University of Tennessee, Knoxville, students are midway through the fall semester, and October 5–9 is the inaugural Vol Success Week. This week-long celebration will highlight students’ academic success and offer in-person and virtual programming for UT students and signature events that faculty and staff are invited to join.
“Vol Success Week is an excellent opportunity for students to build meaningful relationships with their peers while also learning about how UT will support their academic success,” said Vice Provost for Student Success Amber Williams. “All students are welcome, but thematically the programming aligns with the academic modules in the Vol First-Year Experience—where more than 88 percent of our first-year students are enrolled.”
In addition to an array of academic and social programming, Vol Success Week will host four signature events. The first, Lunch with the Provost’s Executive Leadership Team, happens Tuesday, October 6, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Humanities and Social Sciences Plaza. Students can drop by during the hour to grab lunch and engage with the provost and vice provosts.
Criminal justice professor, author, and motivational speaker Ilyasah Shabazz will speak in the Student Union Auditorium Wednesday, October 7, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The daughter of Malcolm X, Shabazz will discuss her father’s legacy and the power of perspectives to promote an equitable, inclusive environment. The event will be accessible remotely on Zoom, and Shabazz will answer questions from first-year students afterward.
Jim Clifton, chair and CEO of Gallup, will speak in the Student Union Auditorium Thursday, October 8, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Clifton will share how individual strengths can help achieve personal, professional, and academic goals. Following his presentation, he will answer questions from first-year students. This event will be accessible remotely on Zoom.
To finish out the week, the Student Success Celebration will take place Friday, October 9, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Humanities and Social Sciences Plaza. There will be a screening of a vintage UT football game and a special Vol Success Week giveaway for students.