Pre-Game Faculty Showcase
All-Star Faculty Line-Up
Initiated in 1990, the Pre-Game Faculty Showcase is a public lecture series scheduled two hours before each home football game at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The programs feature 30 minute presentations by outstanding faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences on topics related to their expertise, followed by 10-15 minutes of Q & A. The carefully timed programs allow football fans to have plenty of time to enjoy the lecture and still get to the stadium by kick-off.
Faculty lectures are developed for a general audience and address timely and interesting topics. The presentations are free and open to the public and light complimentary refreshments are provided at each lecture. There is a doorprize drawing each week as well.
Guests attending the Pre-Game Faculty Showcase are greeted by the Dean of the College and staff from the College of Arts and Sciences as well as representative staff from the UT National Alumni Association. In addition, they have an opportunity to meet exceptional faculty in the College and to learn something new.
The program each year includes faculty speakers and topics from the social sciences, the natural sciences, the humanities, the fine arts and the performing arts. Faculty speakers are both outstanding scholars and teachers who often involve their students in their presentations. Although the Pre-Game Faculty Showcase celebrates its 17th year this Fall 2007, there is not a shortage of great faculty speakers. The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest collegiate unit in the University with a large richly diverse and talented faculty; therefore, there are many faculty from which to choose from for each lecture series. The faculty speakers "showcased" each fall are simply representative of the faculty excellence throughout the College. Tennesseans are proud of their football team and the Pre-Game Faculty Showcase demonstrates they have reason to take pride in UT's academic programs, too.
Football games attract a larger and more diverse audience to campus than any other single activity and everyone is welcome to attend the Pre-Game Faculty Showcase, including fans from the opposing teams. Alumni and friends of the College and the University especially enjoy attending the lectures to take advantage of the convenient opportunity to find out more about the academic activities and programs of the College and to meet new faculty. Alumni also enjoy learning about what is going on in the departments where they studied as students and catching up on news of their favorite professors.
The Pre-Game Faculty Showcase is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences with support from the UT National Alumni Association and the UT Men's Athletics Program.