Priority 4: Responsible and Effective Stewardship

Written By: Melissa Brown, Director, Student Life Effectiveness As enrollment and demand continue to grow at UT, the Division of Student Life must be operating at its best, offering programs at scale for the student population, evaluating support services, and creating additional opportunities for students to learn, lead, and serve. Student Life is committed to operational excellence,…

“This was an opportunity for me to learn and grow closer with my community. I knew this would be a lot of fun because I would be learning right along with my participants.” For more than 30 years, the VOLbreaks program has been instrumental in helping students live out the university’s mission of serving in…

Written By: Abby Ann Ramsey Peters, Assistant Director of Content Communications, Advancement In college, a trip to the dining hall can do more than satisfy hunger—it can set a student up for success in several ways. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, dining halls provide hot meals to hungry students, while also giving them a chance to…

When the Center for Student Engagement (CSE) set out to help students find spaces where they felt at home in the Knoxville community, they started with a simple idea: connection. Connection to the campus, connection to the community, and connection to moments that turn a place into a memory. That idea sparked what has become a…

For the past two summers, UT’s RecSports has hosted Kidcam Summer Camp during June, July, and August when facilities are less busy. As students travel home, study abroad, work summer jobs, complete internships, or are otherwise engaged in mostly off-campus activities, the department has pursued a fun and simple way to generate revenue. But the…

Written By: Megan Zimmerman, Intern, Student Life Communications In times of need, Vols help Vols. When a critical situation involves alcohol or other drugs, however, some students may find themselves unsure of how to handle the situation out of fear of potential repercussions. To support Vols in making the safest decisions for themselves and others, an…

In the fall of 2024, two UT department heads teamed up with lofty goals: reduce wait times for mental health services on campus, clarify the process for students and for referring faculty and staff, and bolster staff morale. And a year later, all of those goals have been achieved thanks to an internal change referred to…

Dianna Foulke, Associate Director, Center for Student Engagement As any higher education professional knows, the ability to effectively share the impact of our work for the students we serve is critical not only to our ability to continue that work, but to grow and improve it over time. When the staff in the Center for…

102,000 screaming fans in orange and white. The Pride of the Southland Marching Band playing Rocky Top. A host of student-athletes running through the Power T. Fireworks, flyovers, Tennessee Walking Horses, and cheerleaders. Nothing quite describes the energy and explosiveness of Neyland Stadium on game day when the Tennessee Volunteers take Shields-Watkins Field. Cheering for…

Blakley O’Brien, Student Intern with the Jones Center for Leadership and Service Marked by long-standing traditions in its decades of service to Volunteers, the Ignite program strives to develop leadership skills and cultivate community engagement. The Jones Center for Leadership and Service champions the program’s continued evolution and growth through sustainable partnerships with academic colleges…