The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a national leader in personalized approaches to student success, will host the Student Success US 2024 conference Oct. 28-30, bringing together higher education professionals from more than 200 institutions to facilitate conversations about helping students succeed in college and beyond. The university is celebrating a historic year in student success and enrollment, with nearly 92% of first-year students returning for their sophomore year and 74% of students graduating in six years.
“We’re excited to partner with Inside Higher Ed and Times Higher Education to welcome student success colleagues from around the world to Rocky Top,” said Amber Williams, vice provost for student success. “Our vision at UT is to not just provide a top education but to also make sure each scholar thrives while on campus. We’re humbled to share our story of just how we do that and to hear success stories from other universities. Looking forward to giving close to 500 of our higher ed peers a Big Orange welcome!”
The conference is designed for those working in student engagement, academic affairs and advising, and career services. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about academic support for today’s students, the college experience, life after college, and student health and wellness in over 40 hours of panel discussions, workshops and networking sessions. Topics will include defining and measuring student success, innovative tools for providing personalized support and the most critical issues facing college administrators today.
A number of UT leaders will speak at the conference:
- Chancellor Donde Plowman will deliver opening remarks and sit on a panel discussing leading with integrity and intention.
- Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor John Zomchick will have a conversation about the intersection of happiness and success with Arthur Brooks, a professor at Harvard University.
- Williams will discuss UT’s student success journey and deliver a keynote session on the state of higher education and adapting to evolving barriers to success.
- Vice Provost and Dean of the College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies Ozlem Kilic will discuss curating personalized learning with AI to promote student success.
- Vice Chancellor for Student Life Frank Cuevas will discuss how his team has created community using spaces and is meeting students’ basic needs.
- Associate Vice Provost of Student Success Krystyne Savarese will discuss the benefits of investing in students who are sophomores and above.
UT offers a number of personalized approaches to student success to enrich the student experience and improve outcomes, including these initiatives:
- Vol Success Teams are made up of a student’s academic adviser, academic or honors coach, and One Stop counselor, providing a dedicated support network to help them set and achieve their academic, professional and personal goals from day one.
- Vol Edge offers a flexible menu of learning and engagement activities that foster well-being and purposeful life-career readiness preparation.
- The Veterans Impact Program is a one-semester program to support incoming student veterans in their transition to UT and maximize their first-year experience. UT has also enhanced the Veterans Success Center and established the Office of Veteran Benefits Administration to support student veterans.
- The UT Success Academy enhances the undergraduate experience by creating and supporting access and engagement opportunities for students through a four-year experience focused on empowering each student to discover, connect and lead through their strengths.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Maggie Palmer (865-974-3993, mpalme19@utk.edu)