Priority 3: Personal and Professional Growth

Written by: Elissa Weaver, Intern, Student Life Communications Supporting the mental health of college students is uniquely complex due to several compounding factors such as developmental transitions, financial strain, increased academic pressure, and the sudden loss of traditional support systems. Because of this, UT continuously works to expand and adapt their mental health resources along…

At UT, administrators have embraced Gallup’s CliftonStrengths as a comprehensive framework to help students identify and develop their natural abilities and talents. In the Division of Student Life, that application is extending beyond the student experience to that of staff and departments as well, using CliftonStrengths to identify individual abilities and enhance team dynamics to…

Each year, UT’s Student Counseling Center provides individual therapy to around 2,000 students. As part of an ongoing initiative to enhance access, consistency, and quality of care, the Student Counseling Center developed eight clinical pathways that help students connect with support tailored to their needs while providing clinicians with a shared framework for addressing the…

Through the Student Health Center, UT students have access to services like annual physicals, physical therapy, X-ray and lab diagnostics, a pharmacy, and appointments for illness. This fall, to support higher utilization and a growing student body, the Student Health Center has hired a total of 11 student workers and two students completing practicums and…

Written By : Robert J. Mullaney, Employee Wellness Coordinator, Be Well Robert J. Mullaney joined UT in December 2024 as the Be Well coordinator within the Center for Health Education and Wellness. In his first year in this role, the program has grown and expanded, with impressive results in participant feedback. Read his reflections on…

“He ended up being okay, but we had to make a decision to evacuate first thing in the morning.” That’s the situation that Jack Wood, a junior majoring in biosystems engineering, found himself in during the Student Outdoor Leadership Experience (SOLE) program. As the most intense of several program opportunities available through the RecSports Outdoor…

Written By: Alison Ward, Associate Director, Student Union, and Amanda Griffiths, Assistant Director for Student Training and Engagement, Student Union Laying the Foundation The program fosters holistic student growth by equipping employees with the knowledge, skills, and abilities essential for their careers, while also fulfilling vital functions in the Student Union. Our program emphasizes competencies…

In his role as director, Todd Cox serves as the primary university advisor for Student Government Association and its elected officers. Cox shares his perspective about being an advisor to this group and what he’s learned about championing the Volunteer experience. From the outside, advising student government looks like a tangle of agendas, amendments, parliamentary…

For Dalton Courtney, arriving at UT as a first-year student opened many opportunities he didn’t know existed. One of those opportunities has been playing soccer through RecSports, which allowed him to pick up a sport he loved and re-open a chapter he thought might be closed forever. Through employment with the department and professional mentorship, Courtney…

Megan Zimmerman, Student Intern, Student Life Communications Moving into a residence hall as a first-year student can be an adjustment. On top of moving away from home and family for what is likely the first time, residents are learning a variety of skills from time management to how to do their laundry by themselves. In…