It’s a new academic season on Rocky Top, and we are excited to get started. If you are a new student, welcome to the Big Orange Family. If you are a returning student, welcome back and I hope you are excited for new learning opportunities this year.
As a place to start on campus, my office fully understands the reality of our students attempting to thrive and flourish in all domains of life. My team is enthusiastic about the ways they can assist students through efforts of advocacy, support, mattering and belonging.
From my office window in the Student Union, I often watch our community navigate through the intersection of Volunteer Boulevard and Cumberland Avenue – so many different students walking and intersecting with each other. Even as they all travel together with different destinations in mind, the flow of people continues despite the disruptions of people sometimes getting in each other’s way. For me, it is a symbolic reminder of the potential the UT community offers us, even amid collisions around deep differences.
A new year means new opportunities for us to learn together, live together, lead together and serve together. In doing so, we are likely to encounter the many ways our identities, perspectives, spiritual traditions or worldviews are distinct from each other. The University of Tennessee believes in the critical need for free speech and inquiry. In fact, the standard for our community is that it should be ”a marketplace of ideas for all students and all faculty.”
A place where everyone matters and belongs means that we have to hold space for both agreement and dissent in our community. We do so by valuing the inherent dignity of each person and following the insight of Eboo Patel, who often says, “Living in a diverse democracy means you can disagree on some fundamental things and work together on others.” Life is messy. Life is complicated. There’s no better place than Rocky Top to figure this out … together.
When disagreements don’t go well, you can start with us in the Office of the Dean of Students. We can be a sounding board, point you in the right direction and journey with you through your concerns. Our approach is not to guarantee a particular outcome but to offer care-centered support while preserving the marketplace of ideas that enriches the diversity and access of our modern land-grant university.
There is no one type of student, but my hope is you find community and friends easily and readily. We find differences occur in not only who is represented in our community but also the experiences they bring which create a stronger UT. Whether you are a first-generation student, someone who wants to learn more about different beliefs and worldviews or a student who wants to dive deeper into your own identity, we understand that our mission as a land-grant university compels us to help you find common ground amongst our collective diversity.
Our community and Volunteer spirit are what make us unique and special. Amazing and inspiring individuals like each of you help us succeed. Let’s have a tremendous year on Rocky Top!
Be well – Go Vols!
