May 18, 2011

Our Office Needs Your Feedback!

Participation and feedback throughout the academic year are critical in helping UTK meet the needs of you and your students as we strive to be a Top 25 University. To date, we have 323 parents that completed a brief survey to provide input on your experience as a UT parent. This is your opportunity to tell us what is on your mind. Please take 5 minutes to give us feedback. Click here to take the survey.

Parent Volunteer Opportunities at Orientation

Summer Orientation sessions will begin on June 6 for all the new students and their parents! New parents always enjoy being able to talk to current Parents Association members. If you are available and would like to volunteer at Summer Orientation from 11:15 AM - 1:00 PM in the University Center, please reply to this email or call the office at (865) 974-4546. The dates we have the greatest need for volunteers are: June 6, 7, 9, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 30, July 5, 6. We will be presenting a session about the Parents Association and would like to introduce you to the group of parents attending the Orientation session.

Annual Members: It's Time to Renew Your Parents Association Membership!

If you are an annual member, your membership expires on May 31. If you have already renewed your membership, thank you!

Many of you received a call from Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, Tim Rogers emphasizing the importance of you staying connected to the University of Tennessee. Annual members may choose to either convert your annual membership to a career membership ($100) or renew with an additional annual membership ($40) which is valid through May 2012.

There are three easy ways to convert or renew your membership:

• Visit http://parents.utk.edu and click Join, Renew, or Update Information
• Call the office at (865) 974-4546
• Mail a check (noting your Member ID) for your renewal

Commencement Three Big Deals for One Parents Association Family

Spring 2011 Commencement was a big deal for one family! Anthony and Mary Jane McFarland from Goodlettsville, TN watched all three of their sons graduate this semester. One son received a law degree, another a master's, and the third, his bachelor's. The McFarland family have been Parents Association members continuously since 2004! Click here for more information from the Knoxville News Sentinel.

*The McFarland's emailed us to share their good news, so if you have a unique story, send us an email to [log in to unmask].

Spring Term Grades

Student grades for the spring term are posted on MyUTK and DARS. Students may log into MyUTK and click on "View Your Final Grades."

Important Summer Semester Registration Information

The summer 2011 Payment/Confirmation of Attendance due date is Wednesday, June 1 at 4:30 PM. To see other important dates from the Bursar's Office, click here.

Full and First Session Summer classes begin on Thursday, June 2. June 6 is the last day to register, add, change grading options, or drop without a "W" for first session courses. June 10 is the last day to register, add, change grading options, or drop without a "W" for full session courses. First session summer courses end on July 6 and second session summer courses begin July 7.

Reserve Textbooks Now for Fall Semester

The UT Bookstore offers a special program called Textbook Reservation, which has books pulled, boxed and ready for students when school begins. This is a free service available to all students, not just freshmen, and applies to fall and spring semester classes. Students who reserve their textbooks have first priority on used books - which are priced about 25% less than new books. Click here for more information on textbook reservations.

Pursuit Accepting Student Submissions

Undergraduate students, including May 2011 graduates, in any college who are working on an advanced, original, research-based paper should submit their work to Pursuit, UT's journal of undergraduate research. Pursuit is now accepting submissions for the Fall 2011 issue. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, May 31, for priority consideration, and Thursday, June 30, for all other submissions. Submissions should be made through the Pursuit website.

East Tennessee Storm Relief

Thanks to the generosity of our community, UT was able to fill not just one, but TWO trucks for tornado relief in parts of the state. The donations benefited ten East Tennessee counties named disaster areas after the late-April tornadoes and severe weather. UT Athletics also donated $25,000 from the orange and white spring football game to the American Red Cross for Tennessee relief efforts. Click here for more information.

New Class of Haslam Scholars

Fifteen high school seniors have been named the 2011-12 class of Haslam Scholars at UTK. The Haslam Scholar program is UT Knoxville's premier four-year scholarship program that admits a maximum of 15 first-year students from the university-wide Chancellor's Honors Program and supports them with the university's most prestigious and generous named scholarships. Click here for more information.

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE OFFICE OF THE PARENTS ASSOCIATION
412 STUDENT SERVICES BUILDING, KNOXVILLE, TN 37996
http://parents.utk.edu  ::  [log in to unmask]

Important Dates

May 30: Memorial Day Holiday (No Classes)

June 1: Summer Mini Session Ends

June 1: Summer Term Fee Payment & Confirmation of Attendance Due at 4:30 PM

June 2: First and Full Summer Sessions Begin

July 6: First Summer Session Ends

July 7: Second Summer Session Begins

August 9: Second and Full Summer Sessions End

August 13-14: Move-In Weekend

August 17: Summer Graduation Date

August 17: Fall 2011 Classes Begin