Archives for 2018

Chandra Harris-McCray, 2018 WPI Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship Recipient

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Congratulations to Chandra Harris-McCray, PhD student in Higher Education Administration, who is the recipient of the 2018 Women’s Philanthropy Institute Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship. This fellowship will help Chandra complete her dissertation at the University of Tennessee Knoxville on African American alumnae philanthropy to institutions of higher education.

Chandra’s argument, informed by research as well as a decade of personal and professional experience, has led her to the premise that Women of Color, and in particular African America women, are often ignored and overlooked for their philanthropic potential. The implications for her findings go beyond identifying a new donor source, speaking more specifically to influence. Philanthropy and giving lends voice and authority which in turn can ignite change. As Chandra’s proposal demonstrated, diverse voices are missing from the perspectives of many organizations and agencies. Chandra’s study, framed in cogent theory, has the transformative potential to facilitate change.

Jacob Kamer

ELPS PhD Student Joining THEC for Summer

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Jacob Kamer, a PhD student in the Higher Education Administration program, will join the Tennessee Higher Education Commission as an intern in the Planning and Research Bureau during the summer semester. During the academic year, Jacob serves as a graduate research assistant in the Center for Educational Leadership. Good luck in Nashville this summer, Jacob!

Big Orange Family Campaign

ELPS, PERC, & CEL Honored at Big Orange Family Campaign Celebration

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The Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, including the Postsecondary Education Research Center and the Center for Educational Leadership, were honored at the Big Orange Family Campaign Celebration for achieving 100 percent participation among its faculty and staff.

The Big Orange Family Campaign is an annual month long initiative to enhance philanthropy among faculty and staff.  Last year, donations helped provide 6,148 undergraduate and graduate students with scholarships.  This year the Big Orange Family Campaign reached 59.56% participation, a full 5.5% higher than the campus-wide goal of 54%.

Read more about the Big Orange Family Campaign here

April 2018 Promising Practice

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PERC publishes another Promising Practices for 2018 discussing results of results for Chattanooga State Community College’s “Focus on Completion.”

Promising Practices is an initiative sponsored by the Postsecondary Education Research Center (PERC) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The series highlights evidence-based practices promoting student success inclusive of access, persistence, retention, and postgraduate success.

Read more about April’s 2018 Promising Practice

Dr. Jim McIntyre Represents Tennessee on National Standards Setting Panel for Praxis School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA)

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Dr. Jim McIntyre, Director of the Center for Educational Leadership, was recently in Princeton, New Jersey representing Tennessee in a multi-state standard setting process for the School Leader Licensure Assessment (SLLA).  The SLLA is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which is headquartered in Princeton. Candidates for school principal licensure in Tennessee and several other states must demonstrate their knowledge of effective school leadership strategies, standards, and practices through the SLLA in order to become licensed to be a school principal.  Dr. McIntyre was nominated to participate by the Tennessee Department of Education and accepted by ETS.

Patrick Biddix to Teach NASPA Online Course on March 26, 2018

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Patrick Biddix will join Joseph Levy and Rishi Sriram in teaching an online course hosted by The NASPA Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Knowledge Community.  The course titled, “Assessment versus Research.  What is the Difference?  Why Does It Matter?”, will help students to establish and clarify the language used for assessment and research, expectations of practitioners at multiple levels, and trends in the field.

As a result of attending the course, students will:

  • gain foundational knowledge about the concepts of assessment and research;
  • learn approaches to assessment and research based on definitions and philosophy;
  • apply assessment and research processes to student affairs practice; and
  • articulate the need for assessment and research skill development as professional practice.

The course will take place on March 26, 2018 at 1:00pm est.  It is free for members of the Assessment, Evaluation, and Research KC and $99 for non-members.

Read more about the course here

Chancellor Emeritus and Distinguished Professor, Jimmy Cheek, Named 2018 United Way Campaign Chair

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Jimmy Cheek, Chancellor Emeritus and Distinguished Professor, will be taking on another new role for the year; the 2018 United Way Campaign Chair in addition to his role within our college. He will replace Ken Lowe, who over the course of 2017, raised almost fourteen million dollars for the organization. The United Way helps people by raising funds and supporting programs that provide opportunity and create lasting change in the community.  His efforts will help ensure a good life for all by funding essential programs.

In Fall 2017, Cheek joined the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences (CEHHS) in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. In addition to teaching graduate classes, Cheek has established and oversees the Postsecondary Education Research Center (PERC). This center identifies, conducts and coordinates research on initiatives and ideas designed to enhance higher education at the institutional, state, and national levels to enhance policy and practice. Through this center, partnerships with organizations such as the Tennessee Board of Regents and the university system as well as several postsecondary institutions across the state will focus on improving higher education in Tennessee.

We congratulate you on this new appointment and wish you every success.

Story and photo compliments of CEHHS