The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Campus Advisory Board, which met remotely Wednesday, discussed a variety of topics including campus planning and response to the COVID-19 pandemic; the university’s commitment to social justice; Title IX regulation changes; enrollment and student success; budget updates; and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Chancellor Donde Plowman opened the meeting by introducing John Zomchick, who was named provost May 28. Members heard a presentation from Plowman detailing the campus response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the leadership’s planning efforts for the fall semester, and the pandemic’s impact on the campus. The university carefully and deliberately began bringing employees back to campus over the summer while continuing to use remote work, flexible schedules, and other strategies to practice social distancing. A few weeks ago, the university welcomed students back to campus for the fall semester under a “new normal.”
Plowman introduced Title IX Coordinator Ashley Blamey, who gave an overview of Title IX regulation changes. The board also received updates on fall enrollment, student success initiatives, and strategic visioning; heard a fiscal year 2020 recap; and welcomed two new representatives to the group—Beauvais Lyons, Chancellor’s Professor in the School of Art, and Karmen Jones, president of the Student Government Association.
Meeting materials and the archived webcast are available on the chancellor’s website.
The board was created in 2018 when the Tennessee General Assembly passed the UT FOCUS Act, restructuring the Board of Trustees and creating an advisory board for each campus in the UT System.
The board is charged with making campus-level recommendations to the Board of Trustees on strategic planning, operating budgets, and tuition, as well as advising the chancellor.
In addition to the faculty and student representatives, the members of the advisory board are Alexia Poe and Tom Smith of Nashville, John Tickle of Bristol, and Syreeta Vaughn and Tim Williams of Knoxville.
The next meeting will be held in November.
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CONTACT
Tyra Haag (865-974-5460, tyra.haag@tennessee.edu)