February 26, 2021

1. Be One UT

At yesterday's UT Board of Trustees meeting, a new values campaign was unveiled: Be One UT. Having a clear set of values we are all aligned around helps ensure everyone is working toward the same goals. These values are intended to shape culture across the system and build purpose, improve team cohesion, and create a sense of shared commitment in the workplace.

• Bold and impactful, serving the state by tackling grand challenges
• Embrace diversity, acknowledging and respecting individual differences and organizational uniqueness that makes UT stronger
• Optimistic and visionary, empowering courageous leadership
• Nimble and innovative, inspiring creative and transformational action
• Excel in all UT does, committing to continuous improvement and outstanding performance
• United and connected, collaborating internally and externally for greater collective impact
• Transparent and trusted, fostering integrity through openness, accountability and stewardship

These values are not intended to remain static and collect dust. Our values are action oriented. It is our guide—our roadmap—for working with our students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, legislators and anyone else who may be impacted by the critical work we do. We will be obsessive about our values, know them by heart and exemplify them each day.

More information about our implementation plan will be coming soon. In the meantime, please visit tennessee.edu/values for additional details and downloadable posters.

3. TONIGHT: Black Student Association 2021 Annual Awards Virtual Ceremony

Observe and celebrate with the Black Student Association for the 2021 Annual Awards Virtual Ceremony, which will premiere via YouTube TONIGHT, Friday, February 26, at 6:00 pm CST. Altha Stewart, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Community Health Engagement, will be the keynote speaker. For more information, please visit the 2021 BSA Awards Ceremony and Presentation website.

4. Nominations Open for President's Awards

Please nominate a faculty or staff member for the 2021 President's Awards! There are six categories for the President's Awards:

• Connect
• Discover
• Diversity
• Educate
• Support (exempt staff)
• Support (non-exempt staff)

To read more about each category, and to see past winners (UTHSC has had 8 winners in the past four years!), please visit the President's Awards website.

To be eligible, employees must be:

• Regular, full-time faculty or staff
• Located at any of our UTHSC locations
• Employed for at least 5 full calendar years prior to the date of nomination
• Free from any disciplinary actions for the past 5 years
• Consistently exceeding expectations with their overall performance

Past President's Award winners are not eligible for nomination for five years. UT System Administration vice presidents, campus/institute chancellors, and vice chancellors are also not eligible.

You may nominate one employee per category by providing a few sentences about how the nominee stands out in their particular category via the online submission form. Nominations close Sunday, February 21.

5. Conversation on Health Disparities: Education

The Community Engaged Care Program invites students, faculty, and staff at all UTHSC campuses to join us on Wednesday, March 3, at 6:00 pm CST for a Conversation on Health Disparities with Tosha Downey (Director of Advocacy, Memphis Education Fund) on education and health equity. Education, and particularly high school graduation, is a strong predictor of positive health outcomes. Educational programs lead to better employment, higher incomes, health literacy and healthier behaviors, and ultimately longer life expectancy. This session will introduce participants to advocacy work being done in the education sector. RSVP to this virtual event via Engage for Zoom information.

This Conversation on Health Disparities will count toward the Social Determinants of Health Certificate. You can view past Conversations on Health Disparities on our Mediasite Channel.