Cheek: Spread the Word About UT Knoxville-ORNL Distinguished Fellowships

To: UT Knoxville Faculty and Staff
From: Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek
Subject: UT Knoxville-ORNL Distinguished Fellowships

Colleagues,

Last week we had the pleasure to announce the new UT Knoxville-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distinguished Fellowship. The program provides our campus with a groundbreaking opportunity to recruit top graduate students in the sciences. I believe these fellowships, which are competitive with the best in the country, will not only enhance the quality of our graduate students but also continue to strengthen our link to ORNL.

For the program to be successful in its first year, it is vital that we spread news of its creation far and wide, and we have a very short time frame in which to meet that goal. I am asking for your help to do that so we can attract the most promising students to apply for these unique fellowships. Applications must be submitted by Feb. 1, so time is of the essence.

We have a formal recruiting plan in place and are reaching out to potential students through traditional outlets, but we also recognize that word-of-mouth communication can be the most effective in reaching the top-level students at whom this fellowship is targeted.

I would encourage you to share word of this new fellowship with your colleagues and others who might know of students who would be an appropriate fit. More information on the fellowships is available at http://distinguished.utk.edu. You can also contact Bill Dunne, associate dean in the College of Engineering, at wdunne@utk.edu for more information as well.

Thanks for your help in spreading the news of this exciting new program, and for your work every day to make UT Knoxville a leader in graduate education.