Skip to content Skip to main navigation Report an accessibility issue

7th Annual Engagement and Outreach Conference

UT’s Office of Community Engagement and Outreach will proudly host the 7th Annual Engagement and Outreach Conference, “Advancing the Modern-Land Grant Mission: UTK’s Response to Grand Challenges, Complex Problems, and Broader Impacts” on October 1-2, 2024.

The conference will provide a platform for intentional conversations about the many ways that UT’s community engagement impacts communities across the region, state, and globe, highlighting the positive impacts of engaged work and providing strategies and solutions for sustainable partnerships. The first day of the conference will be on campus, and the second day will take place in the community.

For questions or disability-related accommodations, please contact our office at communityengagement@utk.edu. Requests for accommodations should be submitted at least 10 days in advance.

Registration is now closed. 

Conference Schedule

Time Location Session Title Presenter
8:00 am – 9:00 am Ballroom Registration/Networking/Continental Breakfast
9:00 am – 9:45 am Ballroom Welcome and Opening Plenary: A Fireside Chat with Vice Chancellor Tyvi Small and Senior Vice Chancellor Keith Carver Javiette Samuel, Tyvi Small, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, City of Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon, Keith Carver
9:45 am – 10:00 am Break Transition to Sessions
10:00 am – 10:45 am Session 1
SU 262 A Session An Exploration of Student Learning Through Reciprocal Community Partnerships Janine Al-Aseer, Jordan Frye Shields, Megan Mundie
SU 262 B Session Appalachian Problems, Appalachian Solutions: Opportunities for Collaboration with the Appalachian Research Center Tory Mills, Wendy Bach, Michelle Brown
SU 262 C Session Documenting and Sharing Success Stories Kim Chaney-Bay, Karen Franck
SU 362 B Session Unpacking a High Impact Practice: Cultural Immersion Experiences Lamar Bryant, Gabriel Figueroa
SU 362 C Session Engaging Postdoctoral Scholars into the Community Ivonne Vidal Pizarro
10:45 am – 11:00 am Break Transition to Sessions
11:00 am – 11:45 am Session 2
SU 262 A Session Building Bridges: Creating a Community Partnership Against Sexual Violence in Youth Sports Lars Dzikus, Yunjung Kim, Jedediah E. Blanton, Adam W. Love
SU 262 B Session Cultivating Academic Achievement and Cultural Connections: Centro-Hispano-UT Afterschool Collaboration Jaquelina Schmittlen-Garbocci, Lina Camacho, Kelly Wallace, Faith Mcmamus, Liliana Constanzo
SU 262 C Session Expanding the Impact of the Land-Grant Mission Through a Microgrant Process: Establishing the Social Justice Innovation Initiative at the UTK College of Social Work Tony Murchison, Mary Gitau
SU 362 B Session Partnering with Community Organizations to Promote Advancing K-12 Education and Strengthening Rural Communities Jonathan Curry, Leigh Ann Elkins, Charles White
SU 362 C Session Results from a Community-Engaged Domestic Violence Needs Assessment in Knox County Kristen Ravi, Megan Haselschwerdt
11:45 am – 12:00 pm Break
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Ballroom Lunch Under Theorizing Community Engagement: The Need for Community Engagement 3.0 Keynote Speaker: Henry Louis Taylor, Jr.
1:45 pm – 2:30 pm  Session 3
SU 262 A Session Cultivating Community Partnerships Through the Rural Appalachian Mental Health Partnerships (RAMHP) Grant LeAnn Wills, Naomi Youakim
SU 262 B Session Familias Fuertes: Implementing a culturally relevant family skills training program with Latino families in East Tennessee Bonnie Ortiz, Eliza Galves
SU 362 B Session LEADing Latinx Students: UTK’s role with Centro Hispano’s LEAD Program Marcus Walker, Alan Miramontes Flores, Luci Diego
SU 362 C Session Lighting the Way: Increasing Post Secondary Access Through Innovative Community Partnerships Stephanie Langley, Debbie Petree, Amy King
2:30 pm – 2:45 pm Break  Transition to Sessions
2:45 pm – 3:30 pm Session 4   

 

 
SU 262 A Session The Flagship Writing Project: Partnering to Build Momentum Towards Postsecondary Access Matt Bryant Cheney, Anne Langendorfer, Kate Wright, Kim Kelly, Terry Sharp, Katrina Thaxton, Darius Jackson, Maurice Davis
SU 262 B Session Creating Spaces for Community Learning: The Role of Youth and Data Visualization Lynn Liao Hodge, Thura Mack, Carlos Gonzalez
SU 262 C Session Project Excellence: A Collaborative Model for Student Success Kimberly Hill
SU 362 C Session A Culturally Responsive Approach to Empowering Hispanic Parents as Partners in Education Francia Zelaya
3:45 pm – 4:15 pm SU Ballroom Closing Remarks Javiette Samuel

Time Title Presenters
8:30 am – 9:00 am Registration/Breakfast
9:00 am – 9:05 am Welcome & Opening Remarks Javiette Samuel
9:05 am – 9:30 am Change Center History and Collaboration with UT Pastor Daryl Arnold
9:30 am – 9:45 am UT Mission, Goals, and Language Matt Bryant Cheney
Introduction Kathy Mack
9:45 am – 11:15 am Collaboration Rotation
OCEO Pre-Collegiate Initiatives Marcus Walker, Quannah Washington
Judith A. Herbert Writing Center Matt Bryant Cheney
Haslam College of Business: Office of Access and Community Connections LaKietha Jackson
ERO Center: Upward Bound, EOC, Veterans UB Leigh Elkins, Liaren G. Charles White, Jonathan Curry
Tickle College of Engineering: Dwight Hutchins Engineering Diversity Programs Caitlin Moore
Jones Center for Leadership and Service (Volunteers) Natalie Frankel
Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships (Community Work Study) Greg Sherrill
Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration (Interns) Diondre Brown
UT Extension: Family and Consumer Sciences Tesha Humphrey
Community-University Research Collaboration Initiative Lisa East, Jon Shefner
ORIED Community-Engaged Research Kristi Gordon
Office of Community Engagement and Outreach Amy Gilliland, Sonja Jackson
UT Procurement (Vendors) Karen Binkley
11:15 am – 11:55 am Collaboration Conversations
11:55 am Closing and Evaluation Amy Gilliland

Parking Details

  • Parking:
    • The conference will be providing off-site parking and shuttle are available next to UT’s Regal Soccer Stadium, 2121 Stephenson Dr. We recommend arriving at this location at least 30 minutes before you would like to arrive at the Student Union. An attendant will provide you a parking pass to place on your drivers side dash. You will catch the Neyland Express shuttle to Neyland Stadium.  The shuttle schedule is 7:00am – 6:00pm and will run every 8-10 minutes. You will be directed from the stadium to the Student Union.
  • Additional Parking Options:
    • UT has more than 1,000 spaces available with hourly rates via the ParkMobile app.
    • You can find more information about UTK Hourly Parking here. Spots are not guaranteed, but the ParkMobile app will show real-time parking availability.
    • The closest paid spots are located at the Vol Hall Garage (1525 White Ave, Knoxville, TN 37996). The cost is $1 every 30 minutes, and be sure to enter at the White Ave. entrance.
    • Fort Sanders Street Parking: Visitors can sometimes find free street parking in the Fort Sanders neighborhood, between 17th and 12th Street along Clinch, Laurel, Bridge, Highland, Forest, and Grand Ave. Tuesday is a class day, so spots in “The Fort” will be scarce. Prepare for at least a 10-20 minute walk to the Student Union.
    • Knox Area Transit (KAT): Routes 11, 12, 15, and 17 all drop off directly in front of the Student Union. Visit katbus.com or download the Transit App for more details.
    • Please notify Dr. Sonja Jackson and Tasha Herrell if you will need accessible parking accommodations at the Student Union.

  • Location:
    • The Change Center
    • 203 Harriet Tubman Street, Knoxville, TN 37915
  •  Parking:
    • Additional parking is available behind Overcoming Believers Church at 211 Harriet Tubman Street, Knoxville, TN 37915.

Other Events Happening This Week

Thursday, October 3:

Meet Scarboro 85: Game Changers of Education and Sports

Celebrate the legacy of the Scarboro 85, the courageous pioneers from Oak Ridge, TN, who changed the course of history by being the first to desegregate a public school in the Southeastern United States. Hear their powerful stories as they work to preserve this vital history through their mission to educate, heal, and unify our community.

Register Here