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Home » Graduate

Vols Teach Alum Selected as Global Educator of the Year

Vols Teach Alum Selected as Global Educator of the Year

Vols Teach Alum Selected as Global Educator of the Year

March 21, 2025 by Douglas Edlund

Vols Teach Alum Selected as Global Educator of the Year

Kirsten Salonga, a 2017 graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and minor in Secondary Education through Vols Teach is the 2025 AFS-USA Global Educator of the Year. Solonga received the honor at the March AFS-USA Global Conference in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

Each year, AFS-USA honors an exceptional global educator to recognize and celebrate the vital role educators play in fostering a more peaceful world. The selected educator demonstrates a strong commitment to integrating global engagement and intercultural learning into their daily instruction, embodying the knowledge, skills, and mindset of a globally competent educator. Through this annual recognition, AFS-USA aims to inspire more educators to incorporate cultural awareness and global perspectives into their classrooms, empowering students to become active global citizens.

Kirsten Salonga (second from left) With Her Award

Salonga, an English as a Second Language (ESL) Biology and Environmental Science teacher and Science Department Chair, is recognized for her outstanding commitment to integrating global perspectives into her teaching.

Recently, the National Geographic Society and Lindblad Expeditions selected Salonga as one of 35 PreK-12 classroom and informal educators from across the continent to be part of their 16th cohort of Grosvenor Teacher Fellows. As a Fellow, she had the opportunity to embark on a Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic voyage, “Exploring Alaska’s Coastal Wilderness,” aboard one of Lindblad Expeditions’ state-of-the-art expedition vessels, National Geographic Quest. You can read more about Salonga’s Alaska adventure here.

“We are honored to present this award to Ms. Salonga,” said Tara Hofmann, President and CEO of AFS-USA. “Through her innovative instruction, intercultural learning initiatives, and dedication to creating international opportunities for students, she exemplifies what AFS-USA strives to achieve—empowering educators to cultivate active global citizens.”

Recognizing Excellence in Global Education

The AFS-USA Global Educator Award celebrates educators nationwide who incorporate cultural diversity, global competence, and internationalized concepts into their teaching, inspiring students to become engaged global citizens.

Salonga Speaking to Attendees at AFS-USA Global Conference in Tysons Corner, Virginia

Salonga’s impact is widely recognized within her school community. Benjamin Slyngstad, a fellow Biology teacher at Justice High School, praised her “innovative approach to the curriculum” and her “vivacious commitment to a student population that is sadly overlooked.” He highlighted her contributions to Fairfax County Public Schools, including the development of diverse science resources and her passion for exposing students to global perspectives.

Former student Karen Rosicela Orozco Carreto also shared a heartfelt recommendation, stating, “What sets Ms. Salonga apart is her ability to combine her love for teaching with her dedication to making the world a better place. She not only teaches science but also instills in her students the importance of empathy, collaboration, and global citizenship. Her lessons go far beyond the classroom, leaving a lasting impact on everyone she teaches.”

Honoring an Inspirational Educator

As the 2025 Global Educator of the Year, Salonga attended the annual AFS-USA Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Program Workshop in March, held in Tysons Corner, Virginia. There, she will receive her award, engage with educators and AFS-USA volunteers from across the U.S. and abroad—including participants from Indonesia, Egypt, and Thailand—and further expand her network of global education leaders.

For more information on AFS-USA’s exchange programs, visit www.afsusa.org. To learn about the AFS-USA Global Educator Award and the nomination process, visit www.afsusa.org/educators/global-awards.

Filed Under: Alumni, CEHHS, Events, Featured, Graduate, Informative, Meeting, Recognition, Theory and Practice in Teacher Education

Hospitality and Tourism Management Program Earns Full Accreditation from ACPHA

Hospitality and Tourism Management Program Earns Full Accreditation from ACPHA

March 14, 2025 by Douglas Edlund

Hospitality and Tourism Management Program Earns Full Accreditation from ACPHA

The Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management (RHTM) is pleased to announce that the the Hospitality and Tourism Management program within RHTM is fully accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA). 

ACPHA, established by the International Council of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE), evaluates and accredits hospitality programs that demonstrate excellence in academic standards, resources, and processes that contribute to high-quality education.

“I am incredibly proud of the dedication and hard work our faculty and staff have put into achieving such high recognition from ACPHA,” said Junehee Kwon, Department Head of RHTM. “The Commission acknowledged that 40 out of 41 standards were met—an exceptional accomplishment for an initial review! This recognition reinforces our commitment to delivering a top-tier education and fostering academic excellence.”

The ACPHA consists of 11 Commissioners, including hospitality educators, industry professionals, and public-at-large members. This distinguished group meets biannually to review and assess hospitality programs at colleges and universities across the U.S. and internationally.

“I am extremely proud of the faculty and staff of RHTM.  They are doing world-class work and the program deserves accreditation by ACPHA,” said Ellen McIntyre, Dean of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.

The accreditation process includes an extensive self-study, followed by a three-day external review and final approval through commissioners’ review and affirmative votes. The initial accreditation, awarded for a seven-year term from Winter 2025 through Winter 2032, affirms that the program meets essential standards in areas such as curriculum quality, student learning assurance, support services, and the availability of resources, including instructional, physical, and financial assets.

To ensure ongoing compliance with ACPHA’s standards, the program will submit annual reports for the duration of the accreditation period.

For more information about RHTM at UT and upcoming initiatives, please visit https://cehhs.utk.edu/rhtm/.

Filed Under: Graduate, Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management, Undergraduate

Over 300 Students Participate in TRiO Day 2025

Over 300 Students Participate in TRiO Day 2025

March 4, 2025 by Douglas Edlund

Over 300 Students Participate in TRiO Day 2025



By Carly Utterback, CEHHS Student Reporter, Class of 2025

On Saturday, February 22, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, hosted TRiO Day. This year’s theme was “Cultivating Futures: Growing Sustainable Success,” and the event was hosted by the Education Research and Opportunity Center (ERO) in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (CEHHS). 

TRiO Day 2025 participants walk from lunch to resume activities in Humanities and Social Sciences Building and Art and Architecture Building

Around 350 students and staff from all over Tennessee participated in a day of workshops, learning leadership skills, academic competitions, and community building. 

TRiO Day gives first-generation, low-income, and disabled potential Vols access to the skills, experience, and knowledge they need to succeed in formal post-secondary education. 

“We are here to help them tap and show their potential and help develop skills to impact their communities,” said Jonathan Curry, associate director of outreach and principal investigator of the ERO Center. 

The participants of TRiO day all come from similar backgrounds but are diverse, with different perspectives. They are shown representation through the staff and students on UT’s campus. Student-workers who previously participated in TRiO Day were there to help guide the new generation into success. 

Curry says a main impact they want to leave on the TRiO Day participants is that they matter, and they are important. 

Participants were able to use their problem-solving and critical thinking skills to make tough decisions through a hands-on approach. In the morning around 200 participants attended eight varying workshops pertaining to the day’s theme of sustainable and successful growth. 

Bridges built by TRiO Day 2025 participants, along with the trophy for the winning team

Some groups gathered to engineer bridges with glue and popsicle sticks to see which could hold the most weight, while others were involved in a scholars’ bowl battling others with academics or a mock trial tasked with the roles from a courtroom. 

Towards the end of the day, participants gathered in UT’s Art + Architecture Building to write letters to their state representatives, ensuring their voices are heard. They also cycled in and out to paint the Rock in recognition of their hard work. 

“My favorite part of the day is seeing everyone come together to celebrate and show the impact of TRiO for first-generation access to education,” said Leigh Elkins, principal investigator and project director for the Math and Science Upward Bound Program. 

The ERO Center is focused on outreach and research to “help schools and students succeed by improving policies and practices across the classroom-to-career pipeline.” They assist those who are first-generation, low-income, or veterans that seek post-secondary education. They also provide additional literacy resources to those within these margins. 

The ERO Centers involvement with TRiO Day displays their passion to help make education equally accessible for all. 

Through its seven departments and 13 centers, the UT Knoxville College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences enhances the quality of life for all through research, outreach, and practice. Find out more at cehhs.utk.edu

Filed Under: Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Graduate, Undergraduate

Six CEHHS Alums Recognized for Outstanding Achievements

Six CEHHS Alums Recognized for Outstanding Achievements

September 27, 2024 by Douglas Edlund

Six CEHHS Alums Recognized for Outstanding Achievements

Six alums from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences received recognition for their extraordinary achievements at the annual Alumni Awards. The ceremony, held in September, singles out alums who have made significant contributions to their professions, service to UT, and future promise.

This year’s recipients include: Mary Cayten Brakefield, Bryan Coker, Brain Lee, Linda Lee, Monica Onwuka, and Sparky Rucker.

2024 Alumni Promise Winner: Mary Cayten Brakefield (’20)

Portrait photo of Mary Cayten Brakefield. She has fair skin and dark hair. She is wearing a floral dress and is smiling in the photo
Mary Cayten Brakefield

Mary Cayten Brakefield is the co-founder of Brakefields, a mother/daughter founded fashion label that brings joyful comfort to women of all ages, sizes, and abilities. Designed with care in Nashville and produced on demand in Phoenix, Arizona, garments from Brakefields are available in sizes XXXS-6X with multiple hem lengths and optional accessibility adaptations. With elevated functionality at the core of the brand, each piece is created to ensure women of all bodies and lifestyles have a closet that equips them, not restricts them, for all the opportunities their day holds.

As a member of UT’s swim team, Brakefield’s passion for functional design largely originated from her time in VOLeaders, a leadership program for student-athletes at UT that exposed her to the frustrations of many disabled athletes she met. Soon after, the effects of a genetic condition changed her own ability levels which further intensified her passion for accessible products.

After beginning to explore adaptive design, Brakefield realized that the same approach resulted in better designed clothes for a multitude of women who have been historically frustrated by the garments available to them, such as postpartum moms, those feeling the effects of growing older, and simply particularly tall or short women. This realization inspired a brand that takes a different approach to inclusion where all needs are considered and addressed without creating more separation between groups in the final shopping experience. The education Brakefield received through UT’s retail and consumer sciences program, coupled with a master’s in marketing from Vanderbilt University, helped turn her desire for a more inclusive world into a platform for change to help make that desire a reality.

2024 Alumni Professional Achievement Award: Bryan F. Coker (’10)

Portrait photo of Bryan Coker. He has fair skin and short grey hair. He is wearing a grey suit with a white shirt and striped tie.
Bryan Coker

Bryan F. Coker, PhD serves as the 12th President of Maryville College, a 205-year-old liberal arts institution of 1,200 undergraduate students, located in East Tennessee. Coker has served as Maryville’s president since July 2020 and has focused heavily on connections between the college and surrounding region, especially the Great Smoky Mountains. During Coker’s time as president, the college has experienced a 15 percent increase in student enrollment, addition of its first graduate program, opening of a new alumni center, construction of a new track and field facility, substantial increases in major gifts, and creation of the Maryville College Downtown Center. Several new academic and athletic programs have been introduced or are in progress.

Coker is the founding chair of the Collegiate Conference of the South athletic conference and a member of the NCAA Division III Presidents Council. He serves on the boards of the Appalachian College Association and the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities. He is an affiliated faculty member at UT and previously taught at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Prior to Maryville, Coker was vice president and dean of students, as well as acting president, for Goucher College in Maryland. He previously served for 10 years as dean of students at Jacksonville University and as director of student judicial affairs for UT. He has also served as an accreditation evaluator for both the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Coker is a graduate of both Leadership Tennessee and Leadership Knoxville. He is an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church USA and has served in various church leadership roles.

Originally from North Carolina, Coker received his BA from Rhodes College, is a member of the college’s Hall of Fame and was previously recognized as Rhodes’s first-ever Young Alumnus of the Year. He holds an MEd from the University of South Carolina, and a PhD from UT (’10). Coker is married to Rhodes classmate Sara Barnette Coker, and they have four children.

2024 Alumni Service Award: Brian Lee (’92)

Portrait photo of Brian Lee. He has fair skin and short brown hair. He is wearing glasses, a green shirt and green vest. He is smiling in the photo.
Brian Lee

Brian Lee has always believed that it is a true privilege to serve others and so having a career in hospitality came naturally for him. His roots are deeply planted in East Tennessee, and he is proud to share this special corner of the world with others. Lee’s life began on a dairy farm in Monroe County, Tennessee, before his family settled in Seymour. He attended Heritage High School in Blount County and graduated from UT with a major in Hotel and Restaurant Management. His love of travel has taken him around the world, and he returns home each time with a refreshed perspective and inspired by the people and cultures experienced.

As Director of Guest Relations at Blackberry Farm, Lee focuses on the quality of the guest experience and ensures that the company’s mission of legendary hospitality, memorable experiences, and generational sustainability is fulfilled each day. For Lee, the company’s mission is all about creating lasting relationships with guests and team members. He believes that ‘yes’ should always be the attitude and that leaders should encourage their teams to live their best lives and create an environment where that is possible. He is in his 29th year at Blackberry Farm and continues to strive for each guest’s experience to be the best it can be. Service is noble work, and Lee knows that his time studying at UT was the cornerstone for a great career.

Lee is proud to give back to UT as a Chancellor’s Associate; member of the Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management Advisory Board; commencement speaker; instructor in the classroom; and mentor to students. He affirms every day that it is great to be a Tennessee Vol!

2024 Alumni Service Award: Linda S. Lee, PhD (’72)

Photo of Linda Lee. She has fair skin, medium length grey hair and is wearing a purple top. She is smiling in the photo.
Linda S. Lee

A native of Hendersonville, North Carolina, Linda S. Lee enrolled at UT in 1968, initially majoring in journalism. After an introductory course in child development, she changed majors and graduated with honors in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in home economics. While at UT, Lee was active in the Clement Hall Residents’ Association, Usher Corps, Phi Mu Fraternity, and Student Government Association.

After graduation, Lee taught in two upstate South Carolina school districts in Comprehensive Child Development Centers. After leaving public school education, Lee directed training programs in South Carolina for parents and childcare providers through the Mobile Child Development Training Program of the South Carolina Appalachian Health Commission, and the Greenville County Library’s Project LITTLE KIDS, which received special recognition from the Southeastern Library Association and the then US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. After earning her master’s in early childhood education from the University of South Carolina, she established an academic child development training program at Greenville Technical College. She then served as Dean of Allied Health Sciences at Greenville Technical College for three years before enrolling at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), where she earned her PhD in Education in 1991.

Her studies at UNC exposed Lee to a new career path for advanced degree educators: medical education. She joined the Duke University School of Medicine faculty as an Education Specialist in 1991 and retired from Duke in 2017 as Associate Professor Emerita of Medical Education. Since 2018, Duke’s Master of Biomedical Sciences program has awarded a graduating student each year with the Dr. Linda S. Lee Professionalism Award.

Lee has promoted student engagement with UT Libraries by providing incoming freshmen from the Research Triangle area of North Caroline with student memberships in the John C. Hodges Society and distributing materials about the libraries to students and their parents at freshman “send-off” parties sponsored by the Triangle UT Alumni Chapter. Lee served on the Advisory Board of the John C. Hodges Society for ten years and was chair from 2019 to 2021. Remotely, she transitioned the board to a virtual working group when on-campus activities were curtailed due to pandemic restrictions. In addition, Lee has provided ongoing gift support to the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences and UT Libraries.

2024 Alumni Promise Winner: Monica Onwuka (’16,’21)

Photo of Monica and Chima Onwuka. They both have dark skin and dark hair. Monica is on the left and wearing a black top. Onwuka is on the right and wearing a black shirt and striped tie. Both are smiling in the photo
Monica Onwuka and Chima Onwuka

Monica grew up in Memphis, Tennessee,  Monica earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and later earned her Master of Science degree in Higher Education Administration.

As a student, Monica was a member of the Minority Mentoring Program where she participated in the Miss Freshman Scholarship Pageant and was crowned Miss Freshman during the spring 2013 semester. Monica dedicated her time to UT, giving campus tours and working admissions events as a student ambassador for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and as a member of the Student Alumni Associates. Upon graduation, Monica started her higher education career with UT, recruiting future Vols as the Houston-based regional admissions counselor for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and went on to serve in the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement in the Haslam College of Business as the coordinator of pre-collegiate programs and outreach. As Associate Director of Academic Success under the office of Student Success, she continues her career with UT Health Science Center, where she has worked in community engagement, academic coaching, recruitment, and student engagement.

As president and vice president of Grind City Cares, husband Chima and Monica serve the greater Memphis community and have worked with a multitude of companies and organizations to provide a wide variety of community services.

2024 Alumni Professional Achievement Award: Sparky Rucker (’71)

Photo of James "Sparky" Rucker playing a guitar on stage. He has dark skin and grey hair. He is wearing a hat and a dark shirt in the photo
James “Sparky” Rucker

James “Sparky” Rucker has been singing songs and telling stories from the American tradition for over 50 years. Internationally recognized as a leading musician, author, storyteller, and historian, he has released 16 music recordings, including a variety of old-time blues, Appalachian music, slave songs, Civil War music, spirituals, work songs, ballads, civil rights music, and originals.

Rucker has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and has also been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, and Morning Edition. His recording, Treasures & Tears, was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award, and his music is also included on the Grammy-nominated anthology, Singing Through the Hard Times. He has played at major folk festivals, including two American Folk Blues Festivals in Europe, the Gurten-Bern International Festival in Switzerland, and the National Folk Festival in Australia. In 2022, he was honored with the Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellowship. As an author, Rucker was included in anthologies such as Breathing the Same Air, More Ready-To-Tell Tales, and The August House Book of Scary Stories. He also contributed entries for the Encyclopedia of Appalachia and co-wrote a chapter for the storytelling book, Team Up! Tell In Tandem!

While growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee, Rucker began playing guitar at age eleven. He graduated from UT with a bachelor’s in art education from the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. He has been involved with the civil rights movement since the 1950s and participated in workshops at the Highlander Center with many prominent people, including Rosa Parks, Myles Horton, and Bernice Reagon. As an activist, he worked with the Poor People’s Campaign and several civil rights organizations. He marched shoulder-to-shoulder with SNCC Freedom Singers Matthew and Marshall Jones and sang at rallies, marches, and sit-ins alongside other folk singers such as Guy Carawan and Pete Seeger. He additionally worked to win recognition and benefits for white Southern Appalachian coal miners as a staff member of the Council of the Southern Mountains in the 1970s.

Filed Under: Alumni, Graduate, Undergraduate

A New Day Dawning

A New Day Dawning

August 3, 2023 by Alyssa Seisser

A New Day Dawning

Two venerated institutions of higher learning—UT and Knoxville College—stand just over a mile apart in downtown Knoxville. As the institutions work together to advance reaccreditation of the historically Black college, a moment to elevate the entire region appears.

by Linda Billman

The partnership offers a rare live case study for doctoral students in the UT Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (ELPS).

“Knoxville College has a very rich legacy in Knoxville. And they are very proud—as they should be—of the history of the students they have served and currently serve and what that future could look like,” says Hope Newbill, one of the students on the accreditation team. “Being able to work on a team of people who all believe in the mission of KC and the power of the education that students can get at KC has been really incredible.”

Key to any higher education institution’s success, academic accreditation enables students to qualify for federal financial aid, transfer to another college, or enter graduate school with the recognized credentials. Obtaining accreditation is the essential first goal in a large-scale plan to revitalize the college, help it become sustainable, and reclaim its place as a center for serving underserved Black youth in the community.

When college representatives reached out last spring to ELPS department head and professor Robert Kelchen and Jimmy and Ileen Cheek Endowed Professor of Higher Education Patrick Biddix, they immediately saw how the partnership could benefit doctoral students and earn them course credit.

“We already had our classes set for summer and fall. And we had to rearrange class schedules to get this to work out,” says Kelchen. “This kind of a hands-on opportunity to learn about how a college works and help a college get back to its former glory is just amazing.”

The college was founded in 1875 to educate freed previously enslaved men and women and has educated hundreds of students of distinction. Building on the work of college administrators, ELPS students spent the summer semester with Kelchen to learn about historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU), the accreditation process, governance, finance, academic affairs, and other aspects of business and higher education.

The fall class was entirely focused on addressing and creating documents to complete the 17 stringent specifications of the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) accreditation application, which is the national institutional accrediting agency for Christian postsecondary institutions, colleges, universities, and seminaries.

“The ELPS students working with KC administrators are creating or updating handbooks, communications plans, mission, vision, and values—materials that go into the operation of the college,” says Biddix, who taught the fall semester.

Knoxville College Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Dasha Lundy welcomes new eyes on the college, which lost its accreditation in 1997. “The paperwork is there, but it has not been updated,” Lundy says. “We’ve been around for 147 years. How do you bring the school into a new space? We have a catalog, and they’re creating a streamline for us. We don’t have that much administrative capacity. I tell them to slash or question it.”

Hope Atkins and her ELPS cohorts are revisiting and reimagining the associate degree curriculum that the college currently offers to ensure the programs are going to serve its students well after accreditation.

“That’s going to help their students once they come for an associate’s degree at KC—there are transfer pathways, there is a way to take it to a four-year program or tech school or some kind of certification—something that’s going to set them up to be successful,” Atkins says.

Serendipitously, the diversity of the ELPS students transformed them into a dream team for the project. Veteran UT faculty and staff and newly minted master’s students from nearby universities brought institutional research, communications expertise, diversity and strategic planning, academic coaching, student services, and other diverse professional and lived experiences. What surprised everyone was the bond of a shared mission.

“It’s been amazing. I consider them family. I was just surprised that they were totally in. All in. This assignment for them—they said they feel like they are serving the community by participating,” says Lundy.

ELPS student LaDawna Williams is using the classes, her work as a senior academic coach at UT, and her perspective as a first-generation college student to look specifically at what support services students need as they navigate coming to college—all to benefit the student experience.

“We’ve also been working on the strategic vision, the faith statement, we’ve worked on the organizational structure. Looking at the job description and making sure everything is correct,” Williams says.

The hands-on opportunity to learn how a college works helps set up the students for their future jobs, according to Kelchen.

“With what these students will be doing professionally, they’ll need to know how accreditation works,” Kelchen says. They may not be the person filling out the documents themselves, but they may be overseeing that person. So, knowing more about all the technical requirements, that’s a really valuable skill set.”

Williams said the experience has helped her learn how to be proactive and strategic in order to stay ahead of the game. “It’s definitely growing me into the profession and the leader that I aspire to be. I want to be the type of person and leader who moves and leads with a purpose who supports and encourages, uplifts, and inspires others to do the same in any type of endeavor they pursue.”

Knoxville College’s path to successful accreditation will go far beyond the fall 2022 semester when the ELPS students, along with college administrators, will have completed the application. The review process could take up to three years. Biddix says he expects future ELPS students will be involved to help the college navigate the process. “UT folks are committed to seeing this all the way through,” he says.

Atkins and Williams recognize the significance of their work to Knoxville College’s future students, to Knoxville, and to East Tennessee’s only HBCU.

“To know that the work we’re doing as the accreditation team lays the foundation for the incredible work that Knoxville College is going to be able to do hopefully for decades to come and to be just a part, a small part of that process, has been really great,” says Newbill.

“I definitely feel like I’ve gotten more than I could ever imagine out of this experience,” says Williams. “Because opportunities like these don’t happen every day; they just don’t. And it’ll be very impactful.”

Filed Under: Graduate

PhD Candidate Researches the Shared Emotional State at Big Ears

PhD Candidate Researches the Shared Emotional State at Big Ears

April 17, 2023 by Alyssa Seisser

PhD Candidate Researches the Shared Emotional State at Big Ears

Music To Their (Big) Ears: Exploring Collective Effervescence and Well-Being at Big Ears Festival

Vanessa Slay, CEHHS student news reporter, Class of 2023

Originally from Memphis, the home of the Blues and birthplace of Rock’n’Roll, third-year PhD candidate Jack Babb grew up as a music lover. He attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for his undergraduate degree in Hospitality, Resort, and Tourism—now Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management (RHTM) in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences—before attending the University of Memphis for his master’s degree.

Jack Babb

Babb recalls his time at the University of Memphis as a music lover when he had the chance to work at the Beale Street Music Festival, the largest music festival in Memphis. That experience allowed him to see the process that is involved in putting on a large festival and cemented the desire to incorporate music into his future research. He jokes that all he cares about are “music and food.”

Now back at UT, Babb is in the process of writing his dissertation on collective effervescence. “Think of it like when you go to a football game at Neyland Stadium,” Babb explains. “Everyone is excited, focusing on the football game, cheering, and booing the other team. [Collective effervescence is] a shared emotional state that people feel when they’re involved in the same event.”

Babb saw the opportunity to examine that same emotional state at the annual Big Ears Festival in downtown Knoxville. “It’s different from other festivals…people are here to learn something, whether that is socially or sonically.” Big Ears’ slogan is “Listen.” Babb interprets that to mean coming into the festival with an open mind and experiencing something that you might not have otherwise gravitated towards. In essence, it is making your ears big.

He used a qualitative study of culture broken into “three arms” of research. The first arm focused on participant observation. Babb took notes on what the participants at Big Ears were experiencing, collected symbols such as wristbands, and gathered his own pictures and videos. The second arm, Participant Produced Images and Videos, required him to coordinate with the staff at Big Ears to recruit attendees whom he would interview about what pictures and videos they believed embodied the idea of collective effervescence. Then the third arm involved another series of interviews in which participants would further explain their experiences in general.

With the Festival just days behind him, Babb is still sorting through his research and preparing it for his dissertation.

Babb is thankful for his faculty at RHTM. “They are unique and diverse in their research interest and expertise. It’s nice to have a wide range of people you can talk to about what you’re interested in; they give me the freedom to research what I want to research.”

Through its eight departments and 12 centers, the UT Knoxville College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences enhances the quality of life for all through research, outreach, and practice. Find out more at cehhs.utk.edu

Filed Under: Graduate

Child and Family Studies Scholars Receive $5,000 Student/Faculty Research Award

Child and Family Studies Scholars Receive $5,000 Student/Faculty Research Award

March 3, 2023 by Alyssa Seisser

Child and Family Studies Scholars Receive $5,000 Student/Faculty Research Award

By Macy Roberts, CEHHS Student Reporter, Class of 2024

As members of the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences’ Child and Family Studies Department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, graduate student Hannah Thompson and assistant professor Lori Caudle were awarded a $5,000 Student/Faculty Research Award for their project entitled, “Social Emotional Learning Trauma-Informed Intervention Preschool Study (TIIPS): A Partnership with Rural Southeastern Teachers.”

Previously, this research was unfunded, so receiving the Student/Faculty Research Award means there is now financial support for main project activities, stipends for partnering teachers and research materials, such as a 360-degree smart camera.

The research-practice-partnership uses a trauma-informed intervention framework to foster children’s social emotional development and prioritize workforce well-being among educators.

The partner school in the study is located in a small mountain town outside of the Qualla Boundary, home of the Eastern Band Cherokee Indians, where Caudle and Thompson work with local educators to collect child-level data through classroom observations, engage in reflective coaching and support educators through professional learning community meetings. They also hope to implement bug-in-ear consultation to support teachers through challenging behaviors in the classroom.

The two CFS representatives will also be working with Cathy Grist, a developmental psychologist specializing in early childhood social emotional interventions, as well as a professor and Birth-Kindergarten program director at Western Carolina University.

Throughout the partnership, Caudle and Thompson aim to identify how their efforts support teacher well-being, trauma-informed practices and classroom-level interventions. They also intend to analyze whether or not the partnership resulted in improved social emotional competencies and behaviors in children.

According to Caudle, there is a widely recognized need for trauma-informed practices in Pre-K education. However, there has been little research conducted that prioritizes trauma-informed professional development for early childhood educators.

“There is a need for intergenerational interventions that include adults with adverse childhood experiences histories to break the cycle of negative outcomes and develop concrete plans that enhance resiliency and promote healing,” Caudle said.

Photo of Lori Caudle, a fair-complexion female with light brown hair and standing in front of a mountain background

Lori Caudle

Caudle recognized the importance of these intervention plans in rural schools in the Appalachian region of the Southeastern U.S., given these communities face higher risk factors and generational trauma due to ongoing social inequities and a lack of upward mobility. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for interventions in these areas particularly.

“An important note about our work is that we are actively supporting the early childhood educators who are supporting the young children in their classrooms,” Thompson said. “This work centers the voice and perspectives of the teachers and uplifts both the lead teacher and teaching assistants in the classroom through reflective coaching practices, responsive relationships and building sustainable trauma-informed skills.”

Student/Faculty Research Awards are open to all disciplines, with award amounts ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.

Caudle and Thompson believe their project was fully funded because the University understood the value of supporting early childhood educators and young children and recognized the direct impact research-practice-partnerships can have on communities.

“Educators’ well-being influences the quality of teacher-child interactions, their ability to build relationships with children and the types of decisions they make when faced with challenging behaviors in the classroom,” Caudle said. “While academic initiatives are valuable, we must continue to advocate for educational programs that consider the social and emotional needs of the whole child and prioritize educator well-being in order to see improvements in child outcomes.”

Caudle has been Thompson’s major advisor for nearly two years, so the two are already quite familiar with each other and look forward to getting to work more closely together on this project.

“Dr. Caudle is a great example and model of what it looks like to be successful as a scholar in our field,” Thompson said. “Dr. Caudle always leads with compassion, a critical perspective of supporting others and is a wonderful mentor.”

Caudle praised her advisee Thompson, saying that she “regularly goes above and beyond the requirements of her graduate research assistantship and coursework.”

“We bring different perspectives and experiences to the project, which lead to rich conversations and critical reflections about next steps,” Caudle said.

Both Caudle and Thompson believe in the importance of community-based research and issues regarding early childhood education at large. The Student/Faculty Research award will allow them to make an impact on the community while collecting crucial data that can be used to advance understandings of teacher and student well-being.

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