Scholarship of Outreach
Arts and Sciences faculty engage the community through a wide variety of activities and programs of outreach teaching, outreach research, and outreach service. Partnerships between the College and the community are established through a host of external relationships which enable citizens to become valued collaborators in the advancement of knowledge and in seeking solutions to society's more pressing problems.
What follows are selected examples of faculty engagement with the community in academic outreach through teaching, research and service:
Outreach Teaching
Outreach to K-12 Teachers/Students is a significant component of the outreach teaching mission. As a partner with the College of Education in the preparation and continuing professional development of teachers, Arts and Sciences faculty also provide content enrichment to teachers and students through many programs such as Latin Day, the Young Writer's Institute, the UTPRO2SERV Math Contest, the Stokely Writing Conference, and Earth Science Day. The Tennessee Geographic Alliance serves over 5,000 teachers a year with professional workshops held across the state.
The Department of Theatre and the Clarence Brown Theatre (CBT) host workshops for local drama teachers and send faculty and visiting professional artists directly into school classrooms to conduct workshops in acting, directing, stage management, stage lighting, costume design, dance, and public speaking, and offer residencies for high school students in a variety of theatrical topics. More than 1,000 students each year are provided backstage tours, and, through the "Season for Youth" program, more than 6,000 students a year see special showings of plays in the Clarence Brown Theatre – for many their first viewing of a live performance. The theater produces each year a play from the language arts curriculum of local schools, so that students can see the play they read in class come to life on stage. In addition, the CBT hosts an annual acting camp for high school students interested in theatre.
The School of Music offers annually over 150 free public concerts in the form of band and orchestral concerts, solo instrumental and vocal performances, and, under the auspices of the UT Opera Theatre, productions of operatic works. The School of Music is also very active in outreach to K-12 schools, presenting workshops and clinics on a weekly basis. Many community performances are dependent on the participation of members of the music faculty. The orchestras that play for performances of the Knoxville Ballet and the Knoxville Opera Company are comprised of a large number of the School’s faculty and students. Music in many area churches is enhanced by members of the faculty and students serve as directors, accompanists, soloists, or volunteer participants. The Faculty Brass Quintet and the Faculty Jazz Ensemble present programs and perform at special events throughout the region.
Outreach Research and Creative Activity
The Department of Anthropology's Forensic Anthropology Center involves four faculty and more than thirty graduate students. By far the most important aspect of the Center is its service to the law enforcement communities of Tennessee and the nation. Literally hundreds of cases are received every year where human remains found on the landscape or at crime scenes cannot be identified and cause of death cannot be determined from soft tissue evidence. This is a grim activity, one that tries the mettle of the faculty and students involved, but enormously important to the police trying to solve crimes and the families looking for their loved ones. Based on methods and techniques developed at UT, the Center has become the leader in human identification, and the faculty and their students have been asked to work on remains from Viet Nam, Kosovo, Bosnia, Waco, Oklahoma City and the Twin Towers. The recently formed Law Enforcement Innovation Center (LEIC) has involved our forensic faculty and students in service-research and outreach activities (through LEIC’s National Forensic Academy) to local, state and federal investigative agencies. In addition, the Center’s activities include public education through lectures, presentations, and workshops for law enforcement. UT’s Forensic Anthropology Center is one of the great success stories for the University.
The Archaeological Research Laboratory (ARL) was formed in 2002 as a public archaeology unit within the Department of Anthropology. ARL is a research, cultural resource assessment, and consulting unit dedicated to the conduct of high quality, timely work for government agencies and private entities while providing a practical institutional mechanism for student experiential learning and continuing education. The ARL includes programs designed to translate the artifacts of archaeological research for public education and recreation.
The Department of Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology seeks to improve human health. The faculty are investigating protein structures with the goal of designing better drugs for a variety of human conditions, including diseases of the circulatory system, Alzheimer's disease, and antibiotic resistance.
The Department of Geography is nationally recognized for spatial analysis research, especially involving applications of Geographic Information Systems technology to spatial data management. The program emphasizes economic and transportational geography and location analysis. Faculty and students apply this research to such problems as identifying the best locations for community recycling centers and retail chain stores, as well as crime mapping and designing plans for freight and supply distribution or military deployment.
Outreach Service
The Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology has served the region for over 50 years. Over the past half century, the Speech and Hearing Center has become a vital part of the community by providing diagnostic and treatment services on and off campus. Over 150 physicians refer patients to the Speech and Hearing Center and more than 5000 patient visits are recorded each year. Students and faculty also serve East Tennessee in outreach programs in schools, hospitals and community service programs. The department houses a number of service facilities and clinics. The Audiology Clinic provides hearing services to 90 clients each week and fitted over 500 hearing aids last year. Child Hearing Services (CHS) provides aural-habilitation services to children with hearing impairment. The Neuropathology Services Program provides diagnostic and treatment services to older adults through contractual arrangements at Shannondale Health Care Center and Brakebill Nursing Home. Residents are served through diagnosis and treatment of communication, cognitive, and swallowing disorders. The Program also provides community outreach through facilitation of monthly meetings of Stroke Support/Caregivers.
The Psychological Clinic in the Department of Psychology is a tremendous resource to the community, providing psychological services to low and middle income patients on a sliding fee scale of $10-25 per hour compared to $60-120 an hour in private clinics. They have provided more than 10,000 hours of patient therapy in the past ten years.
