Having trouble viewing this e-mail? View it in your browser. |
 |
 |
I hope this newsletter helps you understand more about what’s happening at UT and encourages you to become engaged in efforts that will lead UT to greater success. Career Path Outlined for LecturersAbout 25 percent of our teaching staff are "lecturers." These faculty members are critical to our academic mission, and most are full-time, non-tenure-track faculty members who have often been here for decades. This year, we created a career path for lecturers—a way to reward excellent performance with higher-level positions, additional pay, and longer contracts. We plan to award the first promotions this summer. Update: Center for International EdIncreased studying abroad, laying the groundwork to open a Confucius Institute, and growing collaborations with international institutions are among the recent successes logged by our Center for International Education, which encompasses the English Language Institute, the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, the International House, and the Programs Abroad Office. Need to Boost Online SAIS ResponseLast semester, we made the Student Assessment of Instruction System (SAIS) a completely online process. Switching from paper to online assessments saves about 1.25 tons of paper each year, reduces overall costs, and saves countless hours of staff time. Our challenge now is boosting the response rate. OIRA: The Data PeopleFrom our Top 25 journey to annual rankings and accreditation—all of these efforts are important to UT and each requires comprehensive and reliable data. Collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data about our university is the job of the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA). Denise Gardner, assistant provost, became the new OIRA director in February. |
LOOKING AHEAD TO SUMMER SCHOOLAlthough we’re still in the throes of the spring semester, we’re already thinking about summer school. With the HOPE Scholarship available for summer use, we hope more students will see the advantage of taking summer classes to keep them on track to graduate in four years. Two other important programs are also gearing up for the summer: the UT-Pellissippi Bridge Program, now in its second year, and the UT LEAD Summer Institute, now in its fifth year. THORNTON CENTER UPDATE
2012-2013 LIFE OF THE MIND BOOK CHOSEN
UT's INAUGURAL CLASS OF HASLAM SCHOLARS PREPARE FOR GRADUATION
HSS GETTING STATE-OF-THE-ART FACELIFT
|
The Thornton Center helps UT’s student-athletes stay on track academically while maintaining their rigorous sport schedules. Donna Thomas has directed the center since January 2011, and she has overseen many changes. She will return to a leadership position in the athletics department in July, and a new director will be appointed to continue the center’s progress.
On behalf of the Life of the Mind committee, I’m pleased to announce that we’ve chosen The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker by Eric Liu as next year’s common reading selection. I invite you to join the Class of 2016 in reading the book and participating in the discussion and related activities. 
In the coming months, our first class of Haslam Scholars will graduate. These outstanding students arrived four years ago as the inaugural class of the Haslam Scholars Program, our premier four-year scholarship. As Steve Dandaneau, associate provost and director of the Chancellor's Honors and Haslam Scholars Programs said, "The inaugural class of Haslam Scholars took a chance on a new and untested program. And, as they have in so many endeavors, they made it look easy."
When students, faculty, and staff return to the Humanities and Social Sciences Building in the fall, they'll find high-tech facilities, more vibrantly colored furniture and walls, and classrooms that can be configured in multiple ways. The work is more than just a renovation project. It is a collaborative effort between Facilities Services, the College of Architecture and Design, and the Tennessee Teaching and Learning Center—and it could become a national study on how learning environments affect student performance and retention.
|