Archives
- A Vision for the Future: A Message from the Dean
At the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, we stand at the intersection of tradition and transformation. The College of Arts and Sciences is an integral part of Tennessee’s premier public university. As leaders in research, education, and public service, we are uniquely positioned to serve as a vibrant hub for this modern land-grant university. We are… Read more: A Vision for the Future: A Message from the Dean - A Bridge from Campus to Community
The College of Arts and Sciences transforms knowledge into action—bringing discovery, learning, and innovation beyond campus to engage, inspire, and create lasting impact in communities. Outreach activities that have been traditions for decades continue, and new avenues are reaching more people. Space for Everyone to Learn The College of Arts and Sciences is not limited… Read more: A Bridge from Campus to Community - Exploring Literary Physics
An asteroid strikes a massive starship halfway through a 300-year, multigenerational journey for a society of humans who hope to establish a new home on a distant planet. The disaster costs thousands of lives and cripples the starship’s support systems, leaving only enough hydrogen to fuel another 30 years of space flight. The surviving travelers… Read more: Exploring Literary Physics - Appalachian Scholar
Olivia Roberts learned the importance of Appalachian culture, history, environment, and community firsthand growing up in the mountains of East Tennessee. Her grandparents passed down stories of their lived experiences in the region, instilling in Roberts a deep understanding of her Appalachian heritage—and a passion for celebrating it. “I knew I wanted to pursue a… Read more: Appalachian Scholar - Asking Big Questions
How can research prepare communities for climate change? The Institute for Climate and Community Resilience (ICCR) develops real-time climate adaptation strategies, helping Tennessee communities plan for environmental shifts before they happen. What’s next for space exploration? UT’s new Center for Planetary Science and Exploration is helping shape the future of planetary research, working with NASA and… Read more: Asking Big Questions - Boots on the Ground, Drones in the Air
Using specialized sensors and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), students and faculty in the Department of Geography and Sustainability are collecting data and building digital models that aid area park managers. These Volunteers from Tennessee’s flagship land-grant university are serving Knoxville’s most-visited park, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), and Cherokee National Forest, while preparing… Read more: Boots on the Ground, Drones in the Air - Deep Dive into Research
Scholars from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, joined the University of Texas at Dallas, principal investigator on the project funded by the National Science Foundation, along with scholars from the University of California at San Diego, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Queen’s University (Canada), the University of Lorraine (France), Kochi University (Japan), the Geological Survey of… Read more: Deep Dive into Research - Faculty Are Using Digital Engagement to Teach
The College of Arts and Sciences extends education far beyond textbooks and lectures. Faculty members are integrating experiential learning—hands-on and immersive teaching methods—to engage students in real-world problem-solving and interdisciplinary research. Whether exploring religion through video games, analyzing astronomy through science-fiction worlds, or engaging with data in fieldwork, these courses challenge students to think critically,… Read more: Faculty Are Using Digital Engagement to Teach - Let’s Botanize
Jacob Suissa believes that science belongs to everyone. He puts that belief into action by sharing complex topics in botany and evolutionary biology in ways that are engaging and accessible. In addition to his role as an assistant professor in ecology and evolutionary biology, he has built a thriving online community with “Let’s Botanize,” a… Read more: Let’s Botanize - Mapping the Quantum Landscape
by Catherine Longmire Steve Johnston, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, wants to save time. And though he never met them, Elizabeth and Jim Bains are going to help. Johnston knows that while silicon has long played a dominant role in industry, quantum materials will shape technology’s future. The challenge is that these… Read more: Mapping the Quantum Landscape - The Mamantov Legacy
by Jane S. Gulley Maggie Mamantov enters her lecture hall fast and purposefully, distributing graded quizzes and queuing up the slides. Her skirt flaps over the beetles tattooed on her leg, emblems of her successful PhD defense. There are 200 people waiting to hear her, none more rapt than my seat partner, who whispers, “Maggie… Read more: The Mamantov Legacy - Rising Scholars
by Jennifer Brown Some students begin their college careers knowing they want a good education but unsure about what comes next, while others move into their dorms with the next steps toward their career firmly in mind. Dylan Andrews, senior honors chemistry major, was one of the latter. A native Tennessean, Andrews came to the… Read more: Rising Scholars - Academic Touchdown
by Randall Brown UT’s Humanities Center officially became the Denbo Center for Humanities and the Arts this spring, named for alumnus and former Vol football star Don Denbo (BS ’71). The naming is in honor of his generous gift to the center, inspired by his deep commitment to helping the current and future UT community… Read more: Academic Touchdown - Making an Impact
It is a great time to be a Tennessee Volunteer and if you’ve heard from UT Chancellor Donde Plowman, you probably know we are a “university on the rise!” I am proud to report that demand for UT academic programs is higher than ever before, which is reflected in the record number of applications and… Read more: Making an Impact - A Flagship Writing Program
by Randall Brown UT’s Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center has long been a valuable campus resource for students needing guidance on first-year composition themes and tricky upper-level thesis transitions. The Volunteer Spirit inspired the center’s team to share their tutoring skills off campus in 2021 in response to needs expressed by the Knoxville community. In… Read more: A Flagship Writing Program - Vols Answer the Community Call
by Randall Brown Research topics for UT’s new Appalachian Justice Research Center (AJRC) come directly from the people of the East Tennessee region. This transdisciplinary research center brings together university resources, faculty, and students to help solve urgent and historically under-addressed issues in the region. Faculty from across the university collaborate through the AJRC to… Read more: Vols Answer the Community Call - ‘Red Dead’ Innovation
by Randall Brown Students in Associate Professor Tore Olsson’s spring 2024 “Red Dead History” course were already highly engaged in its unique topic: viewing American history through the lens of the popular video game series Red Dead Redemption. They were in for a surprising new connection, though, when they showed up to class on March… Read more: ‘Red Dead’ Innovation - Psychology Goes Public
by Randall Brown A stereotypical idea of psychological research might bring to mind scenes of professors in white lab coats doling out in-depth questionnaires to test subjects, searching for some hidden aspect of human nature to produce a clinical report that might only interest other psychologists. Real scenarios now more often reflect the idea of… Read more: Psychology Goes Public - Alumni Honored at Annual College Awards Ceremony
- Q&A with Robert Hinde
In September 2022, the UT Chancellor announced a plan for establishing a divisional structure within the College of Arts and Sciences and in October, the Provost appointed Robert Hinde to serve as interim executive dean. We sat down with Hinde to learn why the change was implemented and how it’s going three months into the job. Why was… Read more: Q&A with Robert Hinde - New College Leadership
In September 2022, the UT Chancellor announced a plan for establishing a divisional structure within the College of Arts and Sciences starting July 1, 2023. Under this new model, the college is organized around three broad divisions that reflect the disciplines of study for our students: arts and humanities, natural sciences and mathematics, and social sciences. In… Read more: New College Leadership - Brick Campaign
Why I Give to Arts & Sciences This year, we recognized UT employees who have supported the College of Arts and Sciences for 10 or more years. We share their reasons why they give to the college and some photos of Interim Dean Hinde recognizing their legacy. Each donor received a “brick” Tennessee Marble made… Read more: Brick Campaign - Join the Dean’s Circle for Big Orange Give!
As the flagship college and academic foundation of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the College of Arts and Sciences is the central driver of the university’s academic accomplishments and the largest contributor to all aspects of UT’s missions of instruction, research, and service to society. Our alumni and friends provide the support essential for the… Read more: Join the Dean’s Circle for Big Orange Give! - Community Outreach
As Volunteers, we have a commitment to light the way for others and to serve as a catalyst for opportunities – on our campus and in communities near and far. Outreach and community engagement are fundamental to our mission and vital to our success as Tennessee’s flagship, land-grant university. The UT Office of Community Engagement… Read more: Community Outreach - Ambassador Legacies
Leaders. Legacy. Impact. Our student ambassadors are leaders of today who help incoming students learn about our college so they can become the leaders of tomorrow. We asked our ambassadors to share how they want to be remembered for the impact they made during their time on Rocky Top. “Legacy is a strange way to… Read more: Ambassador Legacies - Farewell Message from Dean Lee
In 2012, I joined the Volunteer Family as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Today, I pen my final message as dean to you – our alumni and friends – who have helped make my years as dean a joyful and successful time of my life. I have learned so much about the… Read more: Farewell Message from Dean Lee - The Lee Legacy
After 11 years leading UT’s largest and most diverse college, Theresa Lee will step down from the Herbert Family Dean position on June 30. Lee, who turns 70 this year, said the time is right for change. She recalls sage advice from a former colleague on his decision to retire: “You know when you don’t… Read more: The Lee Legacy - Serving My Academic Home: Message from RJ Hinde
I am excited to return to the College of Arts and Sciences to serve as the interim executive dean from November 2022 to June 2026. My independent academic career began in 1994 when I joined the faculty in the UT Department of Chemistry. After becoming a full professor, I made my first foray into academic… Read more: Serving My Academic Home: Message from RJ Hinde - One of UT’s First Female Computer Science Students Honored by Sons’ Gift
When Mary K. Cook graduated from UT in 1967, she was one of only two women studying computer science in UT’s Department of Mathematics. Today, the Mary K. Cook Mathematics Scholarship—established in her memory by her sons, Joe and Byron Clark, and their families—provides funding for undergraduate students demonstrating financial need and academic promise. (Joe… Read more: One of UT’s First Female Computer Science Students Honored by Sons’ Gift - Endowment Ensures Gesell’s Study of Ancient Life in Crete Will Continue
Now in her 90s, UT professor emerita Geraldine Gesell still travels to Crete twice a year to research archaeological artifacts found in the Kavousi area. So, it’s only fitting that the Dr. Geraldine C. Gesell Aegean Prehistory Endowment will ensure her lifelong passion continues into the future. The endowment—established by Gesell’s friend, Richard Sias, with… Read more: Endowment Ensures Gesell’s Study of Ancient Life in Crete Will Continue - Tax Policy Expert Contributes Time, Money to Make UT Even More ‘Phenomenal’
Todd Metcalf, a principal at PwC and a tax policy expert who spent many years working on Capitol Hill, once ran into an acquaintance from his days on the Clinton-Gore campaign at the Knoxville airport. The man’s college-bound daughter had toured UT, and she had been wowed. While the girl might have opted for any… Read more: Tax Policy Expert Contributes Time, Money to Make UT Even More ‘Phenomenal’ - Couple’s Generosity Helped Create Marco Institute, Continues to Support Arts
Katherine Riggsby and her late husband, Stuart, have left their mark on UT, both as long-time employees and as donors supporting wide-ranging interests. Katherine Riggsby was a campus system programmer; she retired in 2008. Stuart Riggsby was an assistant professor and associate head of the Department of Microbiology and associate dean and dean of the… Read more: Couple’s Generosity Helped Create Marco Institute, Continues to Support Arts - Honoring Our Alumni
Our alumni are vital members of the university community and ambassadors for UT Knoxville. Their Volunteer spirit is a tradition shared by more than 260,000 alumni worldwide – more than 80,000 of whom are College of Arts and Sciences graduates. Their Volunteer legacies live on through their philanthropic gifts, professional achievements, leadership, and service. During… Read more: Honoring Our Alumni - Tiny Fish Makes Big Splash
Photo Credit: © Derek Wheaton On October 4, 2022, the snail darter, Persina tanasi Etnier, was removed from the endangered species list nearly 47 years to the day after being listed October 9, 1975. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and dozens of conservation partners celebrated the snail darter’s recovery and removal from the Federal… Read more: Tiny Fish Makes Big Splash - New Research Cluster to Focus on AI
In 1968, Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke introduced HAL 9000, a sentient, artificial general intelligence computer that controls the Discovery One spacecraft in 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the 1970s, robot droids named R2-D2 and C-3PO helped Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia fight the Galactic Empire. By the 1980s, we had Tron… Read more: New Research Cluster to Focus on AI - Undergraduate Student Excellence
As Tennessee’s flagship university, we have a commitment to light the way for others and to serve as a catalyst for opportunities – on our campus and in communities near and far. Fulbright Awards In partnership with more than 140 countries worldwide, the Fulbright US Student Program offers opportunities to passionate and accomplished graduating college… Read more: Undergraduate Student Excellence - Research Round-Up
Faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences engage in world-class research, scholarship, and creative work that expands the frontiers of knowledge to create a more just, prosperous, and sustainable future. Their work strengthens the reputation of our university and makes an impact on the lives of Tennesseans and our global community. UT Leads World… Read more: Research Round-Up - Faculty Bookshelf
Derek Alderman, Professor of Geography Remembering Enslavement: Reassembling the Southern Plantation Museum Published by UGA Press, 2022 “What the authors successfully do is offer guides, site managers, and visitors a window into the plantation interpretation experience outside of their own, as well as points of reflection for guides and site managers revising interpretation strategies .… Read more: Faculty Bookshelf - TCUS + A&S
Our continued partnership with The Conversation provides our faculty with opportunities to share their research and creative activity expertise and inform public debate through responsible, ethical, and relevant evidence-based journalism. During the 2022-23 academic year, faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences published the following articles on The Conversation. 50 years ago, an artist… Read more: TCUS + A&S - Celebrating 100 Years of Ayres Hall
Ayres Hall: ‘Fond Memories and the Promise of Future Great Things’ A little more than 100 years ago, the University of Tennessee demolished the much-loved Old College building to construct Ayres Hall. Despite public angst over that decision, Ayres Hall began getting positive reviews even before it opened in 1921, with the Knoxville News Sentinel… Read more: Celebrating 100 Years of Ayres Hall - Leaders and Legacy: Hodges and Africana Studies at UT
John and Carolyn Hodges have a long history with UT’s Department of Africana Studies. - Setting the Stage for the Future of Theatre at UT
The first thing Jenny Boyd noticed about the Carousel Theatre when she walked into it for a school trip to see Annie Get Your Gun in the 1960s was the shape. “I just loved it,” Boyd said of the theatre-in-the-round format. “I thought it was the coolest building I’d even been in, and I wanted… Read more: Setting the Stage for the Future of Theatre at UT - Reflections from the Dean
- Faculty Spotlights
Nicole Eggers, an assistant professor of history, is an expert on African history and is fluent in Swahili. She received the College of Arts and Sciences 2020 Faculty Academic Outreach Service Award for her work with Congolese refugees in Knoxville. While completing her master’s degree and doctorate in African history at the University of Wisconsin, Madison,… Read more: Faculty Spotlights - Opportunities for the Changing Workforce
College introduces new online bachelor’s completion degree in interdisciplinary programs The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, expanded our online portfolio to include a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Programs from the College of Arts and Sciences, which is an important milestone to the university’s goal of offering 10 online programs. The online degree completion program is… Read more: Opportunities for the Changing Workforce - Spotlight on Diversity
As a college and institution of higher learning, it is our mission to promote intellectual inquiry and effective civic engagement within the context of respect for diversity. Our ability to educate is one tool for making change in the world. We can demand change in our community, but first, we have to educate our community… Read more: Spotlight on Diversity - Unlocking Knowledge for Public Good
The UT partnership with The Conversation helps faculty share their research and expertise with the public. In 2021, faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences published 15 articles, two of which were translated for an international audience. Here, we include the 15 published in 2021, as well as three additional articles our faculty have… Read more: Unlocking Knowledge for Public Good - A Hub for Teaching the African Diaspora
- Big Orange Pantry Provides Student Support
A growing concern in public higher education relates to meeting students’ basic needs, including food and housing insecurities. According to a study coauthored by researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and published in Current Developments in Nutrition (2019), one in three students in the southeastern and Appalachian regions are food-insecure, which is higher than… Read more: Big Orange Pantry Provides Student Support - Spotlight on our Staff
Staff in the College of Arts and Sciences are critical to our ability to achieve success in our departments and across the college. On behalf of the college, Dean Theresa Lee honored staff with awards for academic, financial, and technical support, as well as for teamwork in spring 2022. Molly Green, administrative specialist II in… Read more: Spotlight on our Staff - A Vision for the Future
- Ayres Hall Turns 100
This year, our iconic building turns 100! Do you have pictures or stories to share about your Ayres experience? Perhaps the daily walk up the Hill for class or the open windows in winter to stay cool? Did you sled down the Hill while you were a student? Please share your stories and pictures with… Read more: Ayres Hall Turns 100 - Arts & Sciences News Roundup
From a flowering corpse plant to the Jeopardy game board, our college faculty, staff, and students made headlines and impacts this fall. Arts & Humanities News Jessi Grieser, assistant professor of English linguistics, presented “Language and Belonging” at Duolingo’s 2021 Duocon, a free global event at the intersection of language, learning, and technology hosted by… Read more: Arts & Sciences News Roundup - A Gift that Will Keep on Giving
- Faculty Receive Highly-Competitive Research Awards
Funding from agencies such as the National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Department of Energy supports faculty research and creative activities across all disciplines in the College of Arts and Sciences and drives innovative research and engagement at UT. Several of our faculty received highly-competitive awards this year to support research… Read more: Faculty Receive Highly-Competitive Research Awards - Graduate Student Spotlights
- Celebrating Our Alumni
The College of Arts and Sciences recognized alumni achievements at the Sixth Annual Alumni and Philanthropy Awards celebration Friday, October 8, 2021. Alumni, their friends and family, and college leadership gathered to celebrate the depth and breadth of careers a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences can provide. - Finding Hope
- New Realities
- Independent Study
