The latter half of October brings exciting honors and funding awards for UT staff and students: CEHHS Receives Grant to Improve Literacy Standards for Educator Preparation Providers; Jeremy Mobley Receives NACADA Outstanding New Advisor Award; Five Students and One Professor Recognized at 2021 Tennessee Entomological Society Awardees; CEHHS Educator Preparation Provider Program Receives National Recognition; Kevin Tomsovic Honored as Chancellor’s Professor; UT’s Ninth Rhodes Scholar Hera Jay Brown Continues Refugee Studies, Supports Scholar Rescue Fund
TDOE Innovation Grants Awarded to Improve Literacy Standards for Educator Preparation Providers
UT’s College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (CEHHS) and the Deans for Impact Organization (DIO) have received grant funding from the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) to develop focused coursework for future Tennessee educators. These grants, totaling $642,000, will support the development of literacy and trauma-informed coursework for use by all Education Preparation Providers (EPPs) in the state. This is in compliance with new law and State Board of Education rule, to help teacher candidates be prepared to meet the needs of Tennessee students.
Jeremy Mobley Receives NACADA Outstanding New Advisor Award
Jeremy Mobley, student success advisor in the University of Tennessee Department of Animal Science, was selected as an Outstanding New Advisor – Primary Role Award Winner as part of the 2021 Global Awards Program for Academic Advising from NACADA: The Global Network for Academic Advising. The award is presented to advisors who have demonstrated qualities associated with outstanding academic advising of students and who have served as a professional advisor for a period of three or fewer years.
UTIA Professor, Students Recognized at 2021 Tennessee Entomological Society Awards
Left to right: Rachel Baxter, Kassie Hollabaugh, Allyson Dekovich, Matthew Longmire, Swati Mishra.
The Tennessee Entomological Society (TES) is dedicated to spreading entomological knowledge throughout the state of Tennessee. Every year, TES holds an annual meeting that highlights student paper competitions. Five UT students (one undergraduate, two master’s-level, and two PhD-level) were recognized for their excellent work in the field.
Frank Hale Awarded the Richard E. Caron Outstanding Entomologist Award
This award honors the late Dr. Richard E. Caron, extension entomologist in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology from 1981–1991, who worked tirelessly with extension agents and producers, developing ecologically sound IPM programs for cotton and soybean. This award is presented to a TES member who has shown outstanding work in entomological pursuits.
CEHHS Program Receives National Recognition
The UT Educator Preparation Provider program has been recognized with the 2021 Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The program, housed within the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, is one of only 26 providers from 17 states and the United Arab Emirates to receive this recognition. This distinguished acknowledgement signifies the leadership and commitment of the college to continuous improvement in the program.
Tomsovic Honored as Chancellor’s Professor
CURENT director and CTI Professor in the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) Kevin Tomsovic can now add another prestigious accolade to his name, as he has been chosen to be a Chancellor’s Professor, one of the highest faculty honors at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Tomsovic joins the select group of 18 other faculty members out of the 1,665 full-time faculty positions at UT.
UT’s Ninth Rhodes Scholar Hera Jay Brown Continues Refugee Studies, Supports Scholar Rescue Fund
As a scholar committed to giving back, University of Tennessee alumna Hera Jay Brown’s title as UT’s ninth Rhodes Scholar is only a glimpse into her life and work abroad. Graduated in August 2018, Brown will return to campus to be the keynote speaker at UT’s International Education Week. Brown’s speech “Uncomfortable UTK: Navigating Space, Place, and Positionality Abroad” will be held on Tuesday, November 16th at 7:00 pm in Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, Toyota Auditorium.