UTIA-UTK Unification Process
On June 21, 2019, the UT Board of Trustees approved the re-unification of the UT Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) with UT Knoxville to elevate the impact and reputation of UTIA and UT Knoxville in relation to other leading and globally competitive research institutions.
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Team | Working Groups | Committee Report | Brainstorming Sessions | FAQs
UTIA-UTK Land-grant Unification Team
UT System
- Linda Martin, Vice President, Academic Affairs and Student Success (team lead)
- Carey Whitworth, Assistant Vice President, Government Relations
UT Institute of Agriculture
- Keith Barber, Vice Chancellor, Institutional Advancement
- Dave Fugate, Eastern Region Advisory Council member
- Andrea Ludwig, Associate Professor, Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science
- Bonnie Ownley, Professor/Graduate Director, Soilborne Plant Pathology and Biological Control
- Elizabeth Strand, Director, Veterinary Social Work
- Ty Wolaver, Student, Food and Agricultural Business
- Hongwei Xin. Dean, UT AgResearch
UT Knoxville
- Misty Anderson, Professor, English
- Paul Armsworth, Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Chris Cox, Department Head, Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Shea Kidd Houz, Dean of Students
- John Zomchick, Vice Provost. Faculty Affairs
Documents & Messaging
Next Steps in UTIA–UTK Reunification, message from Tim Cross and Donde Plowman
December 12, 2019
Memorandum – Re: Response to UTIA-UTK Reunification Committee Report (PDF)
November 4, 2019
UTIA – UTK Reunification: 2019 Committee Report (PDF)
October 2019
What is a land-grant university?
Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities (APLU) website
Brainstorming sessions for faculty, staff, students, alumni, and other stakeholders
August – September 2019
UTIA-UTK Land-grant Unification Team Announced (Joint letter from Randy Boyd, Tim Cross and Donde Plowman)
July 3, 2019
Letter from Tim Cross to UTIA Alumni and Friends
June 27, 2019
Partnership Progress (Letter from Tim Cross to UTIA Faculty and Staff)
June 26, 2019
Letter from Tim Cross to UTIA Faculty and Staff
June 21, 2019
Full Board of Trustees resolution (PDF)
June 21, 2019
National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) Memo (PDF)
June 21, 2019
NCHEMS Report Summary (PDF)
June 21, 2019
Guiding Principles Document (PDF)
June 21, 2019
Letter from Tim Cross to UTIA Faculty and Staff
June 14, 2019
Letter from President Boyd to UTIA/UTK community
June 14, 2019
Working Groups
To sustain the positive momentum created by the UTIA–UTK Reunification Committee 2019 report, Senior Vice Chancellor/Senior Vice President Tim Cross and Chancellor Donde Plowman committed to establish working groups composed of faculty, staff, students, and administrators, focused on five broad areas—student services, research, academic affairs and shared governance, communications and marketing, and finance and administrative processes. The goal for these groups is to consider and prioritize the opportunities and ideas identified in the report, generate other opportunities and ideas to enhance collaboration between UT Knoxville and UTIA, and solve problems that may arise as reunification efforts move forward. Upon completion of the tasks assigned to these working groups, Chancellor Plowman and SVC/SVP Cross will create a document reflecting their shared understanding of collaborative structures and processes going forward.
I. Student Services Working Group
A. Members
- Frank Cuevas, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Life (co-chair)
- John Stier, Associate Dean, Herbert College of Agriculture (co-chair)
- Kari Alldredge, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management
- Brian Browning, Executive Director of Auxiliary and Support Services
- Deb Haines, College of Veterinary Medicine Administration
- Justin Cross, student
- Amadou Sall, Lecturer, Africana Studies
- Lannett Edwards, Professor and Graduate Director, Animal Science
- Samantha Ward, Manager, Pendergrass Library
- Mary Mahoney, Assistant Director, Center for Career Development
B. Charge
- To identify the top five opportunities or ideas relating to enhancing student services for UTIA students, whether they are identified in the report or generated by the working group, and to recommend specific actions that need to occur to take advantage of those opportunities or ideas
- To recommend ways in which UT Knoxville can gather feedback on student services provided on the UTIA campus
- To recommend ways to increase collaboration between students who spend most of their time on the UTIA campus and students who spend most of their time on the Knoxville campus
- To recommend solutions to problems related to student services that may be referred to the working group as reunification efforts move forward in 2020
C. Timeline
The working group should report to Chancellor Plowman and SVC/SVP Cross on items 1 through 3 of the charge by March 16, 2020
II. Research Working Group
A. Members
- David White, Associate Dean, AgResearch (co-chair)
- Kimberly Eck, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research Development (co-chair)
- Holly Raynor, Interim Assistant Dean for Research, College of Education, Health and Human Sciences
- Stephen Kania, Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine
- Kevin Hoyt, Director, Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center
- Jane Burns, Interim Director and Compliance Officer, AgResearch
- Dave Ader, Research Assistant Professor, Smith Center
- Torre Olson, Associate Professor of History
- David Harper, Professor, Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries
- Dan Simberloff, Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Ashley Draper, student
- Neal Schrick, Department Head, Animal Science
B. Charge
- To identify the top five opportunities or ideas relating to enhancing research collaboration between UTIA and UT Knoxville faculty, whether they are identified in the report or generated by the working group, and to recommend specific changes that need to occur to take advantage of those opportunities or ideas
- To identify ways and specific changes that need to occur for UTIA and UT Knoxville to work together more seamlessly in research development, research administration, research compliance, and faculty research support
- To help solve problems relating to research that may be referred to the working group as reunification efforts move forward in 2020
C. Timeline
The working group should report to Chancellor Plowman and SVC/SVP Cross on items 1 and 2 of the charge by March 16, 2020.
III. Academic Affairs and Shared Governance Working Group
A. Members
- Caula Beyl, Dean, Herbert College of Agriculture (co-chair)
- John Zomchick, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs (co-chair)
- R.J. Hinde, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
- Bonnie Ownley, Professor, Entomology and Plant Pathology
- Chris Cox, Department Head, Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Alison Buchan, Professor, Microbiology
- Carole Meyers, Professor, Nursing
- Peter Fernandez, Associate Professor, Pendergrass Library
- Ann Berry, Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences
- Bob Trigiano, Professor, Entomology and Plant Pathology
- Olivia Yates, Student
B. Charge
- To identify the top five opportunities or ideas to enable UTIA and UT Knoxville to work together more seamlessly in academic affairs and shared governance, including increasing collaboration between UTIA and UT Knoxville faculty in teaching and shared governance, whether those opportunities are identified in the report or generated by the working group, and to recommend specific changes that need to occur to take advantage of those opportunities or ideas
- To recommend ways to enhance curricular opportunities at UT Knoxville relating to agriculture
- To help solve problems relating to academic affairs and shared governance that may be referred to the working group as reunification efforts move forward in 2020
C. Timeline
The working group should report to Chancellor Plowman and SVC/SVP Cross on items 1 through 3 of the charge by March 16, 2010.
IV. Communications and Marketing Working Group
A. Members
- Tisha Benton, Vice Chancellor for Communications and Marketing (co-chair)
- Lisa Stearns, Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communications (co-chair)
- Ahmon Watkins, student
- Tyra Haag, News and Information Director, Office of Communications and Marketing
- Christie Kennedy, Communications Director, Tickle College of Engineering
- Nancy Rucker, Extension
- Toni Wang, Professor, Food Science
- Jamie Greig, Assistant Professor, Agricultural Communications
- Lauren Vath, Communications Director, UTIA Advancement
- April Massengill, UTIA Marketing and Communications
B. Charge
- To identify the top five opportunities or ideas to enable UTIA and UT Knoxville to collaborate and work together more closely in communications and marketing, whether they are identified in the report or generated by the working group, and to recommend specific actions that may need to occur to take advantage of those opportunities or ideas
- To enhance and unify communications and marketing relating to research, outreach, and the land-grant mission
- To recommend how to communicate the reunification of UTIA and UT Knoxville clearly, effectively, and transparently
- To recommend how to educate UT Knoxville stakeholders about UTIA and vice versa
- To help solve problems relating to communications and marketing that may arise as reunification efforts move forward in 2020
C. Timeline
The working group should report to Chancellor Plowman and SVC/SVP Cross on items 1 through 4 of the charge by March 16, 2020.
V. Finance and Administrative Processes Working Group
A. Members
- Chris Cimino, Senior Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration (co-chair)
- Tim Fawver, Chief Business Officer (co-chair)
- Tom Looney, Director, UTIA Advancement
- Chip Bryant, Vice Chancellor for Advancement, UT Knoxville
- Kim McCullock, Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration
- Tonya Kenley, Budget Director, College of Veterinary Medicine
- Mary Lucal, Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources
- Justin Rhinehart, Associate Professor, Animal Science
- Audris Mockus, Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
- Paitlyn Webb, student
- Amy Stover, Budget Director, Herbert College of Agriculture
- Angela Gibson, Chief Information Officer, UTIA
B. Charge
- To identify the top 10 opportunities or ideas to enable UTIA and UT Knoxville to collaborate and work together more seamlessly in finance and administrative processes (e.g., human resources, training, information technology and security, and development), whether they are identified in the report or generated by the working group, and to recommend structural, process, policy, or reporting changes that may need to occur to take advantage of those opportunities or ideas
- To continue to develop short and long term solutions to parking and transportation issues relating to the UTIA campus
- To solve problems relating to finance and administrative processes that may arise as reunification efforts move forward in 2020
C. Timeline
The working group should report to Chancellor Plowman and SVC/SVP Cross on items 1 and 2 of the charge by March 16, 2020.
Committee Report
Over the past few months, the UTIA-UTK Land-grant Reunification Team traveled the state to engage stakeholders in identifying opportunities for stronger collaborations to fully leverage the university’s statewide presence. The team hosted 39 listening sessions with participants including:
- UTIA and UTK faculty, staff and students
- UTIA retirees
- producers
- agribusiness representatives
- commodity group leaders and members
- Master Gardeners
- alumni
- donors
- 4-H volunteers
- local business owners
- elected officials
- community members
The team distributed a survey to more than 5,000 individuals. This report summarizes their findings.
Related Document:
Brainstorming Sessions
Community Forums
(There was an audio problem at the very beginning of the event that caused the first 2-3 minutes to not be recorded.)
Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019
Hollingsworth Auditorium
Knoxville, TN
Webcast Chat Transcript
10:16:58 From Becky Campbell: Love the idea of saving families!
10:32:19 From Keith Barber: can the video shift so those on computers see the speaker (not just the president, chancellor and SVP)?
10:37:18 From Keith Barber: thank you for shifting the camera!
10:37:25 From Mike Stanley: Thanks for the wider shot.
10:41:35 From aliross: Does anyone on here have any questions you would like for me to relay to the room?
10:46:00 From Keith Barber: From the UTIA Retirees Association:
10:46:42 From Becky Campbell: Are there any plans or views on how this will impact the organizational structure for three extension regions and the county extension offices?
10:46:52 From Keith Barber: 1) Why UTIA and not include teh Space Institute and athe UTHSC in this new structure? If it will help our rankings?
10:48:30 From Keith Barber: 2) Overhead for UTK is a higher percentage taken as opposed to the UTIA grant process. Will UTIA grant overhead dollars be diminished and/or cannibalized?
10:48:59 From aliross: Thank you. We see the questions from Becky and UTIA Retiree Association and they will be asked to the group.
10:49:28 From Keith Barber: 3) How will we (UTIA) maintain our identity in the future? I.E., will the Department of Plant Sciences remain as such?
10:54:05 From Keith Barber: 4) UTIA has a strategic plan. One of the goals of this plan is to take UTIA back to the staffing levels we had prior to the recession a decade ago. Resources are limited and if there are not resources to meet the basic land-grant mission, how can current programs be expanded and new programs be added?
11:14:09 From Keith Barber: Thank you for answering our UTIA Retirees’ questions. Interestingly, Interim President Boyd’s comments to John Steir’s question is contradictary to how he responded to our question about including UTHSC to help our rankings. The comment in question is in reference to the Univ of Wisconsin Medical Schools… Would he like to reply?
11:17:52 From Keith Barber: Extension and RECs are 400 miles away!
11:27:46 From Sophie Willborn Schmidt : Thanks for providing the video feed.
Community Brainstorming Sessions
| Date | Location | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08/22/19 | Cookeville | 7:00 a.m. CDT | Putnam County Extension Office 900 S. Walnut Ave Cookeville TN 38501 |
| 08/22/19 | Crossville | 1:00 p.m. CDT | UT Plateau Ag Research & Education Center 320 Experiment Station Road Crossville TN 38571 |
| 08/22/19 | Crossville | 6:00 p.m. CDT | UT Plateau Ag Research & Education Center 320 Experiment Station Road Crossville TN 38571 |
| 08/23/19 | Cleveland | 7:00 a.m. EDT | Bradley County Extension Office 95 Church Street, SE Cleveland TN 37311 |
| 08/23/19 | Madisonville | 1:00 p.m. EDT | Farm Bureau 510 Main Street Madisonville TN 37354 |
| 09/04/19 | Martin | 7:00 a.m. EDT | UT Martin Boling University Center, 206 ABC 11 Wayne Fisher Drive Martin TN 38238 (park in front of Boling Center) |
| 09/04/19 | Dyersburg | 1:00 p.m. CDT | Dyer County Extension Office 151 Everett Avenue Dyersburg, TN 38024-5198 |
| 09/04/19 | Covington | 6:00 p.m. CDT | Tennessee Farm Bureau Covington, TN 38019 |
| 09/05/19 | Middleton | 7:00 a.m. CDT | Lone Oaks Farm 1000 Lake Hardeman Road Middleton, TN 38052 |
| 09/05/19 | Jackson | 6:00 p.m. CDT | West Tennessee Research & Education Center (WTREC) 605 Airways Blvd. Jackson, TN 38301 |
| 09/06/19 | Jackson | 7:00 a.m. CDT | West Tennessee Research & Education Center (WTREC) 605 Airways Blvd. Jackson, TN 38301 |
| 09/06/19 | Franklin | 6:00 p.m. CDT | Williamson County Public Safety Office 304 Beasley Drive Franklin TN 37076 |
| 09/07/19 | Columbia | 7:00 a.m. CDT | Tennessee Farm Bureau 147 Bear Creek Pike Columbia TN 38401 |
| 09/07/19 | Murfreesboro | 1:00 p.m. CDT | Lane Agri Park Rutherford County Extension Office 315 John R. Rice Blvd Community Center Building Murfreesboro, TN 37129-4105 |
| 09/10/19 | Blountville | 7:00 a.m. EDT | Ron Ramsey Regional Ag Ctr (Sullivan County Ag Center) 140 Spurgeon Lane Blountville, TN 37617 |
| 09/10/19 | Greeneville | 1:00 p.m. EDT | Greeneville 4-H Center (Clyde Austin 4-H Center) 214 4-H Lane Greeneville, TN 37743 |
| 09/10/19 | Morristown | 6:00 p.m. EDT | Hamblen County Courthouse Large Courtroom on 3rd Floor 511 West Second North Street (Historic Side of Building) Morristown, TN 37814 |
| 09/11/19 | Sevierville | 7:00 a.m. EDT | Sevier County Extension Office 752 Old Knoxville Highway Sevierville, TN 37862 |
| 09/12/19 | Knoxville | 7:00 a.m. EDT | Joint Institute for Advanced Materials (JIAM) Alcoa Highway Knoxville TN |
| 09/12/19 | Maryville | 6:00 p.m. EDT | Blount County Extension Office 1219 McArthur Road Maryville, TN 37804 |
Faculty Brainstorming Sessions
All of the following events took place on the Knoxville Campus.
| Date | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 08/20/19 | 3:00 p.m. EDT | Hollingsworth Auditorium |
| 09/05/19 | 2:00 p.m. EDT | Plant Biotech Building 156-157 |
| 09/11/19 | 3:00 p.m. EDT | Mossman Building, Room 101 |
Student Brainstorming Sessions
All of the following events took place on the Knoxville Campus.
| Date | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 09/17/19 | 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. EDT | Plant Biotech Building 156-157 Knoxville, Tenn. |
| 09/18/19 | 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. EDT | Brehm Animal Science Building 265 Knoxville, Tenn. |
Staff Brainstorming Sessions
| Date | Location | Time (Local) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/12/19 | Livingston | 9:30 a.m. CDT | Overton County Extension Office 312 W Broad Street Livingston, TN 38570 |
| 09/17/19 | Jackson | 9:30 a.m. CDT | West TN AgResearch and Education Center (WTREC) 605 Airways Blvd. Jackson, TN 38301-3201 |
| 09/17/19 | Knoxville | 11:30 a.m. EDT | Plant Biotech Building Rooms 156-157 2505 E J Chapman Drive Knoxville, TN 37996 RSVP Required |
| 09/17/19 | Jackson | 3:00 p.m. CDT | West TN AgResearch and Education Center (WTREC) 605 Airways Blvd. Jackson, TN 38301-3201 |
| 09/18/19 | Murfreesboro | 9:00 a.m. CDT | Lane Agri-Park Community Center Bldg 315 John Rice Boulevard Murfreesboro, TN 37129 Join via Zoom |
| 09/18/19 | Murfreesboro | 3:00 p.m. CDT | Lane Agri-Park Community Center Bldg 315 John Rice Boulevard Murfreesboro, TN 37129 Join via Zoom |
| 09/19/19 | Knoxville | 9:00 a.m. EDT | Eastern Region Extension Office 1801 Downtown West Blvd Knoxville, TN 37919 Join via Zoom |
| 09/20/19 | Zoom Session (Online) | 9:00 a.m. EDT | Zoom Online Conference Session |
| 09/20/19 | Zoom Session (Online) | 3:00 p.m. EDT | Zoom Online Conference Session |
| 09/23/19 | Zoom Session (Online) | 9:00 a.m. EDT | Zoom Online Conference Session |
| 09/23/19 | Zoom Session (Online) | 3:00 p.m. EDT | Zoom Online Conference Session |
Purpose
On June 21, 2019, the UT Board of Trustees approved the re-unification of the UT Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) with UT Knoxville (UTK) to fully leverage our statewide presence and foster a culture of greater collaboration to more fully deliver on our land-grant mission of education, research and outreach to benefit the state of Tennessee.
To capture important stakeholder input, a UTIA-UTK Land-grant Unification Team has been formed and is charged with identifying and engaging stakeholders across the state. While the team will not determine policies or initiatives, they will reach out to stakeholders and identify ways to gather input.
The team synthesized and summarized feedback, identified common themes, organized recommendations, and presented the findings to interim President Randy Boyd, Senior Vice President/Senior Vice Chancellor of Agriculture Tim Cross, and UT Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman. The results were compiled into a report, published in October 2019. Details were presented to the Board of Trustees at the November 2019 Board meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have additional ideas or comments, please contact Linda C. Martin at lcmartin@tennessee.edu.
Why is the UT System doing this?
By bringing the Knoxville campus and Institute of Agriculture together, we will become a true comprehensive research-intensive institution and have the ability to fully leverage our statewide presence. In addition, it would allow us to a create a culture of more collaboration across multiple campuses and institutes, truly bringing together our three-pronged mission of education, research and outreach to benefit the state of Tennessee.
Whose idea was this?
This isn’t a new idea. As we looked at opportunities to create more collaboration across the state, we looked at previous structures of the UT System. After much internal discussion, we decided this was the best way to increase our capabilities for the benefit of the state of Tennessee.
Why the rush and lack of input from faculty, staff, and stakeholders?
The charge from the Board of Trustees meant we needed to rekindle discussions about this partnership immediately. The vote on Friday, June 21, was to approve the action of unifying the two entities. The process of making this collaboration the best it can be begins now with the appointment of a leadership team from UTIA, UT Knoxville, and the UT System to lead the development of a comprehensive implementation plan. The plan will be based on guiding principles and feedback received from internal and external stakeholders through town halls, listening sessions, work groups, and other methods of input. This feedback will be critical in formulating a plan that will elevate both the Institute and UT Knoxville campus.
What does this mean for Tim Cross?
Dr. Cross’s role and responsibilities will increase. His title changes to Senior Vice President of UTIA and Senior Vice Chancellor for UT Knoxville. He will continue to lead UTIA while adding a role with the UT Knoxville cabinet.
What other changes at UTIA can we expect to see?
The only change will be to Dr. Tim Cross’s title. What does not change is the work currently being done on a daily basis to carry out academic, research, and Extension programs across the state. UTIA, and its mission of delivering real life solutions, remains unchanged. UTIA program funding, priority-setting, and personnel decisions will all continue to be handled within the Institute – simply put, the day-to-day work goes on as always.
What will this do for the research rankings?
According to FY ’17 National Science Foundation (NSF) Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey data, UT Knoxville is currently ranked 107 out of 131 R1 institutions, while UT Institute of Agriculture is ranked 170. By combining the two entities, the University of Tennessee will immediately move up the rankings to 84 in the overall national ranking and 55 nationally for public institutions.
Was UTIA not being managed well?
UTIA is performing better than ever. That’s why this is such a strong collaboration.
UTIA has excelled by achieving historic highs in research expenditures of $70 million in FY18. The Institute also set a record for fund-raising, with total gifts, pledges and bequests of $66 million in the same year. UT Extension contacts increased last year, with more than 4.9 million direct contacts and 16 million digital contacts. The caseload for the small animal clinic in the College of Veterinary Medicine surpassed 20,000 patients for the second year in a row, providing both a great learning opportunity for students while also serving the Knoxville area community.
Will positions be eliminated or will titles be changed?
No.
What will happen to leadership team at UTIA? Who will they report to?
The only structural change that will occur is the addition of a reporting line to the UT Knoxville chancellor for Tim Cross. We will not be making additional changes. The UTIA leader will continue to serve as the Chief Academic Officer for the Institute, and be responsible for the Institute’s promotions, performance reviews, fundraising, communications and marketing, facilities, research administration, etc.
Will UTIA lose its logo and brand?
No, this is not a rebranding effort. UTIA will continue to keep its name and logo.
Nebraska has a similar model. What was Dr. Donde Plowman’s role in this?
Dr. Plowman officially begins her new position on July 1 and was not involved in the decision; however, Interim President Boyd has discussed the need and concept with her and she is excited about the collaboration opportunities it creates between the two entities.
The UT Board of Trustees approved a title change for the UTIA leader from vice president to chancellor in 2009. Now we’re changing it back to include the vice president title. What has changed?
The decision in 2009 had unintended consequences as it relates to how UTIA and the UT Knoxville campus report their research activity. While UT Knoxville and the Institute of Agriculture continued to share many services (including one accreditation, the same faculty handbook and all degrees conferred by the UT Knoxville chancellor), by changing the title of the UTIA leader to chancellor, they were no longer recognized as one entity by the National Science Foundation, eliminating the opportunity to combine research reporting and suppressing the research rankings.
How was the team formulated?
Team members were chosen to represent various areas of the institute and Knoxville campus to bring a diversity of ideas and backgrounds. The team will gather and aggregate information and ideas for Senior Vice President and Senior Vice Chancellor for Agriculture Cross, Chancellor Plowman and President Boyd to review and make final decisions.