Best of CASE District III Award
 

Institution: University of Tennessee

Title of entry: UT Knoxville Alumni Board of Directors Speaker Series

About this entry: The Alumni Speaker Series originated from a partnership formed by the UT Knoxville Alumni Board of Directors with the Division of Student Success and the Office of First Year Initiatives. Alumni Board Members served as small group speakers for students in the UT LEAD program, a living learning community program for first year, first generation students. During the sessions, board members covered topics of interest identified by students, including networking, building your brand, financial independence, time management, imposter syndrome, and more. Board members spoke to the group at large and also had the opportunity to engage in conversation and dialogue with the students, diving deeper into the topic of interest. These small group discussions have led to increased student engagement among first year students both on and off campus. Alumni Board members have continued relationships with students from the program through providing internships, serving as mentors, even leading a group of students to attend a play at the campus theater.