1. UT Board of Trustees Approves Annual Budget, Sets Tuition

In its first full, in-person meeting since February 2020, the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees approved the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 operating budget, as well as modest tuition increases at two campuses.

Trustees approved an operating budget of $2.7 billion, representing an 8% increase from Fiscal Year 2020-2021. Highlights of the approved budget include:

• Support of UT Southern, the first new campus to join the UT System in 50 years
• The addition of 32 extension agents to support Tennessee’s most underserved counties
• The largest percentage-increase salary plan since 1994
• The largest ever state funding increase
• Funding to resume full campus operations since COVID-19 affected UT campuses across the state in March 2020

“We are thankful to Gov. Bill Lee and our Tennessee General Assembly for their continued commitment to higher education, and for their great faith in the important work being done at UT to serve the state of Tennessee,” UT Board of Trustees Chair John Compton said. “This budget represents bold and innovative ways to fulfill our mission, while remaining fiscally responsible to the taxpayers of Tennessee.”
 
The board also approved a 2% increase to tuition and mandatory fees at UT Chattanooga, which equates to $176 for students enrolled prior to fall 2019 and $192 for all other in-state undergraduates. A 1.7% increase to tuition and mandatory fees was approved at UT Martin, equating to a $164 increase. The increases for both campuses are within the up-to-2% range set by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
 
UT System President Randy Boyd’s annual evaluation was also approved by the board.  Boyd’s performance was measured against the goals identified in the 2019-2025 strategic plan, with special consideration given to his leadership during the novel coronavirus pandemic that abruptly suspended in-person instruction and moved all learning to a predominantly virtual environment. In 2020, the UT System experienced a record 1.9% increase in overall enrollment, as well as record increases in first-year students and degrees conferred.
 
“Throughout the pandemic, the critical work of the University continued,” Compton said. “Under the leadership of President Boyd, the University demonstrated its resilience, revival and resurgence—students learned, research advanced and outreach expanded. He provides visionary leadership not only in good times, but when hope and optimism is most needed.”
 
Trustees also discussed and approved search criteria and timeline for the next chancellor of the UTHSC. Current Chancellor Steve Schwab recently announced his retirement, and will continue to serve as chancellor until June 30, 2022, or until a successor is on board.
 
“We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Dr. Schwab for all he has done for us and for our great state,” Boyd said. “Hiring the next transformational leader for UTHSC will be our top priority.”
 
In other business, trustees approved:

• Capital outlay funding requests from fiscal year 2022-23 through fiscal year 2026-27
• Capital maintenance funding requests from Fiscal Year 2022-23 through Fiscal Year 2026-27
• Master affiliation agreement between the University and Methodist Healthcare-Memphis Hospitals
• Grants of tenure
• Honorary degree recommendations
• New academic programs

The University of Tennessee is a statewide system of higher education with campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Martin, Memphis and Pulaski; the UT Space Institute in Tullahoma; the UT Institute of Agriculture with a presence in every Tennessee county; and the statewide Institute for Public Service. The UT system manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory through its UT-Battelle partnership; enrolls about 50,000 students statewide; produces about 11,000 new graduates every year; and represents more than 400,000 alumni around the world.

2. UTHSC Leaders Receive UT President's Awards

Two leaders from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, one an advocate for health equity and the other a researcher of highly pathogenic viruses, are among six employees honored with the 2021 UT President’s Awards announced today by President Randy Boyd during the UT Board of Trustees meeting at the UTHSC Memphis campus.

Altha Stewart, MD, senior associate dean for Community Health Engagement in the College of Medicine, the director of the UTHSC Center for Health in Justice Involved Youth, a professor of psychiatry, and a former president of the American Psychiatric Association, is the honoree in the Connect category. Colleen Jonsson, PhD, a professor and the Endowed Van Vleet Chair of Excellence in Virology in the UTHSC College of Medicine, is the honoree in the Discover category.

The awards are presented in six categories — Educate, Discover, Connect, Support Exempt, Support Nonexempt, and Diversity. Honorees are selected from across the system from nominations by campus and institute leaders.

Read the full story on the UTHSC News website at https://news.uthsc.edu/uthsc-leaders-received-ut-presidents-awards/. 

3. The ITS Helpdesk is now the Service Desk!

If you had a yacht, would you call it a dinghy? Or say LeBron James is just your average basketball player? Of course not, because both are so much more! Well, that is how we feel about the folks who take your calls when you need technical assistance. They are the front door to Information Technology Services, your single point of contact for fixing issues, getting vital information, and fielding requests. They offer expertise, empathy, guidance, and calm when you probably feel a little lost, stressed, or are in a crunch. In other words, they provide more than just help – as you tell us all the time in surveys, they provide great SERVICE!
 
That’s why the Helpdesk is now the Service Desk!
 
Our newly branded Service Desk will be there for you 7:30 am – 5:30 pm CDT, Monday through Friday as always, working hand-in-hand with other ITS staff and the new IT service site that’s coming soon to meet your needs.
 
Stay tuned as we share more exciting information about IT service management (ITSM) and the new site, including next week’s name and logo reveal!

4. Required HIPAA Training Due June 30

Faculty, Staff, Postdocs, Residents, and Students: To ensure everyone is aware of their responsibilities under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s (UTHSC) workforce must undergo periodic HIPAA Privacy Training. This online training is the official 2021 UTHSC-sanctioned training for federal HIPAA compliance purposes.

To access the UTHSC HealthStream HIPAA Training, you MUST use this link: https://www.healthstream.com/hlc/uthlth 

The deadline for completing this training is June 30.  

5. Employees: Join the Sick Leave Bank by June 30

The Sick Leave Bank is an opportunity for eligible employees to protect their income. The Sick Leave Bank may provide paid leave to bank members who have exhausted all of their own paid leave due to a personal illness or injury.

Open enrollment for the Sick Leave Bank this year is April 1 through June 30. Enrollment forms must be submitted to the Employee Relations office within Human Resources at 910 Madison, Suite 764 by June 30.

For additional information, please see HR0382 Sick Leave Bank Policy (UT System) and UTHSC Sick Leave Bank Procedures.