The café, sponsored by Sysco Foods, operates from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on 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 does not apply. 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 French menu is:

Appetizer: Roquefort, Saint Albray, quince paste, and grapes. (Roquefort is the oldest and most renowned of the blue cheeses. Saint Albray is French soft-ripened cheese, and quince is a golden round fruit.)

Salad: Duck confit mesclun (cured and poached duck served shredded with leafy greens, candied walnuts, and warm sherry chardonnay vinaigrette).

Main course: Chicken Provencal (chicken stew with emphasis on tomatoes and garlic).

Dessert: Pots de crème (loose French custard).

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

• March 21, Northern France
• April 4, Sushi
• April 11, Japanese Cookery
• April 18, Spain
• April 25, Japanese/French Fusion
• May 2, Spanish/Italian Fusion

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.

Pellissippi State students will do most of the food preparation and will assist with dining room responsibilities.

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C O N T A C T :

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

Christine Copelan (ccopela7@utk.edu)

In recognition of Faculty Appreciation Week, February 25 to March 1, faculty members attending this week’s Ready for the World Café will have the chance to win Rocky Top Institute items and café tickets.

The café, sponsored by Sysco Foods, operates from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on 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 does not apply. 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 Italian menu is:

Appetizer: Insalata di carciofi (artichoke salad)

First course: Porcini mushroom polenta cake with sausage ragu, garnished with white truffle oil, parmesan cheese, and basil

Second course: Veal Milanese (thinly pounded veal, crusted with bread crumbs and fried) with lemon-seasoned arugula and cherry tomatoes

Dessert: Tiramisu (layered dessert with emphasis on coffee, chocolate, and mascarpone cheese)

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

• March 7, Southern France
• March 21, Northern France
• April 4, Sushi
• April 11, Japanese Cookery
• April 18, Spain
• April 25, Japanese/French Fusion
• May 2, Spanish/Italian Fusion

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.

Pellissippi State students will do most of the food preparation and will assist with dining room responsibilities.

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C O N T A C T :

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

Christine Copelan (ccopela7@utk.edu)

The café, sponsored by Sysco Foods, operates from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on 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 does not apply. 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 Italian menu is:

Appetizer: Traditional Italian antipasto with cured meats and cheeses from southern Italy

First course: Pasta alla puttanesca (a pasta dish with a tangy tomato sauce) with Pecorino Romano (sheep’s milk cheese)

Second course: Zuppa di pesce (fish soup)

Dessert: Napoleon (layered pastry)

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

• February 28, Northern Italy
• March 7, Southern France
• March 21, Northern France
• April 4, Sushi
• April 11, Japanese Cookery
• April 18, Spain
• April 25, Japanese/French Fusion
• May 2, Spanish/Italian Fusion

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.

Pellissippi State students will do most of the food preparation and will assist with dining room responsibilities.

—

C O N T A C T :

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

Christine Copelan (ccopela7@utk.edu)

The Passport is a calendar and guide to many of the international and intercultural events taking place on campus and in the community through the end of the academic year.

If you would like free Passports to distribute to your classes, please contact Amy Blakely at amy.blakely@tennessee.edu or 974-5034. Please indicate the number of Passports you’d like and where they can be sent via campus mail.

The luncheons will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Thursdays, from February 21 to May 2, in the UT Visitors Center on Neyland Drive.

The café is a full-service international dining experience. Lunch consists of intermezzo or small appetizer, salad, entrée, and dessert.

Cost is $12 and the faculty-staff discount does not apply. Advance tickets are required. For tickets, see Marcia Johnson in 110 Jessie Harris Building, or call 865-974-6645 or email rhtm@utk.edu.

These are the scheduled themes for the luncheons:

February 21, Southern Italy
February 28, Northern Italy
March 7, Southern France
March 21, Northern France
April 4, Sushi
April 11, Japanese Cookery
April 18, Spain
April 25, Japanese/French Fusion
May 2, Spanish/Italian Fusion

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.

Faculty, staff, and students are urged to use an electronic form to quickly and easily provide information about events related to the international and intercultural initiative. The form can be found on the Ready for the World website.

The Ready for the World Passport helps promote campus activities and initiatives. The Passport is a great personal planner that is distributed free to students, faculty, and staff. It is often used as a recruitment tool and serves as a valuable record of the extensive programming that supports Ready for the World goals.

In order to produce the Passport in time for spring semester distribution, information about your unit’s spring programs is needed by Friday, November 30. These events might include films, lectures, exhibits, campus-wide activities, and so forth.

Any questions about the Passport, should be addressed to Amy Blakely at amy.blakely@tennessee.edu or 865-974-5034.

The conference, called “Global Connections: Exploring Issues That Affect Our International Community,” will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on November 17 at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy. It is free and open to the public.

The Ready for the World Committee and the College of Social Work are hosting the conference.

Michael Handelsman, director of the Global Studies program, will make the keynote speech, an introduction to the conference emphasizing the importance of global awareness. After the presentations, there will be roundtable discussions where attendees can further discuss topics of interest with the presenters as well as UT professors who are experts in those fields.

Having presentations from students who are natives of each country will give “a sense of authenticity to the conference, which we believe will enhance the learning experience of attendees,” said LaKiera Grimes, a junior in social work.

Grimes helped organize the conference with Mira Hanna and Jasmine Brown, both seniors in social work.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Lunch will consist of food from each of the ten countries represented at the conference.

For more information, visit the conference’s Eventbrite page.

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C O N T A C TS :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)

Holly Gary (865-974-2225, hgary@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 Japanese sushi menu is:

Appetizer: Tempura prawns and vegetables with sweet soy sauce.

Entrée: Caterpillar roll (rice with barbecued eel, crab meat, cucumber, and avocados), tuna nigiri (tuna and rice), and a sea urchin shooter (sea urchin in a glass filled with other ingredients). Items will be served with pickled ginger, wasabi, and daikon radish accompaniments.

Dessert: Kiwi jelly.

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

Thursday, November 8: Japanese cookery
Thursday, November 15: Southern Spanish
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)

The seminar was organized by the Universidad de las Americas in Quito, Ecuador. Castro helped plan eight lectures and two labs related to gastrointestinal, wound management, and fractures and reproductive emergencies in horses.

The seminar drew more than sixty participants from around the world.

“I am very grateful to be part of this UT family, but also very glad to help students, far away from here, and give back to them what life and UT have so generously given to me all these years,” said Castro, who studied in Ecuador before coming to UT.

“Teaching can be very hard, but our work paid off when we saw students’ faces light up with happiness and satisfaction when something suddenly became clear, practical and useful,” he said.

In one lab, students learned how to use tranquilization, sedation, and anesthesia during a horse castration.

“What use to be a true wrestling match and almost barbaric procedure became a genuine medical procedure,” he said.

“Being in Ecuador and representing UT was a huge honor. Without a doubt, we opened their eyes to a total different world,” Castro said.

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 will consist 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 France luncheon menu is:

Appetizer: Beef consomme

Salad: Saint Andre and fol epi cheeses with figs

Entrée: Beef tenderloin au poivre served with puree de pommes de terre (potatoes) and poached asparagus

Dessert: Fresh fruit crepes

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

Thursday, November 1: Japanese sushi
Thursday, November 8: Japanese cookery
Thursday, November 15: Southern Spanish
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)

West African dance and drumming at the 2010 symposium.

Educators interested in integrating music into the curriculum to improve student achievement, and musicians who want to hone their craft, are invited to a six-day conference at UT.

The ninth biennial National Symposium on Multicultural Music will be held October 8-13.

The event is for general music teachers, choral and band directors, university students and professors, and the local community. Participants may earn professional development credit.

“We don’t live in isolation, especially as it pertains to music,” said Marvelene Moore, a UT professor of music education and founder of the symposium. “My goal is to bring together people from all walks of life to experience and participate in different types of ethnic music and genres.”

The symposium will kick off with a Multicultural Music Celebration Day that will feature performances and music ranging from Appalachian and Native American to Cajun and African drumming. The UT student jazz ensemble also will perform. About fifty booths will be set up at the all-day event on the Pedestrian Walkway on campus. The celebration day, which is free and open to be the public, will be held in partnership with the UT Appalachian Heritage Festival.

Bagpipes of Scotland at the 2010 symposium.

The next five days of the conference will feature a variety of paid sessions. Participants will learn from national and international experts on music integration and multicultural music.

The event will include field trips to the Museum of Appalachia in Norris and Knox County’s Mooreland Heights Elementary School, which has a successful arts integration program. There also will be folk dancing and storytelling.

The symposium sessions will be held at UT, at the UT Conference Center, and the Museum of Appalachia. Participants may register for one or a group of tracks.

Moore established the symposium in 1999 as a resource and inexpensive training for music teachers in the East Tennessee region. It has since grown to attract teachers from across the country. They have come from as far away as California and Washington State.

Melinda Russell, an elementary school teacher in Virginia, called past symposiums “a real shot in the arm.”

They’ve reinvigorated her teaching, she said. Because of the symposiums, she purchased angklungs, musical instruments made of bamboo, to help her students learn about the culture and music of Indonesia. She also added stories about Appalachian and Irish music to other curriculum units.

Korean mask used in dance and drama at the 2010 symposium.

“I don’t want children to hear different languages or music and start to laugh simply because they don’t understand it or have not experienced it,” said Russell, who plans to attend this year. “If we can help our children learn about other cultures, I think they will be more understanding of people in general.”

For Nancy Kahler, a teacher in Ohio, attending past symposiums has provided an intimate connection with the presenters and their music. The meetings have given her tools to create more effective lesson plans.

“More than that, I have new energy to share with my students at school and my church choirs,” she said.

The symposium is sponsored by the School of Music, the College of Arts and Sciences, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and the Ready for the World initiative.

To register for workshops, or to see a detailed schedule of events and fee information, visit the symposium’s website.

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PHOTO CAPTIONS:

Korean mask used in dance and drama at the 2010 symposium

Bagpipes of Scotland at the 2010 symposium

West African dance and drumming at the 2010 symposium

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CONTACT:

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

The community is invited to take a gastronomical journey over the next ten weeks through various regions and cultures of the world.

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

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

New this year: students will spend two weeks on the cuisine of a country instead of one to give them more exposure to that country’s culture. It’ll also give them more time to learn from guest chefs, said Ann Fairhurst, interim head of the Department of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management.

Sysco Foods is the new café sponsor this year.

The Southern Italy menu is:

Appetizer: Antipasto (traditional Italian antipasto with cured meats and cheeses from Southern Italy)

Soup: Zuppa di pesce (Italian-style fish soup with various shell fish and fin fish seasoned with tomatoes, garlic, white wine, and fresh herbs)

Entrée: Pasta alla puttanesca with pecorino romano (pasta dish with a tomato sauce seasoned with capers, anchovies, olives, onion, and garlic)

Dessert: Cannolo siciliano (authentic cannoli from Sicily with ricotta and chocolate filling)

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

Tuesday, October 9—Northern Italian
Thursday, October 18—Southern French
Thursday, October 25—Northern French
Thursday, November 1—Japanese Sushi
Thursday, November 8—Japanese Cookery
Thursday, November 15—Southern Spanish
Tuesday, November 20—Northern Spanish
Thursday, November 29—Fusion (1)
Tuesday, December 4—Fusion (2)

Students enrolled in hotel, restaurant, and tourism management (HRT) 445—taught by instructor Chareen Gould—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.

–

CONTACT:

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

Sixteen new first-year Chancellor’s Honors students studied ecotourism and sustainability in Costa Rica during summer 2012.

A group of UT freshmen Chancellor's Honors students enjoyed Costa Rica while learning about ecotourism and sustainability on a study abroad trip they took before starting classes this fall. The trip was a first-of-its-kind for UT.

The trip was the first of its kind for UT, allowing pre-college students to experience studying abroad at the collegiate level. It was led by Pia Wood, associate provost and director of the Center for International Education, and Andy Ray, a doctoral student in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures.

“The university wanted to try a pilot program that would prepare UT honors students for the Ready for the World initiative, while helping them make strong social bonds before actually coming onto campus,” Ray said. “I think that we succeeded at both.”

Entering first-year Chancellor’s Honors students were eligible to apply, and a committee selected the travel group. Students paid $1,700 plus airfare for the twelve-day trip, which bought them one credit hour, lodging, most meals, ground transportation, and group activities.

“I thought it would be a fantastic way to end the summer and get my mindset ready for college,” said Trent Stethen, a freshman in biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology from Knoxville. “Not to mention I became close friends with fifteen other honors students and two professors even before move-in day.”

Students who went to Costa Rica earned a credit in University Honors 101, the required first-year academic seminar for Chancellor’s Honors students. The seminar for students abroad focused on the politics of ecotourism and sustainability.

“The students learned a tremendous amount about Costa Rica and ecotourism in twelve days,” Wood said.

In addition to academic lectures by Costa Rican officials, students enjoyed learning about and taking part in three of Costa Rica’s most popular activities: surfing, hiking, and sightseeing.

“I still wake up some days and wish I was in Costa Rica,” Stethen said. “The trip had a perfectly balanced schedule of plenty of fun activities, academic lectures, and downtime.”

But even living “pura vida” can have a bit of chaos, as the students and leaders found out.

“We were returning from a hike in the rainforest, but the ride on the way back was something that I will never, ever forget,” Ray said. “A torrential downpour started just as soon as we got back into the uncovered truck. We had to cross a river about twenty times…it was just coming down like crazy.”

Even in the face of chaos, the students carried themselves like true Vols.

“They decided that it was the perfect time to sing Rocky Top. They sang it several times…it was so much fun. Keep in mind, the rain was continuing to come down like crazy the whole hour-long truck ride.”

The students agree the study abroad trip was a great introduction to life at the university—and an experience that will enhance their college careers.

“Because of my study abroad experience, I have a strong group of friends, connections with professors, and an experience that took my education to a whole new level,” said Hannah McDonald, a freshman in animal science from Winchester, Tennessee.

Wood expects to take the trip again next year with a new group of entering first-year students.

Admission to the Chancellor’s Honors Program is highly selective. Admissions decisions are made based on a holistic review process that includes, but is not limited to, students’ courses of study, grade point average, standardized test scores, leadership roles, and extracurricular activities. For more information about the honors program at UT, visit honors.utk.edu.

For more information about studying abroad, visit studyabroad.utk.edu.

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C O N T A C T :

Pia Wood (865-974-2173, pwood@utk.edu)

Andy Ray (865-974-3177, aray12@utk.edu)

The Passport is a calendar and guide to many of the international and intercultural events taking place on campus and in the community.

If you would like free Passports to distribute to your classes, contact Amy Blakely at amy.blakely@tennessee.edu or 974-5034. Please indicate the number of Passports you’d like and where they can be sent via campus mail.

The program, called the Lean Enterprise Summer Program, led by the Department of Industrial and Information Engineering, is intended to allow students from different cultures to work together to accrue the technical knowledge of Lean—the practice of creating more value for consumers while using fewer resources and eliminating waste.

Media are invited to the opening ceremony held at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, July 2, at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy’s Toyota Auditorium. They are also invited to attend class sessions and shadow students at participating businesses.

The program began in 2010 to include students solely from Mexico but has expanded to universities around the world, bringing people from developing countries that have big influence in today’s global dynamics. Ninety students from five institutions within Mexico, China, and Brazil will attend this year.

“The program focuses on introducing students to the technical skills in Lean principles and the creation of an environment that allows a unique exchange of ideas across cultures,” said Rupy Sawhney, Weston Fulton Professor and head of the Department of Industrial Engineering. “This allows foreign participants to better understand multicultural environments, and helps US citizens to interact with people from other cultures, helping to better prepare all for today’s world.”

Students will take classes during the morning with UT faculty. In the afternoons, they will work with companies such as Arc Automotive, Brunswick-Knoxville Manufacturing Facility, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Energizer Personal Care, Fulton Bellows, Homesteader Inc., Jost International, and Monterey Mushrooms, learning how to apply the right tools for the right processes and develop a sustainable culture.

After four weeks, students will present their reports to the companies’ leaders and receive a certificate pending successful completion of requirements.

Many companies have implemented student recommendations from past sessions. For example, students optimized the scheduling and sequencing of several departments at Fulton Bellows.

“The students were professional, methodical, and effective,” said Bryon Joganich, President of Fulton Bellows LLC. “By implementing many of their suggestions, we have been able to gain market share on critical product lines and help secure our future.”

Isaac Mitchell, lean process coordinator with East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, said a student’s project “resulted in a planned redesign and renovation of our surgery instrument decontamination room and instrument storage rooms.”

In addition to technical knowledge, participants gain a cultural experience through classroom interaction and recreational activities. For example, UT’s International House plans activities such as hiking in the Smokies and field trips to museums.

“We believe this program is unique in the way it combines academia, practice, and international exposure in the topic of Lean which in a way is useful not only for students, but as well for the industry within the region,” said Enrique Macias de Anda, program director.

The program is important to UT’s Ready for the World initiative, which involves increasing diversity among students, faculty, and staff. Visit the Ready for the World website for more information.

The program is sponsored by the Center for Industrial Services (CIS) and participating companies. Jim Slizewski, regional manager of the CIS Tennessee Manufacturing Extension Program, was vital in connecting businesses with the program.

For further information about the program, visit utlean.utk.edu.

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C O N T A C T :

Whitney Heins (865-974-5460, wheins@utk.edu)

A Confucius Institute will soon open on campus, expanding opportunities for UT students and others to learn Chinese, experience Chinese culture, and travel abroad.

Confucius Institutes are non-profit public institutions run in cooperation with Chinese partner universities and overseen by Hanban, a Chinese Ministry of Education subsidiary. They typically offer for-credit and non-credit Chinese language courses, sponsor cultural activities, and help local schools provide more education about China.

UT is partnering with Southeast University in Nanjing, one of China’s oldest universities and one of its most highly ranked universities in scientific research and development. A US university needs a Chinese university partner before it can apply for an institute.

Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek said the institute will enhance undergraduate and graduate education—key goals in the university’s Top 25 journey.

“Having a Confucius Institute at UT will provide a multitude of opportunities for us,” he said. “It will let us increase our Chinese language instruction and offer more cultural activities. This fits perfectly into our Ready for the World goal to equip our students with the experience and knowledge they need to live and work in a global environment.”

Pia Wood, associate provost and director of the Center for International Education, said the Confucius Institute will open the door for more student exchanges. It also will allow UT to expand its outreach to the local community through cultural activities and travel opportunities for Knoxville-area residents who want to learn more about China firsthand.

“And we may be able to provide help for area high schools that want to expand their Chinese education offerings,” Wood said.

Wood said UT spent nearly two years laying the groundwork to open the Confucius Institute, and a group of faculty and administrators have gone to Beijing to sign the agreement.

Representing UT in China are Susan Martin, senior vice chancellor and provost; Scott Poole, dean of the College of Architecture; R.J. Hinde, associate dean and chemistry professor; Masood Parang, associate dean and engineering professor; Pia Wood, associate provost and director of the Center for International Education (CIE); and Alisa Meador, assistant director of CIE. Three UT representatives currently working in China also may be in attendance: Shih-Lung Shaw, geography professor; Yang Zhong, political science professor; and Guoxun Chen, assistant professor of nutrition.

An inauguration ceremony is planned later this year for UT’s Confucius Institute. Officials from Southeast University, Hanban, and the Chinese embassy will be invited, as well as state and local dignitaries.

UT’s Confucius Institute will be the third in Tennessee.

There are now Confucius Institute at more than 300 colleges in more than ninety countries, including about seventy institutions in the United States.

The first US Confucius Institute was established in 2004 at the University of Maryland. Among the universities that have Confucius Institutes are Columbia, Stanford, and the universities of Alaska at Anchorage, Delaware, Hawaii at Manoa, Kansas, Massachusetts at Boston, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Texas at Dallas, Toledo, and Utah; Portland, Kennesaw, San Francisco, and Wayne State universities; and the State University of New York.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)

With the help of UT’s Ready for the World initiative, Fleming will take her spring 2012 civil rights mini-term class on the road so her fifteen students can visit historical sites in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama associated with the civil rights movement.

Fleming is an oral historian and has interviewed numerous people involved in the civil rights movement. She’s tapped into some of her contacts so her students can hear from archivists, scholars, and activists themselves to get the full view of what took place.

Students will begin by spending time in a classroom learning about the history of the Civil Rights Movement, part of which involves watching the documentary Eyes on the Prize, profiling the movement through archival footage of demonstrations and police brutality, as well as interviews of people involved first-hand.

The next step is a class road trip to visit significant places and meet people who were involved in the movement.

The first stop on the itinerary is Atlanta. There, students will meet one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s closest associates and an original Freedom Rider. The group will then tour Ebenezer Baptist Church where King preached.

Moving on to Montgomery, Alabama, students will visit the Rosa Parks Museum, Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, which King pastored and Parks attended, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization started by lawyers wanting to fight hate groups.

Then the group will make its way to Selma, Alabama, to retrace the steps of demonstrators who were tear-gassed on the Edmund Pettus Bridge and meet people who participated in the march.

In Selma, Fleming will conduct an interview with Annie Pearl Avery, who was a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and was an active participant in the civil rights movement. The class will sit in on the interview.

The third and final day of the trip will be spent in Birmingham visiting the Civil Rights Institute, meeting a former student of Fleming’s who is now a professor at Stanford working in civil rights, retracing King’s Easter Sunday march that landed him in jail, and visiting the 16th Street Baptist Church that was bombed in 1963, marking a turning point in the civil rights movement.

Finally, the group will head home, but not until they stop at Fleming’s favorite local soul food establishment.

“This course is great because there is a combination of not just seeing places featured in clips from the documentary that began the course, but meeting face-to-face individuals whom they saw in the film being beaten for taking a stand,” Fleming said.

After returning home, the students will meet to debrief and reflect on the trip. Fleming said she’s excited to see how the class and road trip change the students’ view of civil rights movement.

This marks her third class trip of this kind. “The previous two were amazing successes, so I am excited about what this one will bring,” Fleming said.

With thirty years invested in teaching at UT, Fleming is planning to retire soon and says this may be her last road trip with students.

Fleming has written three books, Soon We Will Not Cry: The Liberation of Ruby Doris Smith Robinson, The Chicago Handbook for Teachers, and In the Shadow of Selma: The Continuing Struggle for Civil Rights in the Rural South. She has a forthcoming book, titled A Crisis of Victory: Black Leadership in the New Millennium.

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C O N T A C T :

Stephanie Dixon (865-974-2125, sdixon7@utk.edu)

Amy Blakely (865-771-9127, ablakely@utk.edu)

UT students and chaperones at the United Nations Building.

Twenty College of Social Work students in late March attended United Nations conferences to develop skills and gain knowledge about best practices to address important global issues.

The students participated in the Global Social Work Student Conference and the twenty-ninth Annual Social Work Day at the United Nations in New York City. The trip was organized by Steven Stothard, a graduating master’s of social work student, and Laurel Laiewski, a doctoral student.

The conferences highlighted international social work, intercultural and multicultural issues, and globally trending problems. Students also learned about international problems that affect local issues.

The trip was paid for in part through student fundraisers, the College of Social Work, UT’s Ready for the World initiative, the Office of Equity and Diversity, and the local chapter of the National Alliance of Mental Illness.

Faculty, staff, and students are urged to use an electronic form to quickly and easily provide information about events related to the international and intercultural initiative. The form can be found here.

The Ready for the World Passport helps promote campus activities and initiatives. The passport is a great personal planner that is distributed free to students, faculty, and staff. It is often used as a recruitment tool and serves as a valuable record of the extensive programming that supports Ready for the World goals.

In order to produce the passport in time for fall semester distribution, information about your unit’s spring programs is needed by Friday, May 18. These events might include films, lectures, exhibits, campus-wide activities, and so forth.

Remember that Ready for the World encompasses both international and intercultural efforts, as well as activities that promote the civility and community initiative.

Any questions about the passport, should be addressed to Amy Blakely at amy.blakely@tennessee.edu or 865-974-5034.

The Ready for the World Café, which is sponsored by US Foods, operates from noon to 1:00 p.m. in the UT Visitors Center, 2712 Neyland Drive. Each luncheon will consist of intermezzo, or small appetizer, salad, entrée, and dessert. Cost is $12, and the faculty-staff discount applies. Tickets should be purchased in advance of the luncheon by seeing Marcia in 110 Jessie Harris Building or calling 865-974-6645.

The Persian luncheon menu is:

Appetizer: Persian hummus (creamy hummus with lemon)

Salad: Shirazi (salad with tomato, cucumber, and onion in lemon vinaigrette; a staple of Persian cuisine)

Entrée: Khoresht-e bademjan (fried eggplant stew with lamb meat served over traditional Tahdeeg, a Persian rice and potatoes dish)

Dessert: Fereni (a very popular type of rice pudding)

The final luncheon for this semester will be Thursday, April 26, featuring German dishes.

The Ready for the World luncheons are produced through collaboration of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management 445 (the Advanced Food Production and Service Management class), the UT Culinary Institute, and Pellissippi Culinary Institute.

Students enrolled HRT 445—taught by Clinical Assistant Professor Donetta Poisson—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, help in menu planning, preparation, participate in cooking, quantification, cost analysis, service during meal time, marketing of the event, and customer satisfaction activities.

This week’s student café manager is Ian Powers of Miller Place, New York, a senior in HRT. He’s worked in the service industry since he was sixteen and has worked at Bravo! Cucina Italiana for three years. He said he plans to continue his employment with Bravo! and its parent company, Bravo/Brio Restaurant Group, after graduation. He also hopes to earn a master’s degree in human resources.

Pellissippi State Community College Culinary Institute students do most of the food preparation. This week’s kitchen managers are Andrew Whaley and Summer Bury.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-771-9127, ablakely@utk.edu)