Cataloging Careers
When she was younger, Krystyne Savarese didn’t see herself in higher education. She wanted to be a librarian.
Savarese, an associate vice provost of student success and the new executive director of the Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration (CCDAE), finds her passion in the community of storytelling. A lifelong reader, Savarese bridged her love for stories with her dedication to college student experiences throughout her career, which brought her to the forefront of The Vol Edge.
The Vol Edge is the long-awaited strategic initiative designed to help students graduate with confidence in themselves, their ambitions, and their stories. The Vol Edge, which debuted in January, will gradually roll out through fall 2027 to empower students to maximize their educational experiences alongside campus partners.
The life career readiness program serves a need for students learning how to connect their classroom experiences, extracurricular interests, and life lessons into anecdotes that resonate with employers.
“Much of the work I was doing in my former role at UT was focused on lifting interventions to support our students’ in-classroom learning,” she says. “As the Vol Edge team and I transition to the CCDAE, we are focused on helping students translate their lives both inside and outside the classroom into a narrative for employers.”
With the goal of ensuring all students have access to co-curricular learning experiences, the first step of the program will introduce students to the skills employers are looking for, how to find experiential learning opportunities, networking, well-being, and personal branding.
“Some of our students are really good at telling their stories but not translating them into language that matters for grad schools or employers. We want to help them understand how to highlight the things that matter or reframe slightly so that they’re articulating information that’s important to the other side.”
Savarese studied English at the University of California, Irvine to become a high school English teacher. She was heavily involved in campus residential life at UC Irvine, and, when she decided teaching wasn’t for her, enrolled in the Master of Arts in College Student Personnel program at Bowling Green State University.
It was there she met her husband, Bernie Savarese, UT System vice president for academic affairs, research, and student success. The two have worked at universities for over twenty years. Before her family’s move to Knoxville, Savarese served as the senior director of residential life at Rutgers University.
“This was what I loved in my undergrad experience and what I wanted to deliver on for other students. I love the learning students do inside the classroom and I think it’s important, yet I think we discover a deal about ourselves outside the classroom as well. I loved being a part of that. There’s a lot of learning and negotiating going on in the residential space.”
Savarese joined the division as a chief strategist and was tasked with developing what would become the Vol Edge. Vice Provost for Student Success Amber Williams says, “Krystyne has consistently turned ideas into tangible resources benefiting students throughout their academic journey. Her collaborative approach, working closely with faculty, colleges, and campus partners, has been instrumental in developing initiatives like The Vol Edge.” Since joining UT, Savarese built a network between Student Success, faculty, colleges, and campus partners to embolden the division’s mission.
A testament to her commitment to furthering student success, Savarese was named to the 2025 HERS Leadership Institute, a transformational leadership development program with a legacy of uplifting higher education leaders. Her attendance at the prestigious institute throughout the spring demonstrates her continuous dedication to inspiring change through her work. Savarese’s professional experience lends itself to a unique outlook on career readiness that’s perfectly positioned to transition to lead the Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration into a new age of workforce development.
“She is a strategic and thoughtful leader, precisely the individual we need to lead the Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration,” remarks Williams. “Because career development is a university-wide responsibility, her ability to effectively partner with faculty and stakeholders is crucial. Her existing relationships and capacity to build new ones make her an ideal choice to lead this office.”
Her interest in student success remains what it was when she first began her career, only now, she’ll engage with students using the strategic insights and connections she’s gathered over time.
Transferring her skill set from residential life to student success was straightforward for Savarese. Before UT, she obtained her doctorate in Higher Education and Student Affairs from The Ohio State University while working in student life and later with policy. Her experience in residential life, student life, and student success creates a holistic perspective on what students want from their universities; right now, that means helping them build foundational skills to achieve their goals after college.
“I like helping people tell their story and I enjoy stories. Now, the job will be helping students figure out their stories for themselves.”
In a way, Savarese’s new position is the librarian of UT students’ narratives. She and her team, with the Vol Edge, will carefully curate directions for students looking to share their stories and learn more about themselves along the way.
The Vol Edge
Rooted in the university’s strategic vision, The Vol Edge is a co-curricular career readiness program designed to help all UT students graduate with confidence. The Vol Edge will engage students in structured learning and transformative experiences with the goal of ensuring every UT student can articulate their strengths to employers and graduate schools. These skills actively assist students of all degree programs, from the humanities to engineering to business to the arts, in building their careers.
Student Success tailors First-Year programming to introduce first-year Vols to the 
notion that they are the authors of their stories. However eager, their confidence may waver as they take harder classes or search for internships and jobs. Students express hesitation or anxiety about their progress, leading them to wonder if they have the capacity to reach their goals.
The first phase of The Vol Edge, a series of online learning interactions, trains students on how to achieve the next step in reaching their goals. The activities offer key insights that’ll guide students’ career exploration from the beginning, cultivating conversations around foundational skills early in their time at UT to aid preparedness for their long-term goals.
For those who don’t know how to get that internship, need concrete experience, or want tips on how to interview well, The Vol Edge will be a guiding cornerstone alongside CCDAE for all the resources available to get ahead as the next phases roll out.
Students are encouraged to undertake a research, internship, global learning, or service-learning experience that will, in turn, influence their narrative. In partnership with the Center for Global Engagement, the Office of Undergraduate Research & Fellowships, the Jones Center for Leadership & Service, and the Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration, this middle stage of the program focuses on ensuring the students who participate in these high-impact practices intentionally engage with them and learn how best to communicate the value of their experience.
The third phase of the program, beginning fall 2027, will allow students to receive real-time feedback from professionals on resumes, interview preparation, and personal statements, as well as a chance to engage with a financial literary activity that’ll boost students’ well-being when transitioning to their post-graduation objectives.
As the flagship university, UT is invested in developing pathways for graduates to stay in Tennessee to begin their next steps. The Vol Edge will contribute to this goal by maintaining the university’s mission to serve everyday citizens of Tennessee by attracting career-driven students to the land-grant.
Recently, the Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration restructured to accommodate The Vol Edge and offer three clear lanes of focus:
- Academic & Career Exploration: Guides students and provides academic advising to students who are choosing or changing majors.
- Career Coaching & Education: Offers coaching and educational opportunities to students wanting assistance with career searching.
- Employer Development: Forms and sustains relationships with employers to foster opportunities for engagement with UT students.
Funneling efforts into these three buckets will allow each team to focus their efforts on clear goals and outcomes for students.
Ultimately, the end goal is to serve students and serve the state. By introducing a life career readiness program, Savarese, along with Student Success, our faculty, and campus partners, hopes to inspire students to continue taking charge of their narratives.
The Vol Edge is a fantastic toolkit for students wanting an encouraging boost of confidence as they begin their career or graduate school searches. Of the job market, Savarese says, “No institution of higher education can control the market or guarantee our students will have the same pipeline of jobs over time.”
“What we wanted to introduce was a program that would allow our students to feel confident and capable in articulating who they are and what they bring to the table. That’s the variable we hope to control to ensure they stand out compared to graduates from other institutions.”
The first phase of The Vol Edge is now available to UT students through their Vol Connect. Learn more about the program at voledge.utk.edu.
