Written By: Dez Newcomb, Outreach Coordinator, Center for Basic Needs As a student-centered initiative led by the Center for Basic Needs, the UT to West TN program is an example of the kinds of student support envisioned and executed by creative thinking and dedication. Each year, the program offers transportation during key campus breaks: Thanksgiving,…

During the spring semester of 2025, a handful of students, committed to breaking the stigma around mental health and recovery, set out to host the first ever Collegiate Recovery Day event at UT. For the 306 students who made their way to the Student Union for mocktails, sober yoga, axe-throwing, and more, the event marked…

Launched in 2024, UT’s Global Citizens Program provides an opportunity for students to participate in an international educational program regardless of financial abilities. Each Global Citizens cohort identifies a country of interest and studies the selected country throughout the school year. Then, the cohort visits the selected country at the conclusion of the spring semester…

The lifelong dream of a University of Tennessee alumna has come to fruition at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, thanks in part to the work of UT’s Student Disability Services. As a PhD student at UT, Kaycee Bills was invited to become a member of Delta Alpha Pi, a national honor society for students with disabilities who…

Written By: Tess Valkovschi, Junior Studying Marketing, and Leila Robinson, Senior Studying Psychology This past summer, we had the privilege of interning in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Life, focusing on strategic initiatives, through the Vols in Student Affairs program. Over the course of six weeks, we collaborated on building a new framework…

When UT student Jessica Cecchi started volunteering through the Jones Center for Leadership and Service, it was initially to meet her community service quotas for various programs she is involved in on campus, like the 1794 Scholars Program or Leadership Knoxville Scholars. But now, after logging over 200 hours with community partners across Knoxville, the…

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…