Dear Vol Families,

It is hard to believe that another Fall Family Weekend is upon us and we get to welcome you all back to campus to spend time with your student and deepen your connection to Rocky Top. If you aren’t able to join the formal activities of the weekend, then I do hope that you find some opportunity to visit campus for your own family weekend.

My team within the Tennessee Family Experience has created many wonderful resources that can help you and your student have a family weekend whenever the timing is right for you. In my role as Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students, I am fortunate to lead with a talented group of colleagues that spend their days advancing a comprehensive strategy for advocacy, support, and mattering and belonging.

As part of that strategy, the needs of families and anyone that is a supporter of a student is a priority for us. We are partners with you in this process of launching Volunteers into the world that aspire to lead, learn and serve.

Though many of our students and families regularly stay engaged through phone calls, FaceTime or text messages, what is special about a weekend in person with your student is the opportunity to be with them and hear how they are truly doing. It is quite possible that you will receive a variety of responses from them about their experience – the good and the bad.

The bad may make you wonder if UT was the right choice for them – and you. Yet, I would challenge you to pause and consider the following advice from a parent to their student: “Hunt the good stuff even when times are challenging.” We want our students to have a hope-filled approach about their lives at UT.

As Shane Lopez, the late author of “Making Hope Happen,” believed, hope can be an amazing superpower that pushes a person forward to navigate the hard things in belief that the good is present there too. Our priority is helping students form lives marked by thriving, flourishing and resilience in moments of triumph or failure. Let us journey with you and your student through this incredible UT experience.

Over the past two years, UT has adopted the phrase “university on the rise” to capture the energy and momentum of success throughout many domains of our campus experience to include student persistence, research development, competitive excellence and more.

It is a great time to be a Tennessee Vol! In fact, we have designed Fall Family Weekend for you to see all aspects of this thriving experience. Whether it is a campus presentation from a faculty member, a visit to a performance arts venue or an excursion around Knoxville, please enjoy this special time with your student.

As we know, time is fleeting, and before you realize it, you will be back here for your student’s commencement exercises. Until then, please know that we have many faculty, staff, administrators and alumni throughout Rocky Top that are committed to supporting you and your student’s Volunteer Experience.

Be well and Go Vols!

Byron Hughes, Ph.D.

Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students