Welcome!
All updates were written by Dr. Derek Alderman and reflect his perceptions and reflections as current Faculty Senate President.
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Senate Leadership Statement Ahead of November 5 Election
Many nationwide will soon vote in the elections on November 5, 2024. The Faculty Senate leadership encourages the University of Tennessee community to take advantage of no classes on Election Day to participate in this critical democratic moment and help choose the future leadership of the country, state, and local area.
Amid this election season and as people engage in political discussions and debates, the Senate leadership reaffirms its commitment to freedom of speech and protecting academic freedom. A healthy and productive sharing of different perspectives requires engaging in civil and respectful dialogue, especially when we encounter people with whom we may disagree.
Senate leaders are confident that the University of Tennessee can distinguish itself as a welcoming and inclusive place of civility and safety. Ensuring that our campus community lives up to that potential does not just happen. It requires intentional respect for one another. We encourage this respectfulness in the period leading up to and on November 5, during the counting of votes, and in what we hope will be a peaceful transfer of power following the election.
One of the Faculty Senate’s highest priorities is collaborating with our administrative partners to uphold an inclusive, healthy, and equitable learning environment inside and outside the classroom. We unequivocally reject any language or actions—regardless of political origin—that would compromise our commitment to building a culture and climate at UT where students, faculty, and staff feel valued, supported, and safe.
Thank you,
Derek Alderman, Senate President
Charles Noble, Senate President-Elect
Amber Roessner, Senate Past President
This Statement is Endorsed by Executive Council of the University of Tennessee Faculty Senate.
(updated 10/30/2024)
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**New Senate Heart and Soul Award for Enhancing Campus Climate**
Dear Faculty Colleagues,
At the first Faculty Senate meeting on September 16, 2024, we introduced a new Presidential honor—the “Heart and Soul Award”—for the 2024-25 academic year.
This award recognizes faculty members who contribute exceptionally to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and supportive environment in their workplaces, classrooms, labs, departments, schools, colleges, and across UT’s broader social spaces.
The Heart and Soul Award is part of our campus-wide healthy climate initiative, developed in collaboration with Dr. Janelle Coleman and Mr. Jalen Blue of UT’s Division for Access and Engagement.
Positive contributions to climate and culture significantly impact faculty, staff, and students’ recruitment, retention, well-being, and success. Those contributions are the lifeblood, the “heart and soul” of the University’s future.
Each Senate meeting this year will begin by celebrating one or more faculty members with a Heart and Soul Award. At our September 16 meeting, we honored two highly deserving colleagues as our inaugural recipients:
- Joy Marie Doan, Assistant Professor of Practice in the School of Information Sciences (UT College of Communication and Information), enhances inclusivity and access by diversifying library collections and advocating for community-building.
- Elyssa Gould, Associate Professor and Head of Acquisitions and Continuing Resources at UT Libraries, creates a supportive leadership and mentorship culture and establishes a collaborative practice community for new leaders.
Please consider nominating a full-time tenure-track or non-tenure-track colleague you believe deserves this honor by completing the form below. This nomination process also allows the Senate to gather and share stories of support and inclusivity that can inform broader institutional climate initiatives.
https://tiny.utk.edu/Senate-HeartSoul
Thank you,
Derek Alderman
(updated 10.03.2024)
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Dear Faculty Colleagues,
On behalf of the UT Faculty Senate, I would like to express our deepest sympathies to all those affected by Hurricane Helene’s devastation. Individuals and communities across Tennessee and the Southeast face significant challenges after this disaster.
I encourage my fellow faculty members to explore ways to contribute to relief and recovery efforts through volunteering, offering academic expertise, supporting organizations providing aid, or simply ‘being there’ for impacted families, colleagues, students, alumni, and public partners.
The Faculty Senate Leadership Team stands ready to assist in any way we can during this difficult time. Please do not hesitate to reach out, as we all work together to support one another.
Since distributing the message above, other offices around UT have announced resources to assist you those in need and where donations can be made. Se below.
- For those looking to contribute financially, the East Tennessee Foundation has set up a fund for monetary donations for the impacted counties.
- The Jones Center for Leadership and Service has a list of ways to contribute. Additional information will be updated when impacted counties have the capability to receive material donations.
- UT Students who need assistance can contact the Dean of Students Office at 865-974-3179 or dos@itk.edu.
- UT Faculty & Staff impacted in need assistance can contact HR at 865-974-6642 or hr@utk.edu.
- FEMA has provided resources on how to help those affected by Hurricane Helene. You can find more information here: How to Help After Hurricane Helene.
- From WBIR: Here’s how you can help Tennessee communities in need after Hurricane Helene. Follow this link
Thank you
Derek Alderman
(updated 10/02/2024)
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Dear Faculty Colleagues,
I am pleased to invite you to a Faculty Senate-organized panel discussion entitled “Writing for The Conversation: Opportunities, Challenges, and Tips.” The panel will occur on September 24, beginning at 3:30 p.m. in Student Union 262B/C.
The Conversation is a nonprofit, independent news organization where journalists assist university scholars in writing brief but informative articles about their research and teaching. Over the past year, UTK faculty and graduate students have published more articles in The Conversation than any other SEC school.
This panel brings together contributors and a college communication director to explore the benefits, hurdles, and practical strategies of writing for The Conversation to translate and disseminate one’s work and ideas to wider audiences. The panel is part of a broader Senate initiative to highlight and support faculty efforts in outreach, public-facing scholarship, and serving the land-grant mission.
We have an all-star cast of panelists from various disciplines and colleges.
Our panelists are:
- Megan Bryson, Associate Professor, Religious Studies
- Celeste Carruthers, Professor, Economics
- James Martinez, Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
- Katrina Stack, PhD student, Geography & Sustainability
- Neal Stewart, Professor, UTIA Plant Sciences
- Jacob Suissa, Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Amanda Womac, Communications Director, College of Arts & Sciences
The Faculty Senate’s goal is to celebrate the strides that UTK faculty and graduate students have made in contributing to The Conversation. Previous contributors are welcome to attend. The panel is also meant to create a professional development and mentorship space for helping colleagues make informed decisions about whether working with The Conversation is right for them and how best to make that outreach as successful and meaningful as possible. Those interested in contributing to The Conversation in the future (or want to know more about it) are also welcome.
We encourage you to use the RSVP link below so that the Faculty Senate can plan accordingly.
RSVP: https://tiny.utk.edu/ConversationRSVP
Thanks for your time, and I hope to see you at the event!
(sent by email, 09/13/2024)
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Opening Message
It is a great honor for me to serve as President of the UTK Faculty Senate for 2024-25. Thank you for the opportunity to do so.
Part of the honor of serving as Senate President comes from allowing me to represent and work with many talented and hard-working faculty colleagues. I see daily how much faculty give to the institution and higher education in general. That devotion goes beyond just being an employee; as faculty, we are partners actively investing in the future of the University of Tennessee. Our reputations and destinies are tied not just to our personal records of scholarship, teaching, and outreach but to UT’s overall health and standing. Many of us make sacrifices and sometimes work beyond the contract clock to ensure the future success of our students, colleagues, and the State of Tennessee.
I invite those in the Senate and across the campus to collaborate with me to raise the visibility and recognition of these faculty achievements and create spaces for actively addressing faculty’s well-being, needs, and rights. I am especially interested in supporting faculty as they engage and assist their communities and tell the story of their work to wider audiences—which I see as instrumental to UT’s land-grant mission and demonstrating to the public the difference that higher education can make.
While serving as Senate President is a great honor, it is also a daunting task, one conducted so well by my predecessors. Allow me to acknowledge and express appreciation for the magnificent work of two of our most recent Presidents, Amber Roessner and Beth Schussler. Amber and Beth led us through an especially challenging two years. They helped us navigate the internal restructuring of colleges, DEI, and curricula while responding to broader social tensions, external pressures, and policies, some of which were designed to chill academic and educational discussions.
As we face old and new challenges this year, I invite my fellow Senate members to join me in ensuring that faculty have a voice in key, collaborative decisions. This shared governance is essential in ensuring that the campus is a vibrant academic environment, an inclusive workplace, and a responsive set of physical and social infrastructures. Empowering our voices and practicing shared governance is more than a matter of bureaucracy; it is a “civic imagination” project in which we see ourselves as active agents for imagining and realizing positive change within the university.
During the 2024-25 academic year, this page will be one of the ways that I announce initiatives and events, communicate updates, and sometimes gather feedback on important issues. Please know how much I and the rest of the Senate leadership value and appreciate what you will do this year–not just in ‘doing your job’ but in making UT a better place.