Global Engagement

First 2+2 Cohort Set to Graduate

Among the spring graduates for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is a group of four that will walk away with degrees from two universities. Tianyi Chen, Shiyi Du, Weiqi Li, and Yuchen Yang are wrapping up their undergraduate degree from Tombras School of Advertising & Public Relations in the College of Communication and Information (CCI) after starting their academic careers at Liaoning University (LNU) in Shenyang, China. The students’ journey…
Global project grows beyond classroom

Two second-year, Political Science students, Nicholas Heisig and Nathan Surdej, turned a final class project into a weekly podcast and the future trip of a lifetime. Heisig and Surdej met in a comparative politics class last year. For the final project they put together a 40-minue podcast comparing Botswana’s governmental success to lower functioning governments in the surrounding areas of southern Africa. They decided to continue discussing local and global politics in a podcast format and created Signal Vs Noise. Signal Vs Noise is a podcast where Heisig and Surdej break…
Lawson Marks 40 Years of Global Engagement

David Lawson, Senior Exchange Coordinator for International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, celebrated 40 years as a staff member of the Division of Global Engagement (UT Global) in January. Lawson joined the Division as a F1 Student Advisor in 1986. At that time, there were two advisors working with all F1 students. Today, due to the growth of the international student population, there are six people…
Fulbright Visiting Scholar Researches Tropical Diseases

Kenya-native Ryan Awori, PhD, joined UT’s Department of Microbiology in February as a Fulbright visiting scholar to research the modification of viruses that cure Malaria-like diseases, which are moving farther from the equator and becoming dangerous in new locations, such as Tennessee. Originally from Nairobi, this will be his first long-term stay in the United States. Awori has been working in…
ISSS Office Hosts State Department Visitors

On March 25, 2026, Mr. William Vittetoe, Director of International Student and Scholar Services, and Ms. Elizabeth Clevenger, Assistant Director of International Student and Scholar Services, met with Victoria Roberts, Chief of Staff, and Rebeca Pasini, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private Sector Exchange, from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs…
Three selected for Global Student Fellowship Program

Three University of Tennessee, Knoxville, students have been selected for the inaugural cohort of the Future Talent Council’s Global Student Fellowship Program, which brings together 31 high-performing university students from 14 universities across 10 countries. Students selected for the 6-month fellowship will collaborate across disciplines, cultures, and time zones while developing future-ready skills and contributing student perspectives to…
Connecting the World Through Art

For Neto Soul, an international student from Brazil, enrolling at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is the fulfillment of a dream to study in the United States. “I started to search for art programs, and I discovered the studio art program here at UT,” he said. “It’s incredible the opportunities and the facilities they have, and the professors,…
Center for Sport, Peace & Society launches “Women in Sport” diplomacy initiative

By Carolyn R. Spellings, PhDCenter for Sport, Peace, & Society The University of Tennessee Center for Sport, Peace & Society (CSPS), founded in 2012, uses the powerful equation of sport and education to work towards a more equitable, peaceful, inclusive world, from Knoxville and Kiev to Kyoto and Kansas City. Inspired by legendary Lady Vols…
CGE, DAE Launch Community Leaders Program in Rwanda

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s, Center for Global Engagement and Division of Access and Engagement embarked on a trip to Rwanda with a cohort of six UT staff, four faculty, and six community members for a pilot of the UT Community Leaders Program. With a goal of connecting Knoxville to the world, the program highlighted…