The eleventh annual Appalachian Spring fundraiser will be held at 6:00 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Knoxville.

Students will recognize Mayfield as a “Legend of the Industry” for his role in turning a fourth-generation family dairy and ice cream business into one of the nation’s favorite dairy brands. The banquet’s theme, “Tasteful Adventures,” will showcase Mayfield’s favorite destinations around the country, from Mobile Bay and Panama City to New York City and Chicago.

The evening will include a silent auction, wine-and-beer reception, hors d’oeuvres, and a four-course dinner with wine pairings. UT students will prepare the meal from start to finish.

Tickets are $150 each for the general public and $85 for UT students. Participants also may sponsor an eight-seat table for $1,000. The deadline to buy tickets is March 12.

Students are seeking sponsorships that range from $50 for a “Wall of Thanks” in the program to $5,000 for one full-page advertisement and two sponsored tables.

Last year’s ticket sales and auction raised more than $26,000 for the Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management. The money generated from the banquet will support student scholarships, industry trips and internships, study abroad trips, and leadership development.

To purchase a ticket, contact Marcia Johnson at 865-974-6831 or wjohnso1@utk.edu.

For sponsorship information, contact Ann Fairhurst at 865-974-6614 or fairhurs@utk.edu.

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CONTACT:

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lola.alapo@tennessee.edu)

David Cihak

While in college, David Cihak worked in a total care facility for elderly people with disabilities where he helped them with daily activities—from getting up to dressing to feeding themselves.

Although meaningful, it encouraged him to take a different career path.

“They passed away, which was extremely sad when you’re eighteen,” he said. “It made me realize that maybe my focus should be working with children, adolescents, and young adults to ensure that they learn the skills they need so they can live in a far more independent manner.”

Cihak, an associate professor of special education, has dedicated his life to that mission. He is co-investigator of UT’s FUTURE Program, an initiative in its third year that aims to give students with intellectual disabilities a college experience while also teaching them how to live and work independently.

Bob Rider, dean of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, noted that Cihak’s involvement with the FUTURE Program is one of his most valuable contributions to the university.

“Through David’s and his colleagues’ efforts, these students are now able to attend UT and enjoy and experience what it means to be a college student,” he said. “David’s work—focusing on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism—is widely known and highly respected.”

With the aspiring special education teachers who come through his classes, Cihak shares research, recommended practices and anecdotes from his time as a classroom teacher, as well as the history of how people with disabilities have been treated. He also helps his students gain experience working with students with disabilities in area schools. His students must complete two practicums and a yearlong professional internship to gather real-world classroom experiences before graduating.

“I try to inspire them by showing the importance of being an effective teacher, building relationships, and providing opportunities for all people to live, to work, and to participate actively in an integrated society,” he said.

Sarah Hillyer

Sarah Hillyer wants students who desire to work in sports-related disciplines to know they have options beyond the corporate arena or for-profit collegiate athletics. They can use sports to bring peace around the world.

She’s demonstrating it with her life. Hillyer, an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sports Studies, directs UT’s Center for Sport, Peace, and Society. The center, which opened in January 2012, is partnering with the US Department of State on an initiative to empower women and girls worldwide through sports.

The center also trains and equips students and community members to enact social change in their part of the globe.

“No matter what the discipline is, we all have something we’re really passionate about,” Hillyer said. “Most of us can identify a turning point in our life—a crossroads—where we said, ‘Am I going to choose to make the world a better place, or will I choose apathy and just make it through?’ It’s really about empowering students to create a better world for all of us if that’s what they choose to do with sports.”

The turning point for Hillyer came while she was a college basketball player. Coaches were under such intense pressure to win that student athletes sometimes felt they were nothing more than a jersey number, she said. Some coaches imposed strict weight restrictions and benched players who exceeded the weight by just a few pounds. Because of this, Hillyer developed unhealthy habits.

“Not only did I graduate with a degree in sports management, I also graduated with a severe eating disorder,” she said.

She also had lost her love for sports. While in rehabilitation for her eating disorder, she went through a period of reflection and realized that sports could be used for good or ill.

“Sport is what people choose to do with it,” she said. “I could walk away from it or do something empowering with it.”

Out of this came Sport 4 Peace, an organization Hillyer created to use athletics in a humanitarian way. It led her to China, Iran, Israel, Iraq, and ultimately UT, where she completed her doctoral studies.

The organization is the model for UT’s Center for Sport, Peace, and Society.

Bob Rider, dean of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, which houses the center, said its work—guided by Hillyer—spreads the UT brand all over the world.

“Sarah brings very special talents to our college and the university, helping to lift up girls and women from developing countries and repressed societies,” he said. “She is an amazing ambassador for our university and so wonderfully represents what it means to be a true Volunteer.”

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CONTACT:

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lola.alapo@tennessee.edu)

The 7:00 p.m. event will be in the Toyota Auditorium of the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy. It is free and open to the public.

A question-and-answer session will follow Labov’s presentation.

Labov, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, will speak about the Penn Reading Initiative, a student-run tutorial program for teaching reading in Philadelphia elementary and middle center-city schools, based on his research in linguistics. The initiative has helped the schools improve students’ reading proficiency.

Labov is widely regarded for creating much of the methodology of sociolinguistics. He has authored several books, including the Atlas of North American English: Phonetics, Phonology and Sound Change.

Sponsors of the Labov event include the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences; the University Assisted Community School program; the Baker Center; and the Carson Newman College Linguistics Department.

For directions to the Baker Center and parking, visit the center’s website.

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CONTACT:

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)

Twenty-four teachers arrived at UT earlier this month and will stay until February 21. In addition to their other studies, the teachers will be honing their teaching skills.

Curriculum for the Brazilian teachers is being coordinated by the English Language Institute (ELI) and the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education.

Associate Professor Clara Lee Brown is overseeing instruction in teaching methods and assessment, and Assistant Professor Dorothy Hendricks is overseeing history instruction. Both are from the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education.

The Brazilian teachers will make several visits to Lenoir City Schools, where they will observe classes, including English as a Second Language classes, and meet with teachers and administrators. Several Knoxville-area teachers will serve as mentors to the Brazilian teachers during their stay. The program will include field trips to Cherokee, N.C.; the Great Smoky Mountains National Park; and Atlanta. The field trips are designed to complement the U.S. history portion of the program.

UT is one of eighteen universities chosen to host the new program, which is a collaboration between the Institute of International Education; CAPES, a foundation within the Ministry of Education in Brazil which strives to improve the quality of Brazil’s faculty and staff in higher education through grant programs; the US Fulbright Commission in Brazil; and the U.S. Embassy in Brazil.

The Brazilian teachers were selected through a competitive process and come from all regions of their country. For most, this is their first opportunity to travel abroad.

At the same time, UT is hosting an institute where twenty Brazilian undergraduates will learn more about US history, politics, economics, religions, and culture. The students also arrived earlier this month. They will stay in Knoxville until February 10 and then embark on a six-day study tour to New York City and Washington, D.C.

Faculty members from UT’s departments of history, English, sociology, religious studies, law, Africana studies, and geography are involved.

Jim Hamrick, ELI director, is managing the institute. History Professor Ernest Freeberg is coordinating the institute’s academic sessions, and Cheryl Barksdale, a lecturer in the College of Business Administration, is coordinating the leadership development component.

Participating students were selected from among hundreds of applicants by the US Fulbright Commission in Brazil. The Institute is funded by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It is offered in cooperation with the Institute for Training and Development of Amherst, Massachusetts.

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C O N T A C T :

Jim Hamrick (974- 3404, hamrickj@utk.edu)

Amy Blakely (974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), an organization that annually honors architectural educators for exemplary work, has honored UT for having best practices in school-based community outreach programs and design-build projects.

UT Associate Professor Thomas K. Davis’s community outreach program, Collaborations in Transit-Oriented Development, received a Collaborative Practice Award. The honor recognizes programs that demonstrate how faculty, students, and community/civic clients work together to achieve common objectives.

Davis’s work is helping to produce a walkable, pedestrian-friendly Nashville, where the design of high-quality public spaces is emphasized. He worked with the Nashville Civic Design Center, a nonprofit organization that addresses the city’s urban design challenges; the Nashville Metropolitan Planning Organization; and the MBA Real Estate Program at Vanderbilt University.

“Together these interdisciplinary teams explored the financial feasibility of transit-related development, based on significant stakeholder input,” Davis said.

Transit-oriented development, according to Davis, enhances the quality of life for residents, improves public health by encouraging walking, fosters economic development, and contributes to community character through the design of public space.

The New Norris House, a sustainable home developed by students in conjunction with architecture faculty members Tricia Stuth, Robert French, Samuel Mortimer, and Richard Kelso, received the Design Build Award. The honor recognized faculty for connecting curriculum with practical projects that address cultural, economic, social, or environmental sustainability.

The New Norris House is a learning project that has taken its student participants through the phases of design, construction, and evaluation. The home has earned LEED-platinum certification from the US Green Building Council, which makes it one of the most “green” homes in the state. The project has addressed energy and environmental design, water treatment, sustainable material use, community engagement, and issues in policy since its beginnings in 2009.

“Both awards reflect the UT College of Architecture and Design’s commitment to multidisciplinary learning and projects that improve people’s lives,” said Scott Poole, dean of the college.

“Innovation in practical fields of knowledge remains a vital aspect of our mission as a land-grant university,” he said. “Our teaching and applied research are having direct and lasting impact on the people and places, culture and community, environmental health, and economic vitality in the state of Tennessee and beyond.

“We are proud that our college’s focus on experiential learning, city building, and environmental stewardship is being recognized at a national level through these prestigious awards in architectural education.”

The ACSA represents more than 250 schools, where more than 5,000 architecture faculty are employed.

To learn more about the research and design of UT architecture faculty, visit the College of Architecture and Design website.

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C O N T A C T S:

Kiki Roeder (865-974-6713, kroeder@utk.edu)

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)

That’s not the only way that new technology is changing the holidays.

Lisa Fall, associate professor of advertising and public relations, said she is amazed by the way the Internet and smartphones make planning holiday celebrations and keeping in touch easier.

“We didn’t have any of this technology growing up,” she said.

Social media sites offer tips for meal preparation. Instead of calling the Butterball hotline, you can watch a YouTube video on how to cook a turkey—or just about anything else. Instead of borrowing your grandmother’s casserole recipe, you can look one up in the Food and Drink section on Pinterest or on sites like All Recipes and Yummly, which include reviews, ratings, and nutrition information for each recipe.

“My students have less skills learned from their families, and so maybe using media that they are comfortable with to learn is a great idea,” said Carol Costello, professor of retail, hospitality and tourism management. “Last week, a student came up to me with green onions in one hand and parsley in the other and asked me which was the celery.”

If you need help with decorating, Pinterest can help with that, too. Its holiday section has tips for lighting, ornament making, gingerbread-house building—everything.

“Pinterest is huge,” Fall said. “My sixteen-year-old has gone into Pinterest to find things she wants to do for her party.”

Limbua has released a Christmas List app to help with all aspect of holiday shopping, in case you can’t keep up with budgeting on your own. Of course there are also various travel apps that do everything from navigating traffic jams to locating the nearest cheap gas station.

But maybe the biggest change is the way people are keeping in touch with each other when they can’t be together for the holidays.

Fall said that Snapchat—an app that lets you chat with pictures—is a popular way for people to keep in touch now.

It’s perfect, she says, “if you want to send pictures of you and your family across the country—of hey, I’m here at this party, my baby met Santa for the first time.”

Skype and the USO have teamed up to provide free video or phone calls to military personnel at any Asia-Pacific USO center. They’re also serving “virtual holiday dinners” so service members can eat holiday meals with their families via video chat.

Elizabeth Hendrickson, professor of journalism and electronic media, says she thinks a younger generation of service members is embracing that technology.

“If you consider the age of many military servicemen and women with young families, they are a demographic that has grown up with pretty rapid technological innovation,” she said. “They are comfortable with mobile technology, and as such, are likely to be more open to the USO’s offer.”

For civilians, there are apps, Wi-Fi hotspots, and ecards to keep you virtually connected to family and friends you can’t see during the holiday season.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu)

Holly Gary (865-974-2225, hgary@utk.edu)

Ayres Hall

Shelley Binder, associate professor of music, has been named chair of the finance committee for the National Flute Association. The position is a four-year appointment. She also is featured as a new artist/performer on the Miyazawa Flute website. Miyazawa is a Japanese company renowned for its handcrafted professional flutes.

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Ham Bozdogan, a professor in the Department of Statistics, Operations, and Management Science, has become an advisory board member of Türkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed medical journal based in Turkey.

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Ralph Brockett, professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, has received the Imogene Okes Award for outstanding research in adult education. The award was presented in November at a reception in Las Vegas. Brockett and his colleague Susan Stockdale at Kennesaw State University won for their “Development of the PRO-SDLS: A Measure of Self-Direction in Learning Based on the Personal Responsibility Orientation Model,” published in Adult Education Quarterly in May 2011. Brockett teaches graduate courses in adult learning and research methods.

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Terry Hazen, UT/ORNL Governor’s Chair for Environmental Biotechnology has co-authored a paper that appeared on cover of Environmental Microbiology. The paper is entitled “Deep-sea bacteria enriched by oil and dispersant from the Deepwater Horizon spill.” The paper shows how the Macondo oil degrades at low temperature with and without dispersant and other amendments at the refrigerator temperatures in the deep gulf, and which microbial communities members were responsible for the oil degradation in the deep Gulf of Mexico.

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Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has appointed George Hyfantis, an adjunct professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering to the new combined Tennessee Underground Storage Tank and Solid Waste Disposal Control Board. This new board combines the regulatory oversight functions of the former Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Board and the Solid Waste Disposal Control Board. Hyfantis was chosen to represent an institution of higher learning. He has been an adjunct professor in civil engineering for more than thirty years, teaching mainly the graduate course Solid and Hazardous Waste Management.

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Claudia Rawn, joint faculty assistant professor of materials science and engineering, and Jeffrey Reinbolt, assistant professor of mechanical, aerospace, and biomedical engineering, were selected to attend the Frontiers of Engineering Education Symposium in October at the National Academies’ Beckman Center in Irvine, California. The Frontiers of Engineering program brings together a select group of emerging engineering leaders from industry, academe, and government labs to discuss pioneering technical work and leading edge research in various engineering fields and industry sectors.

The café, which is sponsored by Sysco Foods, operates from noon to 1:00 p.m. on Tuesdays or Thursdays in the UT Visitors Center, 2712 Neyland Drive. Each luncheon typically consists of an intermezzo or small appetizer, salad or soup, entrée, and dessert. Advance tickets will be sold for the luncheons, and capacity is eighty diners. Cost will be $12 and the faculty-staff discount applies. For tickets and reservations, see Marcia Johnson in the Jessie Harris Building, Room 110, call 865-974-6645, or e-mail rhtm@utk.edu.

The northern Spanish menu is:

Appetizer: Plate consisting of cured meats, vegetables, and cheeses including asparagus blancos, Serrano ham, and roasted olives with fennel and Tetilla cheese.

Tapas: Chuletas de cordero (garlic and herb crusted lamb chops) served with fresh spinach and raisin salad tossed in a sherry vinaigrette

Entrée: Salmón a la ribereña (salmon Asturian-style, with Serrano ham and cider sauce) served with Spanish rice

Dessert: Arroz con leche (rice pudding)

Lunch dates and themes for the remainder of the semester are:

Thursday, November 29: Fusion (1)

Tuesday, December 4: Fusion (2)

The luncheons are produced through a collaboration of HRT 445 (the Advanced Food Production and Service Management class), the UT Culinary Institute and the Pellissippi Culinary Institute.

Students enrolled in the UT course will work as general managers, dining room attendants, assistant kitchen managers, dining room managers, and dining room service employees. They will be responsible for the execution of the dining experience, managing staff, menu planning, food preparation, cooking, cost analysis, service during meal time, marketing of the event, and customer satisfaction activities.

Culinary Institute students will do most of the food preparation and will assist with dining room responsibilities.

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CONTACTS :

Marcia Johnson (for tickets): (865-974-6645, rhtm@utk.edu)

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)

The café, which is sponsored by Sysco Foods, operates from noon to 1:00 p.m. on Tuesdays or Thursdays in the UT Visitors Center, 2712 Neyland Drive. Each luncheon typically consists of an intermezzo or small appetizer, salad or soup, entrée, and dessert. Advance tickets will be sold for the luncheons, and capacity is eighty diners. Cost will be $12, and the faculty-staff discount applies. For tickets and reservations, see Marcia Johnson in the Jessie Harris Building, Room 110, call 865-974-6645, or e-mail rhtm@utk.edu.

The southern Spanish menu is:

Appetizer: Tapas (pinchos morunos, or grilled pork kebab, with mint pesto topped with Manchego cheese)

Soup: Gazpacho (chilled Spanish tomato soup with fresh vegetables)

Entrée: Paella with fresh chicken, seafood, and vegetables

Dessert: Flan de caramelo

Lunch dates and themes for the remainder of the semester are:

• Tuesday, November 20: Northern Spanish
• Thursday, November 29: Fusion (1)
• Tuesday, December 4: Fusion (2)

The luncheons are produced through a collaboration of HRT 445 (the Advanced Food Production and Service Management class), the UT Culinary Institute, and the Pellissippi Culinary Institute.

Students enrolled in the UT course will work as general managers, dining room attendants, assistant kitchen managers, dining room managers, and dining room service employees. They will be responsible for the execution of the dining experience, managing staff, menu planning, food preparation, cooking, cost analysis, service during meal time, marketing of the event, and customer satisfaction activities.

Culinary Institute students will do most of the food preparation and will assist with dining room responsibilities.

––

CONTACTS :

Marcia Johnson (for tickets): (865-974-6645, rhtm@utk.edu)

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)

Fritz Polite, top left, poses with retired South Korean athletes participating in the NEST program.

Nineteen elite South Korean athletes—from Olympic gold medalists to world champions—will spend the next few months at UT learning skills to become coaches and international sports ambassadors.

The retired athletes also will improve their English language, learn sports marketing, pick up coaching techniques, and work in their area of athletic expertise as part of the Next Generation Sports Talent (NEST) program.

In its fifth year, NEST is designed to equip participants with tools necessary for an athletic-related career. It is sponsored by the South Korean government in partnership with the UT College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences; the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); the English Language Institute; and national and international sports governing bodies.

The athletes are paired with UT students who serve as their peer mentors. This part of the program is especially meaningful because it gives NEST students the opportunity to make new friends who will help them assimilate, said current NEST student Jeongho Hong. Hong, 38, won Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medals in handball at the 1992 Barcelona games, 1996 Atlanta games and 2008 Beijing games, respectively.

“Maybe we can teach each other our country’s culture, customs, and languages,” said Hong, who retired last year after playing professionally in Japan, Denmark, and Norway. “It’s important because there’s so much about each other we don’t know.”

UT competed against five other US institutions to house this program.

“As we continue to educate, develop, and prepare our students for a changing global economy, the NEST-UT partnership allows both parties to explore and share cultures,” said NEST director Fritz Polite. “It is a one-of-a-kind program and is extremely beneficial for both countries.”

Based on feedback from previous NEST students, officials this year are expanding the program from four to seven months. Instead of leaving in December, students will now stay through March 2013.

“They agreed that they enjoyed the experience so much but they felt it was too short,” Polite said. “We want to do a little bit more along the lines of cultural exchange with other (American) students.”

Extending the time also would give NEST students exposure to more sports. Previously, students could participate only in the UT football season. Now, they’ll experience basketball, track, and soccer.

“Working with the other teams gives them a fuller experience,” Polite said.

NEST for the first time has a graduate advisor, a previous NEST student named Kyun Suk Kim who will serve as a mentor to the students.

Also new this year: Visiting assistant professor Seungyup Lim will research the impact of the NEST program and best practices that officials can use to further improve the initiative. Kim, who attended UT as a doctoral student before returning to South Korea to teach, also will look into the possibility of expanding the program.

For current NEST student Chunsa Byun, 24, the program is already producing results. Being at UT has fueled the desire to stay longer at the university and learn even more after the NEST program ends.

“I have no fear of something new,” said Byun, who set the world record in the 1000-meter speed-skating short track during the 2003 World Junior Championships.

Byun said her American counterparts have shown her that “Americans have a strong sense of pride. They’re very considerate of others.”

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CONTACT:

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)

Beachaven Vineyards and Winery took the main prize with its 2008 Syrah during the competition this month.

Fifty wineries from across the Southeast entered the contest and submitted 392 wines. Twenty-five professional out-of-state judges evaluated the wines through a blind tasting.

Judges awarded medals in several categories, including Best of Red, Best of White, Best Sparkler, Best of Blush, Best of Dessert/Fruit, and the William Beach Award for the Best of Tennessee Fruit, which is given to a wine made with 100 percent Tennessee-grown fruit. They also awarded the Concordance Gold to 21 wines—which meant all five judges at a table had to be in agreement before the wine was given a medal.

The competition was organized by Carol Costello, director of UT’s Beer and Wine Program and a professor in the Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management Program within the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.

Other Wines of the South category winners were:

Best of Red: Narmada 2009 Cabernet Franc—Cabernet Franc Reserve, Amissville, Virginia.
Best of White: Sugarland Cellars 2011 Gewurtraminer—Baskin Creek Blanc, Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Best of Sparkler: Stonehaus 2011 Seval Blanc, Crossville, Tennessee.
Best of Blush: Stonehaus 2011 Helena Blush, Crossville, Tennessee.
Best of Dessert/Fruit: Old Millington 2011 Blackberry, Millington, Tennessee.
Best of Tennessee Fruit—William O. Beach Award: Beachaven 2008 Catawba—Heavenly Peach, Clarksville, Tennessee.

The Concordance Gold winners that competed in the “best of” category were:

Beachaven 2008 Syrah, Clarksville, Tennessee
Beachaven 2008 Catawba—Heavenly Peach, Clarksville, Tennessee
Narmada 2009 Cabernet Franc—Cabernet Franc Reserve, Amissville, Virginia
Narmada 2011 Midnight, Amissville, Virginia
Sugarland Cellars 2011 Gewurtraminer—Baskin Creek Blanc, Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Sugarland Cellars 2011 Elkmont, Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Stonehaus 2011 Seval Blanc, Crossville, Tennessee
Stonehaus 2011 Helena Blush, Crossville, Tennessee
Stonehaus 2011 Tickled Pink, Crossville, Tennessee
Old Millington 2011 Blackberry, Millington, Tennessee
Reid’s Livery 2011 Norton Kentucky Table Wine, Alvaton, Kentucky
Eddy Grove 2011 Medicine Man Fireside Red, Princeton, Kentucky
Mountain Valley NV (no vintage) Mountain Blush, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Apple Barn NV (no vintage) Apple Cranberry, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Apple Barn NV (no vintage) Applewood White, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Fox Meadow 2011 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay, Linden, Virginia
Fox Meadow 2010 Owner’s Select Meritage, Linden, Virginia
Chateau Morrisette 2008 Merlot, Floyd, Virginia
Post Familie 2010 Ives Noir, Altus, Arkansas
Post Familie 2011 Blue Parachute, Altus, Arkansas
Iron Gate NV (no vintage) Sweet N’ Sassy Cherry, Mebane, North Carolina

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C O N T A C T S:

Carol Costello (865-974-6241, costello@utk.edu)

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)

The organization’s new name is the Center for Literacy, Education, and Employment. For the past twenty-four years, the center has gained a national reputation for its research and professional development in adult basic education and in early literacy.

Other areas of focus include students in K-12 and adults seeking employment or participating in basic education, including learning English.

The center is housed in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.

Through local, state, and national partnerships, the center works with individuals, families, teachers, employers, and others to help learners reach their potential and contribute to their communities. Its work is supported by the US Department of Education and the state departments of Education, Labor and Workforce Development, and Human Services, as well as other state, foundation, and corporate gifts.

Learn more about the Center for Literacy, Education, and Employment.

VolsTeach, which prepares math and science majors to become teachers in Tennessee’s high-need middle and high schools, moved into a new space last month. The program has been recognized statewide for helping to solve one of the state’s most vital education problems.

The transition from one room to the entire first floor of Greve Hall means new classrooms and an instructional materials library with such tools as TI-Nspire calculators and Vernier LabQuest probes, which students can use to collect, measure, graph, and analyze data as part of their classroom activities.

The tools will be instrumental in teaching K-12 students science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) principles.

“UT students are being taught to use the inquiry-based method of instruction, so that (K-12) students are asking questions and using tools to get an in-depth understanding of these principles,” said Susan Newsom, VolsTeach assistant director. “It’s not just about memorizing and moving on. This is deep, meaningful teaching our students are conducting.”

VolsTeach, which is housed in the Center for Enhancing Education in Mathematics and Sciences (CEEMS), will graduate its first class in spring 2013.

UT is playing a significant role in addressing the critical STEM workforce need in Tennessee, Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek said.

“We’re proud of the work that is being done in the Center for Enhancing Education in Math and Science that involves VolsTeach and strengthening STEM disciplines,” he said. “On this campus, we have increased STEM discipline majors by 28 percent over the last six years. That’s phenomenal. This year, our College of Engineering has a 9 percent increase in their freshmen class. STEM is an area a lot of universities are losing majors in, and we’re gaining majors in those fields.”

More than 200 students have enrolled in VolsTeach since its implementation in fall 2010. It replicates UTeach, a proven model developed by the University of Texas, Austin. The program’s mission is to address the shortage of STEM teachers in middle and high schools.

The program, which targets undergraduate math, science, and engineering majors who may be interested in teaching, is a collaboration between UT’s College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.

UT was the first VolsTeach site in Tennessee. There are now three others, including the University of Memphis, UT Chattanooga, and Middle Tennessee State University.

“Between now and 2018, there will be 109,000 open STEM jobs open in Tennessee, which far outweighs other fields,” said Richard Rhoda, THEC executive director. “Nationwide, the demand for STEM fields is expected to grow four times the rate of other occupational fields. So, when I am asked what the Tennessee Higher Education Commission is doing to address this issue, one of the programs I always highlight is the VolsTeach program.”

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CONTACT:

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lola.alapo@tennessee.edu)

Matt Devereaux, a child development specialist and an associate professor in the UT Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, offers the following suggestions to help parents navigate conversations with teachers during the conferences and throughout the school year:

Share—Communicate early and often. Parents should share as much as they can with teachers, particularly about home or life matters, like divorce, that may affect a child’s behavior in school.

“If a teacher is aware of that, he or she can pay more attention to the child,” he said, adding that “teachers are basically surrogate parents while they’re in school.”

Prepare—If a matter troubles you, bring it to the teacher’s attention right away.

“Don’t let issues boil up,” he said.

But know what questions you’re going to ask and why you’re asking them.

“You need to be able to back up your concerns,” Devereaux said.

Trust—Trust that your children’s teachers do know what they’re doing and have a youngster’s best interest in mind.

“Give them a chance,” he said.

Stay informed—Read everything that comes home, from newsletters to announcements.

“There are so many parents who do not read them,” he said. “They’re out of the loop.”

Volunteer—The best way for parents to stay in communication with the teacher and school is to help out in the classroom or participate in school functions.

“It’s also a great way to find out who all the kids are, from the troublemakers to the sweet kids,” he said.

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CONTACT:

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lola.alapo@tennessee.edu)

But a UT expert also cautions parents about over commitment and its detrimental effects.

Too many children experience over commitment, or what is sometimes called “hyper parenting,” said Matt Devereaux, a child development specialist and an associate professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.

When this happens, it can cause children’s grades to slip, make them irritable, and strain relationships with their parents.

“When they hit that breaking point, kids are very stressed,” he said. “In today’s society, kids are involved in so many activities, more than they can typically handle. Just because you do a lot doesn’t automatically make it good. Just like eating, you have to do it in moderation.”

Devereaux offers these guidelines for a healthy balance:

Do a gut check—Are you involving your child in many activities because it makes you feel good? Do you hope they’ll make your child more successful one day? Does your child really want participate in all of them?

“Parents can be very competitive and they want to compare their children with other families,” Devereaux said. “They put their kids on a pedestal.”

Be attentive—When children are strained from too many activities, they reach a breaking point, but it looks different for each youngster, based on personality and temperament.

“Research shows that kids are afraid to tell their parents, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore,’ because they think parents might be disappointed in them,” Devereaux said.

Limit activities—Children should be doing no more than two activities at a time. If there’s only one child in a family, perhaps the family can manage three activities.

“But remember, there’s also school,” he said.

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CONTACT:

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lola.alapo@tennessee.edu)

The division is part of the American Psychological Association.

The award is the division’s highest level of recognition for excellence in science. It is given to a member of the school psychology community “in recognition of a career-long program of scholarship reflecting outstanding contributions to the science base of the profession.”

Skinner received the award earlier this month.

The division’s executive committee said Skinner “has sustained a highly impressive record of programmatic research that has advanced the science and practice of school-based intervention for academic difficulties.”

They noted that he and his students have conducted more than 100 behavior change studies that examine effective interventions that improve reading, mathematics, writing, and behavior problems.

“His efforts to merge strong methodological design with practicality and feasibility for school personnel are especially unique and serve as a model for the field,” they said. “Dr. Skinner has made equally impressive contributions to theories, such as those addressing students’ academic choice behaviors. Given his prolific record of scholarship, it is no surprise that Dr. Skinner was recently cited as one of the most productive school psychology researchers over the past fifteen years.”

Amy Broemmel, an associate professor of elementary and literacy education, offers these tips to parents to help their children transition back into school life.

1. Find their rhythm—Are students better studying right after they get home? Or do they need a break and a snack first?

“It’s really individual, and you have to know your kids,” Broemmel said. “Just like adults, kids have rhythms. Teens are more alert later in the day. Knowing and allowing them to go with what works for them is important.”

2. Discourage multitasking—Parents should discourage students from doing homework while they have their phone on or they’re on the computer.

“Humans aren’t good at multitasking even though kids like to think they are,” Broemmel said. “One of the things parents can do is to say, ‘We’re in the homework zone. We’re not going to be texting friends or be on Facebook.’”

3. Take active breaks—Break up long stretches of homework with physical activity, whether it’s going outside to play or frolicking with the dog. After thirty minutes of homework, a ten-minute break might be in order.

“If a child is frustrated, moving forward is not going to do anything for the learning,” Broemmel said.

4. Model good behavior—Parents should not watch TV while their children are doing homework. Sit at the table with them and pay bills or read a book. Or you can be fixing dinner so that you’re nearby to answer questions.

5. Build up success—If you have a child who struggles with doing homework, do the easy stuff first to build momentum and lead up to the harder stuff.

“If it’s a kid who breezes through homework, start with the harder stuff and work backward,” Broemmel said.

Parents might have a harder time helping children with homework as they move into higher grades. Broemmel encourages them to talk with the teacher, regardless of their students’ academic level—elementary, middle, or high school.

“In a vast majority of cases, teachers are going to be thankful and responsive because you ask,” she said.

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CONTACT:

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)