Priorities

PRIORITY ONE: SUPPORT UNIVERSITY MISSION

• Through projects, fieldwork and site visits students share knowledge and expertise with communities in Tennessee, in the South, in the nation, regionally, and globally.
• We provide a supportive and inclusive climate that welcomes diversity in our faculty, staff, and students.
• We recruit and retain students, faculty and staff from under-represented populations
• Diversity strengthens our commitment to superior teaching, innovative research and creative activity, and leadership in service.
• We provide students with global opportunities for personal and professional growth through teaching - learning partnerships, research collaboration, and service activities.

PRIORITY TWO: COLLABORATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS

• We are active, productive members of the College of Communication and Information and contribute substantially to the life of the College.
• We are active, productive members of the University of Tennessee and contribute to the life of the Knoxville campus through teaching, research and service.
• Through teaching, research and creative activities, and service, we establish valued relationships with government agencies, corporate entities, and community groups in our county, our state, our nation and beyond.

PRIORITY THREE: RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

• The quality of life in the school is based upon collegial interaction between faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
• We mentor students based upon the student life cycle so that their needs are met from recruiting to placement.
• While the faculty owns the curriculum, the SIS community participates in insuring that the curriculum is relevant, current, and available.
• In order to prepare students for practice in a multi-cultural world, curriculum and instruction extend beyond a narrow view of the information sciences to include the quest for context and a diverse perspective.
• We value our alumni for their contributions, including the connection they provide between the School and the information professions. We also encourage graduates of other LIS programs to become friends of the School.