The Provost's Forum Archive | 2007

Our Goals and the Governor's Priorities
At the budget hearings in Nashville last week, Governor Phil Bredesen mentioned four priorities he has for the coming year. Each of them should be welcome news for the Knoxville campus of the University of Tennessee as the governor?s vision lines up very well with our priorities here at UT Knoxville.
2007-11-07 08:47

Funding for General Education
I am writing today to clarify the issue of funding for general education.
2007-10-19 08:47

Are Honors Programs Elitist?
In a guest column, Steven Dandaneau, Director of the Chancellors Honors Program, discusses the differences between honors programs and scholars programs.
2007-08-23 16:04

Principles and Prejudice
I remain ashamed of this institution for its failure to take a principled position in repudiating bias toward gay and lesbian applicants for positions, as well as gay and lesbian employees on the campus.
2007-06-18 10:38

Size Matters
Now that I have completed almost a year on the Knoxville campus, I have begun to reflect back on the time since I arrived. In retrospect one of the things that surprised me most was the paucity of staff in the Provost's Office.
2007-06-05 15:41

Confessions of a Lapsed Academic Darwinist
In this guest column, Vice Provost Todd Diacon explains a transformation in the way that he views students and how it has impacted his teaching.
2007-03-01 17:29

Academics and Athletics
Since I've arrived at Tennessee, several faculty members and students have written or spoken to me about the place of athletics on the Knoxville campus. In most cases the tenor of the communication has been that athletics, as it exists here at least, is incompatible with academic standards.
2007-02-22 09:30

Progression Requirements
As a general principle the Knoxville campus should oppose progression requirements for majors. Our goal, however unrealizable, should be that every student in good standing should be able to choose his/her major and graduate with a degree in that discipline from the University of Tennessee.
2007-02-01 10:06

General Education and Transfer Students
My view is that we ought to accept the general education courses from the community college for students with an associate?s degree and allow them to proceed with work in their major without having to make up deficiencies resulting from the difference between general education requirements in the community college and general education requirements at UT Knoxville.
2007-01-22 08:12