The Office of the Provost at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, invites inquiries, nominations, and applications for the Volunteer Experience Faculty Fellows program within the Division of Student Success. The faculty fellows will play a pivotal role in the implementation of the Volunteer Experience in academic departments.
Central to UT’s Strategic Vision, the Volunteer Experience is a comprehensive, university-wide approach to promoting student well-being in all aspects of a student scholar’s experience. The Volunteer Experience Faculty Fellows program will be comprised of faculty interested in learning about well-being pedagogy and promoting well-being constructs amongst the faculty in their respective departments. The Division of Student Success will continue to partner with Teaching and Learning Innovation (TLI) to promote best practices in undergraduate instruction using a well-being framework.
Dr. Sally B Hunter, a clinical faculty member in the Department of Child and Family Studies, serves as the Volunteer Experience Faculty Director. Dr. Hunter will provide leadership to the cohort of fellows, who will be selected from a variety of colleges, and will partner with each fellow to determine appropriate well-being centered interventions and resources unique to their department’s needs and pedagogy.
Tenure or non-tenure track faculty member at University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Preference will be given to candidates with experience in one or more of the following areas. Candidates do not need to meet all criteria:
- Faculty who express a demonstrated interest in instructional practices that support student well-being
- Faculty who teach courses at least once per academic year
- Faculty who have experience teaching in multiple modalities (in-person, virtual, hybrid)
Each Faculty Fellow will receive a total stipend of $5,000.
- $2,500 at the end of the fall 2024 term, upon completion of asynchronous, online training modules, attendance at a half-day retreat in August, and three monthly meetings
- $2,500 at the end of the spring 2025 term, upon completion of a January half-day retreat, three monthly meetings, and dissemination of well-being content to their academic unit and/or campus-wide partners
- Fellows will engage in training provided in partnership with Teaching and Learning Innovation, including:
- Independent completion of the Fostering the Volunteer Experience certificate– an asynchronous, self-paced introduction to well-being frameworks such as PERMA
- One half-day workshop expanding on concepts in the certificate and extending them into field-specific classroom examples. (Anticipated to occur in mid-August.)
- Fellows will partner with the faculty director to develop a dissemination plan appropriate for their department or college, including activities such as:
- Workshops (One-two hour facilitated experiences for leadership teams or groups of faculty)
- Individual consultations (Meeting with a colleague, or a small group of colleagues, to discuss a specific issue or curriculum design at the request of those faculty members)
- Facilitated discussions (Guiding departments or leadership teams in developing policies or strategic plans to improve student well-being)
- Fellows will contribute to the process of resource creation and dissemination
- Designing resources for classroom interventions or course re-design
- Guidance for developing policies and practices focused on student well-being
- Contributing to an ongoing repository of references that may include books, articles, executive summaries, university policies, example programs or policies from other universities
- Designing resources for classroom interventions or course re-design
Application Materials: Open February 5-29, 2024
Applications should be submitted via the online form by February 29, 2024, and will include:
- Statement of interest in serving in the Volunteer Experience Faculty Fellows program
- Current CV
- Signed applicant-supervisor agreement
Questions about the program or responsibilities of the Volunteer Experience Faculty Fellow role can be directed to Dr. Sally B Hunter at sbhunter@utk.edu.