The University of Tennessee at Martin Faculty and Staff Newsletter | September 6, 2016

addendaChancellors candidate open forums continue this week

The remaining finalists for the position of UT Martin chancellor will meet members of the university and West Tennessee communities during open forum sessions this week. All faculty, staff and students are urged to attend and ask questions to help determine which of these finalists will hold the university’s chief executive position. A brief background on each of this week’s candidates is below. Their complete application documents can be downloaded at tennessee.edu/execsearch/utm-chancellor/finalists/.

Open Forums

Dr. Mary Holz-Clause – Aug. 29* Dr. Jerald Woolfolk – Aug. 30*

Dr. Keith Carver – Sept. 7Dr. Jay Morgan – Sept. 8

All held from 2-4 p.m. in Watkins Auditorium

Click the candidate’s name to view a live webcast.*Webcast archived

Dr. Keith Carver holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Memphis State University and both master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He has an extensive background in fundraising and alumni relations.

Carver began his career as co-director of TeamVOLS, based in the Dean of Students Office at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he led teams of student and faculty volunteers in disaster relief efforts across the country.

He then spent two years as director of special projects and coordinator of experiential education at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, before returning to the Knoxville campus.

He has spent the past 19 years working within the UT System, first as program adviser for the

Dr. Keith Carver Dr. Jay Morgan

Office of Student Activities and as both assistant director and director of development and alumni affairs for the UT College of Law.

He then moved to UT Martin where he served as assistant vice chancellor for development from 2006-2010. During this time he contributed to the planning and implementation of a $40 million fundraising campaign and was part of the process to establish the UT Martin Parsons Center.

Carver moved to Memphis in 2010 to serve as interim vice chancellor for development and alumni affairs at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center before returning to the flagship campus in 2011 to accept his current position as executive assistant to the president for the University of Tennessee System.

Dr. Joseph (Jay) Morgan earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural science from Murray State University and a doctoral degree in agricultural education from Oklahoma State University. He has an extensive background in academic programming and development.

Morgan served as program director of the Agriculture Leadership Development Program from 1997-2006, during which time he collaborated with state and federal agencies to fund and promote the corporate leadership program

for agribusiness stakeholders and constituencies.

Also during this time, he held faculty positions with Murray State University in agriculture science and education.

He remained with Murray State University from 1997-2015 and rose through the ranks of professorship. He also served six years as college graduate coordinator, three years as the elected faculty representative to the Kentucky Board of Regents, three years as associate provost for graduate education and research and two years as provost and vice president for academic affairs.

As provost, he provided leadership for three associate/assistant provosts, eight academic deans and multiple unit directors, and managed a division budget of $74 million.

Morgan is currently the chief academic officer and vice president for academic

affairs and student success with the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.

In this position, Morgan provides statewide leadership for initiatives in many areas, including academic affairs and student success.

The council is the state of Kentucky’s higher education coordinating body and reports directly to the governor.

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YoUTMs faculty, staff and student excellence

Dr. Mark Simmons, director of choral activities and associate professor of music, also serves as associate conductor of the Jackson Symphony Orchestra. In that capacity, he conducted during the symphony’s season-opening concert Aug. 27 titled “Starlight Symphony.”

He also served as cue conductor for seven canon used in the finale of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. The annual concert was held on the front law of the First Presbyterian Church of Jackson and had an estimated 4,000 audience members in attendance.

Dr. Julie Hill, professor and chair, Department of Music, spent Aug. 1-7 in Recife, Brazil, as part of a Brazilian-sponsored exchange program called “Bate Solto.” Hill presented workshops at several schools, performed with other musicians at the Centre de Educação Olinda and worked with the famous children’s maracatu group, Nação Erê. Brazilian musicians will visit the United States in November to attend the Percussive Arts Society International Convention and visit the UT Martin campus. They will present student masterclasses and give several performances both on and off-campus during their visit.

Several faculty members from the Department of Visual and Theatre Arts have work displayed in the fall season opening exhibition in the River Campus Art Gallery at Southeast Missouri State University. The exhibition will run through Sept. 30, and the gallery is open from 1-5 p.m. during the week. Faculty members Dr. Carol Eckert, Grace Eckert, Sarah Haig, Lane Last, David McBeth, Diane Shaw and Jason Stout all have featured work in the exhibit.

UT Martin receives Veteran Reconnect grantThe Tennessee Higher

Education Commission has selected UT Martin as one of six institutions to receive funding through the 2016 Veteran Reconnect program.

This is the second year Veteran Reconnect grants have been awarded, and the first year for UT Martin to receive funding.

THEC granted the university

almost $169,000 through a competitive proposal process.

The 22-month grant will be used to hire a veteran service specialist and create a dedicated space on campus for a student veterans center.

The funding will also aid in the development of an orientation program specifically designed to assist student veterans with the transition to college life.

“I feel the additional funding will go a long way toward improving the veterans’ experience on campus,” said Tim McClain, a senior from Union City and member of the Skyhawk Veterans Association. “The orientation program will assist incoming veterans with a sense of direction and a feeling of appreciation for service to our great nation. The veterans’

service specialist can facilitate more concentrated attention to the unique needs of each veteran.”

The Veteran Reconnect program awarded nearly one million dollars in funding this cycle to increase campus services for student veterans and provide veteran-specific resources.

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Sandra Koch, interim coordinator for the Office of International Studies, passed away Aug. 31. Koch also served as a part-time lecturer in the Department of Accounting, Finance, Economics and Political Science. Her husband, Dr. Malcolm Koch, is executive director of the Center for International Education. Memorial services will be held at 3 p.m., Sept. 11, at the First United Methodist Church in Martin.

In Memory

Washington Monthly ranks UT Martin in top-20 southern collegesThe Washington Monthly

2016 College Rankings name the University of Tennessee at Martin 17th in the “Best Bang for the Buck Southern Colleges” category. UT Martin is the top-ranked Tennessee institution, ahead of Tennessee Technological University (19th), Vanderbilt University (22nd) and Austin Peay State University (41st), among others.

Washington Monthly is known for ranking institutions based not only on price, graduation and retention rates, number of programs and other common factors, but also on qualities such as post-graduation earnings, student ability to repay educational loans, service to

TOP-20 RANKING – Washington Monthly has ranked UT Martin number 17 on their list of “Best Bang for the Buck Southern Colleges” for 2016.

country and contributions to research.

Perhaps the heaviest factor in this ranking is the social mobility of enrolled students. Universities that make it a priority to help first-generation and lower or moderate-income students reach graduation and enter the workforce score well in these rankings.

Thirty-seven percent of UT Martin’s spring 2016 graduating class were first-generation college graduates, and 44 percent qualified for federal PELL grants. The fall 2015 overall student body consisted of 39 percent first-generation students and 48.6 percent PELL-eligible students.

The UT Martin Department of Music will continue its fall concert season with performances by the UT Martin World Percussion Ensemble and the LCD Faculty Woodwind Trio.

Music enthusiasts with an interest in techniques from across the globe will enjoy a concert featuring the UT Martin World Percussion Ensemble,

accompanied by the Jamaica Me Happy Steel Band, at 5 p.m., Sept. 9, in Virginia Weldon Park. Both groups will perform as part of the Tennessee Soybean Festival’s Crazy Chicken in the Park event.

Dr. Douglas Owens, Dr. Liz Aleksander and Charles Lewis, all faculty members in the UT Martin Department of Music, will hold an LCD and Friends

recital at 3 p.m., Sept. 11, in the UT Martin Fine Arts Building’s Blankenship Recital Hall. The trio, accompanied by colleagues from UT Martin, Jackson and Memphis, will perform compositions by composers Camille Saint-Saen, Josiah Sprankle and Leos Janacek.

All events are free and open to the public.

notice for new faculty

All new faculty should make an appointment with the Office of University Relations at 731-881-7615 to have an official headshot made for

publicity purposes. Headshots are taken from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Thursdays.

The Addenda newsletter is published weekly during the academic year. Send your Addenda news to Erin Chesnut at echesnut@utm.edu

by noon on Thursdays.

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Closing the Loop

This is a recurring section to recognize offices and departments that have gathered data and used it to make informed decisions for the positive impact of their area.

The Office of Education Student

Services

The Office of Education Student Services noticed they were receiving a large number of repetitive requests for basic information such as deadlines, Praxis information, common forms and website instructions.

It became obvious that students were not sure where to access certain types of information, so the office created an electronic bulletin board to answer commonly asked questions.

A continuous slideshow on the second floor of Gooch Hall cycles through more than 50 slides with information on faculty and staff, reminders, club meetings, resources, website instructions and information for student teachers.

According to data obtained from the UT Martin Office of Information Technology Services, visits to the Office of Education Student Service’s webpage increased exponentially from May 2015 to May 2016 as students who were previously unaware of the website began to access the resources they needed.

Visits to the online check sheets increased 223 percent; visits to the Praxis test pages increased 315 percent; and visits to the office’s required forms increased 1,737 percent during that time period, with a 430 percent increase in overall page views.

Student Health and Counseling Services is hosting a variety of activities during national Suicide Prevention Week, Sept. 5-11. According to a study conducted by Emory University, more than 1,000 suicides occur on college campuses each year. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among people ages 25-34, and the third-leading cause of death among people ages 15-24.

The campus community is invited to come learn the warning signs that often indicate suicidal thoughts and find out how to combat personal depression or

Student Health and Counseling Services to support National Suicide Prevention Week

the depression of a friend. A “Dart out of Darkness” event will be held from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. outside the Boling University Center to help relieve start-of-semester stress and give information about suicide and depression.

Social media will be used Sept. 8 to help raise awareness among the national and international communities. Use the hashtag #UToocan to share tips on maintaining mental health and to find out how to find resources near you. Staff members from Student Health and Counseling Services will also be available

near the Friends statue outside the Paul Meek Library with additional resources.

The week’s final event will take place from noon-1 p.m. in the campus quadrangle. This “Lap4Life” event will take a lap around the quad in remembrance of the college students who take their own lives each year.

Contact Student Health and Counseling Services at 731-881-7750 for more information or if you suspect a friend, relative, student or colleague may be depressed or considering suicide.

A dedication ceremony was held Aug. 29 for the newly remodeled Kelly Murray Investment Management Room

in the Business Administration Building. Faculty, staff and community members were present for the official unveiling

of the high-tech facility, which honors Kelly Murray, a former finance major, who passed away in 2008.

The room includes new computer equipment and high-resolution ticker tape display, and is designed to function much like a stock trading floor.

Students participating in the Tennessee Valley Authority Investment Challenge, held each year, can use the facility to manage their financial portfolios in real time.

A plaque (pictured above) outside the room commemorates Murray’s dedication to his field.

Kelly Murray Room unveiled

•Sept. 6-17 – Guitar as Art exhibition; Fine Arts Building Gallery•Sept. 6 – Tennessee Soybean Festival parade; University and Lindell streets (parade leaves from the Graham Stadium parking lot); 6:30 p.m.•Sept. 7 – Suicide Prevention Week: Dart out of Darkness; outside Boling University Center; 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.•Sept. 7 – Candidate forum: Dr. Keith Carver; Watkins Auditorium; 2-4 p.m.•Sept. 8 – Candidate forum:

Calendar

Published weekly during the academic year and biweekly during the summer by UT Martin, Martin, TN 38238• Dr. Joseph DiPietro – President, University of Tennessee System • Dr. Robert M. Smith – Interim Chancellor

Erin Chesnut – Addenda Editor UT Martin is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA employer. E05-0425-00-001-16

addenda

UT Martin Q&A

•Question – Do faculty and staff receive any discounts in Skyhawk Dining Hall and/or The Food Court?

•Answer – UT Martin Dining Services offers five meal plan options for faculty and staff. Faculty and staff meal plans do not expire at the end of the semester, and you can sign up for a payroll deduction to cover the cost. Visit the dining services website at utm.sodexomyway.com/dining-plans/index.html or stop by the Skyhawk Dining Hall for more information.

Submit your questions to the Suggestion Box link at www.utm.edu.

YoU Tell Me

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Tennessee SoybeanFestival

September 2 – 11

For times & information, visit:

tnsoybeanfestival.org

All concerts will be on the Festival Park main stage unless otherwise noted. Advance tickets can be purchased at tnsoybeanfestival.org. Any remaining tickets will be available at the Festival Park box office prior to the show. Visit tnsoybeanfestival.org for a complete list of festival events and activities.

•Sept. 6 – Brothers Osborne; 8:30 p.m.; tickets $7 online, $10 at the box office

•Sept. 7 – Travis Cottrell and Local Community Choir; 6 p.m.; free admission

•Sept. 8 – Plain White T’s; UT Martin Student Night; 9 p.m.; tickets $15 online, $20 at the box office

•Sept. 9 – Vince Gill; 9 p.m.; tickets $15 online, $20 at the box office

•Sept. 10 – Blood, Sweat and Tears; 7 p.m.; tickets $15 online, $20 at the box office

•Sept. 10 – Three Dog Night; 9 p.m.; tickets $15 online, $20 at the box office

This week’s concert schedule

Dr. Jay Morgan; Watkins Auditorium; 2-4 p.m.•Sept. 9-11 – Skyhawk Invitational; Skyhawk Tennis Complex•Sept. 9 – Suicide Prevention Week: Lap4Life; quadrangle; noon-1 p.m.•Sept. 9 – World Percussion Ensemble with Jamaica Me Happy; Virginia Weldon park; 5 p.m.•Sept. 11 – Concert Series: LCD Woodwind Trio; Blankenship Recital Hall; 3 p.m.