The first half of March brings; an Assistant Vice Chancellor recognized as and SEC Trailblazer; the Dean of the UT College of Nursing elected to serve on the board of directors of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing; two students from the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (ELPS) received highly competitive fellowships.
SEC
Recognitions, November 14
Ten UT Army ROTC Alumni Inducted into Hall of Fame

The 2018 Army ROTC Alumni Council Hall of Fame inductees: retired Colonel Mark D. Boyatt, retired Major Terry A. Griswold, retired Colonel Mark N. McDonald, retired Brigadier General Geoffrey A. Freeman, retired Lieutenant Colonel George M. Massey, retired Colonel Robert D. Pickle, retired Colonel Gregory P. Gass, Jane Neall (accepting on behalf of retired Lieutenant Thomas Johnson), and Alan D. Wilson. Not pictured: Linda Vaughn accepting on behalf of her late husband, Emmet P. (Buck) Vaughn. Photo by Steven Bridges
Ten distinguished Army ROTC alumni were inducted into the UT Army ROTC Hall of Fame at its annual induction dinner on November 9.
“The Hall of Fame program honors both military and civilian contributions,” said Logan Hickman, dinner chairman and UT Knoxville Army ROTC Alumni Council president. “Our 10 graduates are among the best and highlight UT’s rich military history. This second class of Hall of Fame inductees brings our total number of members to 22. This distinguished group of UT graduates only scratches the surface of a program that started in 1844.”
See the honorees in the class of 2018.
UTIA Announces New Dean for AgResearch
The University of Tennesee Institute of Agriculture has named Hongwei Xin, currently assistant dean for research in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University, as UTIA’s new dean for AgResearch. Xin will begin his new role in May 2019, after the conclusion of the current academic year.
Recognitions, March 31
Please send faculty, staff, and student recognitions to Erin Chapin (erin.chapin@utk.edu).
Suzanne Lenhart, professor of mathematics, was honored with the 2017 SEC Faculty Achievement Award, the SEC announced this week. Lenhart is a passionate advocate for women and other underrepresented groups in STEM fields. The SEC award recognizes professors from the 14 Southeastern Conference schools who have outstanding records in teaching and scholarship.
UT, sophomore Blaine Ziegler and freshman Emma Sopcak were awarded $5,000 scholarships from the Today show and PurePoint Financial as part of the Rokerthon 3, weatherman Al Roker’s journey to five universities across the US to set world records.
UT researcher Devon Burr, associate professor of earth and planetary sciences, co-authored a paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience describing the surface of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. Turns out that the grains covering the surface act like clingy packing peanuts—they become electrically charged and cause particles to stick to them.
Registration Now Open for SEC Academic Conference “The Future of Water: Regional Collaboration on Shared Climate, Coastlines, and Watersheds”
The SEC Academic Conference “The Future of Water: Regional Collaboration on Shared Climate, Coastlines, and Watersheds,” hosted by Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS, is designed to stimulate collaboration toward sustainable and resilient water resource management in the Southeast. The conference will provide an interactive atmosphere and encourage partnerships between academics and agencies to identify pathways to maximize the health and vitality of the region through water stewardship.
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SEC Visiting Faculty Travel Grant Program Call for Proposals – REVISED DEADLINE
The Office of Research and Engagement is pleased to announce a Call for Proposals for the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Visiting Faculty Travel Grant Program, which supports faculty the opportunity to travel to another SEC campus to stimulate scholarly initiatives between SEC universities. The details of the competition are contained in the attached document. To be considered for one of UT’s SEC travel grants, UTK faculty must submit their proposal in one PDF file via email attachment to Alan Rutenberg at arutenberg@utk.edu by 5:00 pm on Friday September 12, 2014. (Please note that this is a revised deadline.)
Details: The Southeastern Conference (SEC) Visiting Faculty Travel Grant Program
Deadline: 5:00 pm, Friday September 12, 2014. (Please note that this is a revised deadline.)