures on flash drives and talked about their pets. Questions about their nutrition, health and reproduction arose from the students naturally and it didn’t seem as if they were being lectured to,” he said. “Basically what I learned is you’ve got to turn it over to the students and let them do it.
“The goal of First Year Studies was to integrate freshmen into college life. I think we did a great job. I am going to volunteer to do that again next year.”
In his 30 years at UT Knoxville, Heitmann also has mentored numerous graduate students and continues to serve on students’ graduate committees. He serves as the faculty adviser for the Pre-Veterinary Association and also teaches upper- division undergraduate courses in animal nutrition and metabolism.
CASNR Dean Caula Beyl said Heitmann is a great asset to his department and to the college.
“With the tremendous growth in enrollment in animal science, he is the unsung hero of so many students,” Beyl said. “He is always available with a receptive ear and he truly knows that students are the heart of the university.”
Heitmann’s awards range from the CASNR Outstanding Faculty Advising Award in 2006 to the Lidvall Outstanding Teaching Award in 2005.
Heitmann earned his bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in animal science from the University of Maine. His research focuses on the processes used by animals to turn food into energy.
—
In honor of Faculty Appreciation Week, Tennessee Today is featuring stories and videos based on comments about great faculty members submitted by students, alumni and others.
You can send a shout out to your favorite faculty member or read what others have written.
Also this week, area merchants will offer a variety of discounts for UT faculty.
KNOXVILLE — For the 45th year, dozens of Tennessee high school students will be converging on Knoxville for the Tennessee Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS).
The symposium will be held from 1:30 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25, in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Conference Center Auditorium (room 406) in downtown Knoxville.
All Tennessee students in grades 9 through 12 in public, private or home schools are eligible to participate. The symposium is one of 48 in the United States, the only one in Tennessee.
The students will be presenting original research and experiments conducted with their teachers in the sciences, mathematics and engineering. At last year’s symposium, student research ranged from better treatments for breast cancer to levitating objects in the air.
The presentations will be judged by a panel of UT Knoxville science and engineering faculty members. Winners will be awarded a total of $4,500 in scholarships. The winners will advance to the national competition in May; national winners advance to the international contest in London this summer.
The purpose of the symposium is to recognize talented youth and their teachers and encourage their continued interest and participation in the sciences, mathematics and engineering. Due to UT Knoxville’s partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, attending students and teachers will be given the opportunity to visit world-class laboratories and interact with top-notch research scientists at the university and the laboratory.
In addition, the symposium is designed to help enhance opportunities for students interested in science, mathematics and engineering on the secondary level. By connecting gifted students, their teachers and research professionals at the symposium, UT Knoxville is widening the pool of trained talent to keep the U.S. competitive in the global environment.
The Tennessee JSHS Program is funded and administered by UT Knoxville through the collaboration of the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, the College of Engineering, UT-ORNL Science Alliance, and UT-Battelle. Additional funding is supplied by the Academy of Applied Sciences and the Air Force Association.
—
C O N T A C T:
Whitney Holmes (865-974-5460, [email protected])
KNOXVILLE — More than 350 scholars, practitioners and students from universities across the world will be coming to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, this week for the Academy of Human Resource Development’s (AHRD) 18th annual International Research Conference in the Americas.
This international symposium will be held Feb. 24-28 at the Knoxville Marriott. This is the first time that the city of Knoxville has hosted this conference.
Michael Lane Morris, Reagan Faculty Scholar in the Department of Management, is the current AHRD president.
“Historically, our international research conference has been the test-bed for innovative research thought and creativity regarding the discipline of human resource development, and I highly anticipate that the 2010 conference will yield similar results,” Morris said.
Participants will include human resource development researchers, thought leaders, practitioners, university faculty, academic administrators and graduate students from universities, as well as representatives of nonprofit organizations, governments and corporations worldwide.
AHRD is a global organization for the human resource development scholarly community of academics and practitioners. The academy was formed to encourage systematic study of human resource development theories, processes and practices; to disseminate information about the field; to encourage the application of research findings; and to provide opportunities for social interaction among individuals with scholarly and professional interests in human resource development from multiple disciplines and from across the globe.
—
C O N T A C T :
Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, [email protected])
KNOXVILLE — Election reform will be the focus of a one-day conference to be held March 5 at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
The conference, which will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., will be held in the Toyota Auditorium of the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, 1640 Cumberland Ave. The program is a joint effort of the Baker Center, the College of Law, the Department of Political Science and the American Studies Program.
The conference, to be moderated by Edye Ellis, former broadcast news anchor for WBIR-TV Channel 10, will focus on recent innovations designed to improve voting in election administration at the national, state and local levels; the status of the voting rights law; and the importance of the 2010 Census on American politics and government.
The program will feature Robert Stein of the political science department at Rice University; Gregory Mackay, the Knox County administrator of elections; Professor Otis Stephens of UT’s College of Law; Professor John Scheb of UT’s Department of Political Science; the Honorable Joe Armstrong of the Tennessee House of Representatives; and Roderick J. Harrison of the Joint Center for Political Economic Studies in Washington, D.C. In addition, Professor David Folz of the Department of Political Science, Amy Gibson, director of communications and public programming for the Baker Center, and Professor Michael Fitzgerald, fellow for governance studies and director of the Governance Studies Program at the Baker Center, will discuss the Baker Center’s research on election administration and reform.
Registration for the conference is required because of limited seating. Deadline for registering for the program and lunch is Monday, March 1. Cost of lunch is $15, payable at the luncheon. To register, contact Betsy Harrell at [email protected] or call (865) 974-0931.
For more about the Baker Center and the program, see http://www.bakercenter.utk.edu.
—
C O N T A C T :
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, [email protected])