Tag: Goal 5: Living our Values

New PERC Series: Student Affairs Practice & Planning in the COVID-19 Environment

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The COVID-19 pandemic has placed major constraints on student engagement, presenting unique challenges for student affairs, where success has traditionally depended on high quality, face-to-face student interactions.

Learn how institutions are adapting in PERC’s newest research series, Student Engagement Practice and Planning in the COVID-19 Environment. This series examines practices and plans in student affairs from across the nation. The series focuses on nine key areas:

• Orientation Programming Practices
• Student Government
• Student Activities and Clubs
• Fraternities and Sororities
• Community Service Programs
• Residence Life Operations & Programming
• Multicultural Engagement
• Student Health & Wellness
• Student Employment

Click here to learn more about the project and access the briefs as they become available.

Center for Educational Leadership to Facilitate the Tennessee Rural Principal Network

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The Center for Educational Leadership, directed by Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Assistant Professor Practice Dr. Jim McIntyre, was just awarded a grant from the Kern Family Foundation to more explicitly integrate character development into all leadership programming over the next three years. The award will allow Dr. McIntyre and his team, in collaboration with the American Institutes for Research, to facilitate an intensive, yearlong collaborative professional learning experience for 54 rural school principals from across the state of Tennessee.

“The power of this network is the principals,” said McIntyre. “The participants will learn with and from each other and tackle tough issues around public education in the rural context. We plan to very intentionally build a professional support network for these remarkable school leaders that will help enhance and strengthen rural schooling across the state.”

The mission of the Kern Family Foundation is to empower the rising generation of Americans to build flourishing lives anchored in strong character, inspired by quality education, driven by an entrepreneurial mindset, and guided by the desire to create value for others. They focus on initiatives that have long-term, systemic impact,

For more information on the award, see this news release from the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. For more information on the Center for Educational Leadership, click here.

HEAM PhD Candidate Steve Syoen’s Virtual Writing Retreats Create Global Community

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Steve Syoen

Steve Syoen, Organizer of Virtual Writing Retreats

How do extroverts and social learners cope with the loss of community during a pandemic, which only intensifies the oftentimes lonely dissertation stage?

Well, if you’re ELPS PhD candidate Steve Syoen, you don’t struggle with the loss of community, you just create a new one.

Syoen began organizing his Virtual Writing Retreats in the spring of 2020 after passing comps and entering the dissertation phase of his degree: “I do best with others around me pursuing similar goals. COVID-19 struck, they closed libraries on campus, and I started working from home. My other go-to used to be McDonald’s for free WiFi, but then restaurant dining rooms closed. I needed SOMETHING… so when your natural community isn’t available, I decided to make one.”

Syoen builds community with guided chat between writing sessions.

Most of Steve’s Virtual Writing Retreat attendees are “working folks” with full lives outside their PhD pursuits, so each event usually runs from 9:15am-3:30pm EST. Syoen describes what to expect: “We start with people getting settled in, we write for 75 or 90 minutes, we take 15 minute breaks (30 for lunch), and then we write more. Before each writing session starts, participants are offered an opportunity to either speak or chat their goals for the next work period into existence. At the end of a session, participants are invited to share what they accomplished. The goal is progress, and whether that is one paragraph, one article, or an entire chapter – we celebrate it all.” Between sessions, participants chat with questions guided by Syoen about everything from favorite snacks for focus to favorite productivity tools and writing implements. “I was able to complete my detailed outline for my section! This was terrific, Steve!” one attendee reports during a break.

The goal is progress, and whether that is one paragraph, one article, or an entire chapter – we celebrate it all.

Steve Syoen HEAM PhD Candidate and Organizer of global Virtual Writing Retreats

Since beginning his Virtual Writing Retreats, Syoen’s new community has gone global. “We have people from India, China, and the Netherlands who’ve joined each of the last two sessions. The person in India has asked me to help start coordinating these for her program so she can do them in her time zone (they are 8.5 hours ahead of us) instead of attending ours in Eastern time.”

Students interested in joining one Syoen’s Virtual Writing Retreats can either send him an email or stay in the know of future events by joining the Working Folks Guide to a PhD Facebook group.

Spotlight on Olga M. Welch

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EdD, Educational Administration and Supervision

Class of 1977

Dean Olga Welch speaks on teaching responsible citizenry in a 90.5 WESA Life of Learning Forum

Olga M. Welch is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Howard University and EdD graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. After time as a Professor in the College of Education at UT, Dr. Welch accepted a position at Duquesne University where she went on to spend over a decade as Dean in the Duquesne University School of Education.

In an article co-authored with University of Tennessee Vice-Provost Emerita Carolyn Hodges, Welch remarks on the importance of balance in leadership: “Learning how to lead is also about learning how to balance the need for action with deliberative and deliberate approaches.”

“The real challenge for a new leader is to learn your context and not assume what worked in another context will work in a new one.”

Olga Welch, Dean Emeritus, Duquesne University

Author several publications, chapters, and books, most recently in 2011 the released of Turnaround Leadership: Deans of Color as Change Agents that focuses attention on deans as agents of change by presenting case studies of six deans of color. This volume’s emphasis on how particular leaders thought about and implemented change initiatives reflects Dr. Welch’s commitment to engaging in critical problem-solving as leaders. 

For more on Dr. Olga M. Welch:

 

About the Series

The ELPS Where are They Now? series inspires current and future students by spotlighting the career paths and accomplishments of graduates from the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Continue your own leadership journey and learn more about our programs today.

ELPS News

Frank Cuevas Named Permanent Vice Chancellor for Student Life

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Frank Cuevas, who has been serving as the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Life since January, will take on the role permanently.

“Over the last several months, some of which have been the most challenging we’ve faced as an institution, I have watched Frank’s steady leadership, his steadfast advocacy for our students, and the trust and respect he has built with the Student Life staff,” said Chancellor Donde Plowman. “Frank is collaborative, compassionate, and thoughtful in his decision-making, and he has already proven himself to be a tremendous addition to our senior leadership team. I’m absolutely thrilled he has agreed to take on the role permanently.”

Frank Cuevas
Vice Chancellor for Student Life Frank Cuevas

Cuevas previously served as Assistant and then Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Life. He also oversaw Student Housing at UT for seven years, beginning in 2010. He has been an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at UT for seven years.

“I am deeply honored to serve UT as the Vice Chancellor for Student Life. I am passionate about both education and the student experience, so I am very excited to get to work on behalf of our students. I wish to thank Chancellor Plowman for entrusting me with this responsibility. I look forward to continuing to work with her, our campus leadership, and the student life team to support student learning as we work to advance the university’s mission.”

Cuevas was the only finalist out of a nationwide pool of candidates.

Before coming to UT, Cuevas served in various roles in student housing at Florida State University for nearly 20 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international affairs, a master’s in student affairs, and a doctor of education in higher education administration, all from Florida State.

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CONTACT

Tyra Haag (865-974-5460, tyra.haag@tennessee.edu)

McIntyre Moderates Panel at UT Teacher Preparation Summit

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On September 19, the University of Tennessee hosted a Teacher Preparation Summit in Nashville.  Participants in the successful event included University of Tennessee President Randy Boyd, and the Chancellors of the Chattanooga, Knoxville and Martin campuses, as well as many elected officials, state policy-makers, deans, provosts, faculty members and advocates.  The summit brought together key stakeholders to discuss increasing the effectiveness of UT’s teacher preparation programs, share best practices and information and address increasing performance on the Tennessee State Board of Education’s Teacher Preparation Report Card.McIntyre at Teacher Preparation Summit 2019

The Director of the University of Tennessee’s Center for Educational Leadership, Jim McIntyre moderated a productive and incisive panel discussion regarding the state perspective on high-quality teacher preparation.  Panelists included Tennessee Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn, State Representative Mark White, who serves as Chair of the House Education Committee, Executive Director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission Mike Krause, and Executive Director of the Tennessee State Board of Education, Sara Heyburn Morrison.

CSP Practicum Site Visits

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This October, College Student Personnel (CSP) students, faculty, and practitioner-educators will visit multiple colleges and universities in Georgia to learn about student affairs and higher education at distinct institutional types. Site visits include the University of West Georgia, Georgia Institute of Technology (GA Tech), and Emory University.

These practicum visits are one of many program activities that combine peer-to-peer learning and professional socialization to provide graduates with practical experiences that are grounded in research and theory. Since the beginning of the College Student Personnel program over seventy years ago, more than 650 students have graduated and progressed to various roles in higher education and related services.

For more information on the University of Tennessee College Student Personnel program, visit https://elpsclone.flywheelsites.com/csp/.

PERC Examines UTK Student Debt

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In the age of the student loan crisis, The University of Tennessee Knoxville has been a leader in helping students minimize and manage the debt they accrue while pursuing degrees. In 2017, for instance, UTK’s proportion of graduates in debt fell not only below the state average, but 15% below the national average as well. 

These and other findings were just released by UT’s Postsecondary Education Research Center from Data Science and Engineering PhD student and PERC Graduate Research Assistant Kriss Gabourel. Gabourel’s report, entitled “Student debt profile: A brief look at a decade of graduates from UT Knoxville” was also presented at the July 2019 Tennessee Association for Institutional Research (TENNAIR) Conference in Franklin, TN.

You can click here to view the report summary. The next phase of analysis is anticipated to include income data for those same graduates, which will provide deeper insight into the relationship between student debt and earnings for graduates at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

 

National Panhellenic Conference Graduation Rate Study

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ELPS faculty Dr. Patrick Biddix and Dr. Terry Ishitani, along with ELPS alumnae Nicole Nicholson and Kaitlin Singer, completed and published a study that demonstrated women in sororities across 18 four-year institutions were more likely than non-members to graduate in four years, with the graduation rate between the two groups stabilizing for years five and six. Recommendations for practice to strengthen the educational component of sorority membership were also provided.

The article, “The Influence of National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) Sorority Membership on Graduation and Time-to-Degree: A Multi-Institution Study” was published in the Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education (subscription required for access).