The University of Tennessee at Martin Faculty and Staff Newsletter | June 3, 2019

addendaUsrey reminds crowd to remember the stories of

fallen heroes

Col. Jack Usrey, United States Army, served as speaker May 24 during UT Martin’s annual Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony on the main campus. Usrey graduated from UT Martin in 1991 and has served in the military for more than 30 years. He reminded those in attendance to think not only of the importance of Memorial Day throughout history but also of the individual stories of heroes who have given their lives for our country.

“During my 12-month deployment in Afghanistan in 2011, we lost 144 heroes,” he said. “I think about them almost daily, and the others we have lost

MEMORIAL DAY – Col. Jack Usrey (U.S. Army) speaks May 24 during the University of Tennessee at Martin’s annual Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony.

in other operations I have been on. I will never forget them, and I will never forget their stories because the stories are what is important.”

Usrey then painted the picture of a scene not often witnessed by civilians – a battlefield memorial service.

“We conduct a memorial service for every hero we send home, no matter what. No one leaves our theater of combat without being recognized,” he said. “A large formation stands as a Humvee moves slowly toward the back of an airplane that has its gate down. … Everything we do is intentional and precise because of the mission that we

have at that moment. When the Humvee stops, pallbearers from that unit where the hero fought slowly pull the flag-draped coffin off the back of the Humvee, and they turn toward the plane. Staged in front of the coffin are the fallen hero’s leadership. We bring them in by helicopter. Nothing is more important than a proper farewell.

“There’s an honor guard holding the American colors, and on that staff there are 190 battle streamers, one for all of the major conflicts recognized by our military. … It is hard to handle, even on a good day,” Usrey continued. “(The pallbearers) start marching

toward the plane, and as they approach it, ... the honor guard with the colors take a 90 degree turn to the right … so that as the hero comes by we can lower the colors and give our last pledge of respect to the man or woman we are sending home.

“During one particular ceremony, we were hit by a wind storm on the airfield. The soldier that was carrying the colors was struggling as he was walking in front of the hero’s coffin. … Without a single command, two soldiers broke away from our formation and ran toward their brother and stood behind him, and they leaned in so that the colors were where they needed to be when our hero came by,” Usrey said. This picture of determination to show honor and respect for a fallen hero is one Usrey says will never leave his mind and will always remind him of the importance of each and every hero’s story.

“Stories are what keep us who we are. We have to always remember, and we have to keep telling their stories, and we can never forget their names,” he concluded.

The annual ceremony was followed by the installation of a battlefield cross in the garden outside the Paul Meek Library and the official reopening of the UT Martin Veterans Lounge in its new location inside Gooch Hall.

Find the full story online in the UT Martin news archive.

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Dr. Charley Deal, executive director of the Office of Research, Outreach and Economic Development, addressed members of the Obion County Chamber of Commerce on May 21 during the chamber’s monthly business event. His presentation, titled “Building a Foundation for a Strong Community,” included a team-building exercise and discussion of the importance of utilizing and supporting UT Martin across the region.

Johnny Dyer, veterans’ service coordinator, was the featured speaker during a May 27 Memorial Day program at Discovery Park of America in Union City. The program included the recognition of all Obion County veterans who have died since the last Memorial Day by name and a special bell-ringing ceremony.

Dr. Mark McCloud, director of the Office of Career Planning and Development, is quoted in an article from Forbes magazine addressing the steps colleges are taking to prepare students for the real world. McCloud mentions UT Martin’s Career Exploration Week as well as the Captain’s Closet project. That article can be found here.

Alissa Parrish, assistant professor of nursing, and Nicole Blackburn, lecturer of nursing, recently returned from England, Scotland and Wales after leading a 10-day travel study group of 27 nursing students. This is the largest nursing travel-study hosted by the Department of Nursing to date and introduced students to historical and global topics in nursing. Students also examined many historical and cultural sites in Great Britain in light of the current health-care culture in that country. (left) The group is pictured near Stonehenge English Heritage Site in Wiltshire, England.

UT Martin Honors Programs are hosting a summer colloquium Aug. 5-9 for faculty and staff across all academic disciplines. Participants will read and discuss Dante’s “The Divine Comedy” as well as a selection of shorter works by authors who have been influenced by Dante’s work. No experience in this academic area is required, and members of all departments are encouraged to participate and share their point of view. Childcare is available for this week. Participants who need childcare should contact honors@utm.edu to make arrangements. Those interested should email the same address to indicate intent to participate, and reading materials will be distributed no later than July 1.

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YoUTMs highlighting the excellence of our faculty and staff

Newly appointed assessment coordinators from each academic department attended an assessment bootcamp May 17 or May 20 in the Champion’s Club of Hardy Graham Stadium. Coordinators were introduced to new resources and tools, the implementation of those tools and data generation requirements. Participants created outcomes for 41 different programs consisting of more than 1,000 individual, measurable student learning objectives. Assessment coordinators are now tasked with implementing these objectives throughout their departments. Follow-up activities will be offered during the fall semester.

BOOTCAMP GROUP ONE – (front row, l-r) Amy McLean, Dr. Carol Eckert, Dr. Christy Blount, Dr. Bonnie Daniel, Dr. Deb Gibson, Dr. Donna Massey, Patty Flowers, (back row) Dr. Daniel Nappo, Dr. Kent Kelso, Dr. Clint Ary, Dr. Jennifer Esbenshade, Dr. David Carithers, Cheri Wolfe, Dr. Adam Wilson, Dr. Will Bird and Dr. Lan DePriest. Not pictured: Dr. Wes Totten

BOOTCAMP GROUP TWO – (front row, l-r) Dr. Joey Mehlhorn, Dr. Teresa Collard, Dr. Bonnie Daniel, Dr. Lisa LeBleu, Dr. Amy Yeung, Amanda Waldon, Erica Carroll, Matthew Chesnut, Patty Flowers, (back row) Chris Brown, Dr. Philip Smartt, Dr. Joseph Ostenson, Dr. Clinton Smith, Cheri Wolfe, Dr. Eric Pelren, Dr. Brian Waggoner and Dr. Jason Roberts

In Memory

Hortense Parrish, assistant professor emeritus of English, died May 27 at the age of 102. She attended UT Martin Branch before finishing her degree at UT Knoxville. She later taught freshman English classes at UT Martin until her retirement in 1980. The Hortense Parrish Writing Center is named in her honor. Click here for more.

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The University of Tennessee System will expand its statewide mural campaign to West Tennessee during the week of June 3-7 with the creation of a mural displaying the “Everywhere you look, UT” message on a grain bin owned by Robinson & Belew Inc. in Sharon. Robinson & Belew Inc. is a family-run business founded in 1950 that ships corn, soybeans and wheat to end-users around the world.

The late Bob Robinson established a small business near the railroad tracks in Sharon

UT to locate mural in Sharonduring the first half of the 20th century. He initially sold strawberries and coal and used the railroad to ship sweet potato slips throughout the United States. In 1950, he purchased the Sharon Feed Mill with his partner and brother-in-law, A.L. Belew, and Robinson & Belew Inc. was born. Robinson’s son, Robert Dean “R.D.” Robinson, earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from UT Martin in 1961 and came home to expand the business even further.

The Robinson family boasts three generations of UT Martin

ties beginning with R.D. and including his sister, Betty Robinson Eddings (’72); his wife, Dianne Palmer Robinson (‘71); daughter, Linda Robinson Fowler (‘85), and her husband, Keith (’85); and two of the Fowler’s three children: Chris in 2012 and Rachel in 2015. Their youngest child, Emily, attends Union University in Jackson. R.D. and Dianne Robinson recently established the R.D. and Dianne Robinson Agriculture Scholarship for students attending UT Martin.

Keith Fowler currently serves

as president and runs the day-to-day business operations on behalf of his father-in-law, whose health has declined.

The mural at Robinson & Belew Inc. is the second installment of the UT System’s statewide marketing campaign. In March 2018, the first mural was painted on a water tower atop Knox Rail Salvage in the heart of downtown Knoxville, a property owned by UT System Interim President Randy Boyd.

Four UT Martin degree programs have been ranked among the top 20 programs in the nation for their respective fields in recent publications.

The online Master of Business Administration degree is ranked fifth in the country by OnlineCourseReport.com in the site’s recent list of “the best 50 online MBA programs.” This ranking considers U.S. News & World Report standings as well as hourly tuition rates, available specializations within the degree program, online flexibility, and both regional and AACSB accreditation status.

AffordableSchools.net ranks the UT Martin MBA program eighth among their top 25 most affordable master’s degrees in the country, considering average cost of attendance and college ranking. UT Martin is the top-ranked Tennessee school on both these websites.

UT Martin’s online master’s

Four UT Martin programs rank top-20 nationallydegree in education with a major in school counseling places 18th among the top 30 programs of this type nationwide, according to TopCounselingSchools.org. This ranking considers factors such as graduate tuition rates, student-to-faculty ratio, accreditation, support services and internship or practicum opportunities. UT Martin is the second Tennessee school on this list, with the University of Memphis ranked in 11th place.

The same program ranks 20th among the “best online master’s in school counseling programs” according to BestColleges.com, which considers tuition rates and student debt information, admission and retention rates, and the results of a national institution survey circulated in summer 2018.

UT Martin is number one among the “best-ranked nursing programs in Tennessee” for 2019 by RNCareers.org. The program

currently has a 100 percent pass rate for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses.

The undergraduate graphic design program, housed within the UT Martin College of Humanities and Fine Arts, is ranked sixth among the “top 10 design school programs in Tennessee” for 2019.

UT Martin is the highest ranked West Tennessee institution on this list, with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, taking first place. This ranking, published by A n i m a t i o n C a re e r Re v i e w.com, considers criteria such as academic reputation, admission selectivity, value (as it relates to tuition and student loan statistics), and the depth and breadth of the program. More than 720 schools were considered.

New Skyhawk ID card designs are

here! If you would like a new card, you

can have one printed in the Bursar’s Office

for $5. Charge is payable by Skyhawk

Card only.

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PRESIDENTIAL VISITS – UT System Interim President Randy Boyd visited all five of the UT Martin centers during a West Tennessee tour May 23. Pictured in front of the UT Martin McNairy County Center/Selmer are (l-r) Alan Youngerman, center director; Erica Bell, UT Martin central office director; Boyd; Ricky Mathenia, chairman of the McNairy County Higher Education Committee and a McNairy County agricultural extension agent; and Chancellor Keith Carver.

UT Martin will host robotics camps for elementary school students at both the UT Martin Parsons and Somerville centers this summer. The registration fee for all camp dates is $155 per child and includes a camp T-shirt.

WeDo Camp is designed for rising first and second-grade students. Camp participants will design, build and control motorized robots using simple programming to complete a variety of team challenges. The UT Martin Somerville Center will host this camp from from 9-11 a.m. on either June 17-21 or June 24-28. The Parsons Center

Summer robotics camps planned for elementary school students

will host the same camp from 9-11 a.m., July 8-12.

NXT Camp is intended for rising third through sixth-grade students and will meet from 1-4 p.m. on either June 17-21 or June 24-28 at the Somerville Center and on July 8-12 at the Parsons Center. Older students attending NXT Camp will use LEGA Mindstorms NXT Software to create more complex control systems, complete challenges and brainstorm engineering solutions.

Students only attend one week of camp. Online registration is available at utm.edu/robotics.

UT Transparency InitiativeUT Interim President Randy Boyd’s UT Transparency Initiative seeks to make commonly-requested information available to the public for all UT campuses. This information, including entries for UT Martin, can be found at tennessee.edu/transparency.

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addendaPublished weekly during the academic year and biweekly during the summer by UT Martin, Martin, TN 38238

Randy Boyd – Interim President, University of Tennessee System • Dr. Keith Carver Jr. – Chancellor • Erin Chesnut – Addenda Editor UT Martin is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA employer. E05-0425-00-001-19

•June 3 – Summer 1 begins•June 3 – Maymester grades due•June 3-7 – Kid College in Somerville; 8:15-11:50 a.m. daily•June 7 – SOAR session; Boling University Center; 8:30 a.m.•June 7 – Last day to order hardware and supplies from the

June CalendarComputer Store for fiscal year 2019•June 9-15 – Rodeo competes in 71st annual College National Finals Rodeo; Casper, Wyoming•June 10-14 – Kid College on main campus; 9 a.m.-3 p.m. daily•June 18 – Transfer and Adult Orientation session; Boling

You Tell Me

•Question – My office is moving into a new space and I need the UT Martin Physical Plant to assist me. What do I need to do?

•Answer – Contact the Physical Plant Office at 881-7640 to submit a work order. Please consider the following:

•Submit your work order with no less than 10 business days’ notice before a move is expected to be carried out.•Provide the full name and contact information for at least one individual who can give detailed information regarding all components of the office move, including what pieces need to be moved, the orientation of all components of the office and any other information that may be needed. Let the Physical Plant know what specific times this individual can most easily be contacted. •Individually label and securely fasten all items to be moved. Identify to which room in which building they should be moved. •If you disassemble any part of the desk, please include all hardware in a Ziploc bag and indicate where the hardware is.In your work order request, please be specific about all items that will need to be moved. It is also critical to identify what furniture must be moved out of the office to accommodate the move.•Wanda Griffin and Keith Lawrence from surplus will handle any furniture that needs to be surplused. Contact them prior to the move to ensure surplused items are out of the way before the move begins.

Submit your questions anonymously to the Suggestion Box link at www.utm.edu/suggestionbox.

University Center; 9 a.m.•June 20 – Skyhawk Club Golf Tournament; Persimmon Hills Golf Course in Sharon; 11 a.m.•June 21 – SOAR session; Boling University Center; 8:30 a.m.•June 21 – Last day to purchase in-stock items from the Computer Store for fiscal year 2019

•June 24-28 – Computer Store closed for year-end inventory•June 24-27 – Kid College in Parsons; 8:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. daily•June 24-28 – Kid College in Selmer; 8:30-11:45 a.m. daily•July 4 – Offices closed, no classes for holiday•July 5 – Summer 1 classes end

UT Martin Writing Center open for summer terms

The Hortense-Parrish Writing Center is open to assist students and faculty during the summer terms. The center now has two locations: room 209 of the Andy Holt Humanities Building, and room 150 in the Paul Meek Library.

The main location in the Humanities Building is open from noon-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, until Aug. 9. The library location is open from 6-9 p.m., Monday through Friday, also until Aug. 9.

Live online sessions are also available during the summer via the Zoom! video conference application. Those wishing to schedule a Zoom! conference can email owl@utm.edu to make those arrangements.

The UT Martin writing center offers a full range of services, including brainstorming sessions, discussion of drafts and revisions, citation assistance in a variety of formats, grammar tutorials and more.

To contact the center, call 731-881-7277 or email owl@utm.edu. The center is managed through the Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts.

Open enrollment period active for sick leave

bankThe UT Martin sick leave bank

is now accepting applications for new members through June 30. This is the only period when employees can join the bank, and membership is effective July 1.

Regular employees who are eligible to accrue sick leave can apply to join the sick leave bank. Those who apply to join the bank must have at least 48 hours of accrued sick leave as of June 30. When membership is approved, a three-day enrollment assessment (24 hours) will be deducted from the individual’s sick leave balance. This transfer is non-refundable.

The purpose of the sick leave bank is to provide emergency sick leave to member employees who suffer an unplanned personal illness, injury or quarantine and have exhausted their compensatory, personal, sick and annual leave balances. The sick leave bank does not provide additional leave time for childbirth, elective surgery or to care for a family member.

Contact Bill Brundige at 881-7850 or wrbrundi@utm.edu for more information or for an application to join the bank.