The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been recognized for innovative service and strong community collaboration by Insight Into Academia magazine, earning the publication’s 2026 Civic Engagement and Community Service Award. The honor is given to institutions that give back through efforts such as volunteerism, fundraising, advocacy and public education, civic participation and voter engagement.
Insight Into Academia recognized UT’s Community University Research Collaboration Initiative, which brings together university research and community expertise to identify and address local challenges. Under the direction of Jon Shefner, Herbert Family Professor of Excellence in the Department of Sociology and Lisa East, associate director of CURCI, the program emphasizes collaboration and offers experiential learning opportunities that build students’ career readiness and promote community-engaged scholarship.
“CURCI exemplifies UT’s research-focused land-grant mission while demonstrating collective impact,” said Javiette Samuel, associate vice chancellor for academic and external relations. “The initiative strives to make meaningful and sustained change in local communities and beyond.”
Building impactful partnerships
CURCI launched in 2022 to answer the community’s call for meaningful mutually beneficial partnerships and to strengthen the support and visibility of faculty engagement work. In under four years, the program has supported 30 community-driven projects, connected community-based organizations with nearly 50 faculty members across 15 disciplines, engaged more than 300 undergraduate students and 40 graduate students, linked seven courses to partnerships, and invested $900,000 in community projects.
Community partners praise CURCI for building a community-centered model that connects Knoxville organizations with UT’s research capacity to address pressing challenges through funded community-defined projects.
Tanika Harper, founder of the Shora Foundation, a Knoxville-based organization that provides a variety of programs for children in underresourced communities, said, “What makes this partnership different is that it has never felt transactional. Instead of the university entering the community with a project already defined, there has been a genuine willingness to listen, adapt and cobuild.”
“CURCI helps us focus on the actual work we are doing without having to worry about garnering the financial and professional resources to do our work,” said Brittany Bonner, a member of the Healing EastTN Alternative Response Team (HEART), a Knoxville-based advocacy group that takes a strategic and compassionate approach to mental health crises. “It has meant a lot to be in community with other organizations doing grassroots work with CURCI.”
Holly Mendelson, owner and publisher of Insight Into Academia, said, “Higher education has always been a driving force in societal progress. These institutions remind us that the true measure of higher education lies not only in the degrees awarded but in the lives they uplift. Their leadership strengthens communities, inspires students and sets a standard of excellence for all.”
UT will be featured in the April 2026 issue of Insight Into Academia. For more information about the Civic Engagement and Community Service Award, visit insightintoacademia.com.
About Insight Into Academia
Insight Into Academia is the nation’s largest and longest-running publication focused on advancing best practices in higher education. For more than 50 years, the magazine has empowered higher education leaders by defining and advancing the best practices that shape the future of the academy.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Stacy Estep (865-974-8304, sestep3@utk.edu)