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 the 2022 College of Arts and Sciences Alumni and Philanthropy Award Ceremony, we honored five alumni for outstanding professional achievements, service, and philanthropy.
Captain Abigail Blount (‘14) received the Promise Award, which recognizes alumni who have achieved significant levels of accomplishment in the early to middle stages of their careers.
Captain Blount graduated magna cum laude with an interdisciplinary degree in linguistics and Spanish. At the age of 30, she is a US Army Captain, and one of only 92 women ever to complete Army Ranger School. Captain Blount is one of an elite group of female AH-64 Apache Helicopter Pilots and regarded by her peers as a motivator, mentor, and glass-ceiling breaker.
In addition to these accomplishments, Captain Blount won the Regional Golden Gloves Boxing Championship for the east coast in 2019 and was named Outstanding Female Boxer in North Carolina in 2019. She volunteers her time as a coach and mentor for youth at her hometown gym in Fayetteville, North Carolina, especially to young girls needing confidence to compete in combat sports.
Jack E. Williams (‘64) received the Volunteer Service Award, which recognizes exceptional service or long-term, continuing service to the college, a department, or program. Williams received a degree in history and, with the exception of six years early on, spent his 36-year career bettering the university and the college in a variety of roles.
After his retirement in 2006, he continued to nurture donors, particularly retired and current faculty. Notable among his lifelong friends are the late Charlie Brakebill and our distinguished president emeritus, Joe Johnson, whom he visits on a regular basis.
“The University of Tennessee has meant so much to me over the years,” Williams said. “When you study leadership, integrity has a lot to do with being a good leader. And I’m always striving for more integrity and a better character.”
Christopher Elkins (‘95, ‘01) received the Professional Achievement Award, which recognizes alumni who have achieved a high degree of success in their chosen field, a record of notable accomplishments, and a history of outstanding contributions to their discipline and/or creative pursuits. Elkins, who received his master’s and PhD in microbiology, is an internationally recognized expert in antibiotic resistance and microbial pathogen detection.
Elkins has made significant contributions to research aimed at identifying and combating microbial pathogens, including SARS‐CoV‐2 (aka COVID‐19). He has successfully led the development and coordination of scientific research and pathogen surveillance programs. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Elkins volunteers his time and talent as an advisory board member to the Department of Microbiology.
“I found that simply taking advantage of every opportunity that was ever afforded to me has never steered me wrong,” Elkins said. “And it aligns with the Volunteer spirit that provides the pedestal that puts me with what I credited as seemingly being at the right place at the right time.”
Karen Sisk (‘74) received the College Philanthropist Award and is the epitome of the extraordinary impact that volunteer service and philanthropic giving can have on our college. Sisk, who received her degree in mathematics, supports education in multiple areas with generous gifts to three departments within the College of Arts and Sciences. She has endowed the Gerald D. Sisk Professorships in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in memory of her late husband Gerald, a 1975 graduate of UT who co-founded Jewelry Television.
She has committed to scholarships in math and support for programs in music in addition to supporting the College Fund for Arts and Sciences.
“Karen’s passion for the Volunteers began in 1971 when she stepped onto the campus to pursue her degree in mathematics,” said her nephew, Treason Redmond. “Karen would not be who she is without the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, the orange, the athletics, the arts, and most importantly, education. Karen hopes that with her and Jared’s contributions to the College of Arts and Sciences in the form of scholarships and professorships that she is able to give back to the university that gave her late husband and so much more.”
Heath Shuler (‘01) received the Dean’s Distinguished Alumnus Award, which acknowledges alumni successes that brings honor to the college and promotes the value of a liberal arts education. Shuler received his degree in psychology and has used his education to achieve success in a variety of fields.
He has served as a professional athlete, entrepreneur, public servant, chief government officer for Duke Energy, Democratic member of the House of Representatives, and an NFL quarterback. In 2009, he was inducted as an SEC Legend in recognition of his career as the Vols’ quarterback. Shuler’s leadership is exemplified through his service in Congress where he was supportive of public education, higher education, and arts and sciences.
“If you look at this group of alumni award recipients, there’s one thing in common – service. Whether serving our country, serving our community, or serving the people around us, that is the common theme,” Shuler said. “If we talk about what it is to be a Volunteer, it’s also about serving. This entire evening is about being an example in the community and being part of a great university.”
Learn more about our annual alumni awards and see lists of previous winners online.
