The University of Tennessee Knoxville’s (UT) strategic vision, “It Takes a Volunteer,” focuses on conducting high-quality research to make life and lives better, and embodying the modern R1, land-grant university by extending the university’s ability to connect to the community. The College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences’ (CEHHS) strategic vision includes a goal of engaging in and producing high-impact research and scholarship, with a focus on scholarship quality.
To accomplish this, CEHHS has three exciting cluster initiatives. The first initiative, developed by the Provost and the Vice Chancellor for Research, focuses on a campus-wide cluster that will develop national recognition in food and nutrition security. Another initiative, developed by CEHHS, is a cluster hire designed to strengthen CEHHS’ ability to address health inequities in Tennessee through interdisciplinary collaboration. This cluster will partner with Cherokee Health Systems (CHS), a federally qualified health center, to target the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases in populations who are low-resourced, to enhance health equity. A final initiative, developed by CEHHS, is a cluster hire in educational data science and artificial intelligence (AI) in education. The goal of this cluster hire is to create interdisciplinary education and research programs that can respond to the potential impacts of data science and AI in education.
Food and Nutrition Security Cluster
UT has identified food and nutrition security as a strategic priority and aims to develop a national reputation in this area using a food systems perspective. To achieve this national reputation, UT is investing close to $7 million in a cluster hire. A new position in the department of Nutrition or Public Health, along with a new position in the Department of Agricultural and Research Economics, which is based in the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA), will provide foundational leadership and jointly lead the cluster hire of six faculty in the home units of Nutrition; Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management; Nursing; Agricultural and Resource Economics; Food Science; and University of Tennessee Extension – Family and Consumer Sciences.
Faculty hired as part of this cluster will work collaboratively across the UT and UTIA campuses, using a team science approach, to build a strategic plan that emphasizes creating an interdisciplinary, translational human health and wellness identity at UT and UTIA in food and nutrition security. This strategic plan will include a focus on interdisciplinary academic programming and scholarship. Within the area of scholarship, this cluster hire will help lead the university in building an equitable and inclusive research enterprise that supports a diverse and inclusive workforce, community-engaged scholarship, and research that enhances population representativeness.
Health Equity Cluster
CEHHS has developed a health vision for the college focused on Healthy Living and Well-Being. These two constructs, healthy living and well-being, are promoted by the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These constructs focus on positive behavioral, emotional, physical, relational, and social aspects of health, providing a comprehensive model of health. As such, developmental, behavioral, and social factors are emphasized within a framework of health promotion and focus on addressing areas of disparity and inequity in health.
The theme, Healthy Living and Well-Being, is supported by four subthemes, Emotional and Behavioral Health, Relational Health, Nutrition and Health, and Physical Activity and Health (see Figure).
Main theme and subthemes of Vision of Health for CEHHS at UT
For this cluster, three new positions have been developed in the college in the departments of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies; Nutrition; and Public Health. This cluster is designed to strengthen CEHHS’ ability to address health inequities in Tennessee through interdisciplinary collaboration. This cluster will partner with CHS, a federal qualified health center, to target the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases in populations who are low-resourced, to enhance health equity. It is anticipated that collaboration may occur between this cluster and the Food and Nutrition Security cluster.
Educational Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in Education Cluster
UT has identified data science and artificial intelligence (AI) as a strategic priority. In support of these efforts, CEHHS developed this cluster to expand its research and course offerings in these critical areas. This cluster area aims to establish UT as a leader in the use of educational data science and AI in education, leveraging its existing expertise in educational research and data science while also recruiting new talent. To achieve this goal, three new faculty positions will be added to the college, which will expand the current quantitative methods and educational data science courses as well as create new graduate programs and certificates.
These new programs have the potential to transform how teaching, learning, and educational systems work, and the faculty hired as part of this initiative will play a significant role in shaping these programs. These faculty will offer technical and other courses relevant to students interested in the social, cultural, and psychological dimensions of AI and data science in education. Through these programs, CEHHS will support the efforts of the College of Continuing and Emerging Studies and the AI Tennessee Initiative.