The Reverend Larry Sykes Jr. (’09) has become an honored church and social justice leader in Kentucky, and in spring 2024 the Department of Religious Studies recognized him with the Charles H. Reynolds Distinguished Alumnus Award. Sykes felt called to ministry early in his life. “My parents raised me in church, where I cultivated and […]
Professor Gichingiri Ndigirigi, Department of English, was named president of the African Literature Association (ALA) at the group’s 2024 conference, held in May in Louisville, Kentucky. In this role, he will work with the ALA’s executive committee to guide the association’s activities in 2024–2025. “I am particularly interested in developing collaborations with Africa-based academics and […]
Two new grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities will support research for a book on the history of retirement in America and the continued publication of US President Andrew Jackson’s papers, exploring the last years of his administration. The NEH funding will contribute to both a new project and a long-term effort under […]
A new book examining the bridges between medicine and the performing arts includes research on vaccine skepticism by Stanton B. Garner Jr., a professor in the English and theatre departments at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Garner wrote a chapter titled “At the Needle Point: Theatre and Vaccine Skepticism” in The Routledge Companion to Performance […]
Initiative Designed to Elevate Teaching Excellence The Community of Scholars for Advancing Teaching Excellence (CATE) launched in summer 2024 along with other new collaborative research initiatives supported by the UT College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). Over the next two years, CATE will build a community among instructors and develop resources and guidance on teaching […]
The 2024 University of Tennessee President’s Awards recognized Associate Professor Katy Chiles, Department of English, with the Embrace Diversity Award for her teaching and collaborations in projects that elevate ways in which individual and organizational uniqueness makes UT stronger. Chiles teaches and writes about African American and Native American literature, early American literature and culture, […]
The Bottom: Stories from the NeighborhoodThrough August 3, 2024UT Downtown Gallery Research on East Knoxville’s former Bottom neighborhood has led to an exhibit featuring new works by southern artists, as well as paintings by artists connected to the area, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Downtown Gallery. The Bottom: Stories from the Neighborhood is a way […]
by Randall Brown Professor and Chair of Excellence Cornelius Eady is also the cofounder of the Cave Canem Foundation, established in 1996 to remedy the underrepresentation and isolation of African-American poets in the literary landscape. Cornelius Eady’s summer finds him traveling to oversee the filming of a dance production in Montreal, Canada, based on his […]
by Randall Brown Stephen Hay, from Greeneville, Tennessee, built a standout Vol experience double majoring in English and religious studies and minoring in the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Program. He has maintained a steady pace with this mix of studies, delivering substantial scholarship to close out his senior year. “I am currently working on my […]
By Randall Brown Three faculty members from the UT College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) presented in the closing session for the 2023-2024 Research Development Academy (RDA), which empowers faculty to advance in research, scholarship, and/or creative activities in a collegial environment with supportive guidance. Assistant Professors Shinnerrie Jackson, Department of Theatre; DeLisa Hawkes, Africana […]
