Dear Geography Undergraduate and Graduate Students:
As you know, I and other departmental leaders periodically forward announcements of campus events and other professional development opportunities—almost all of which come to our desks from a university official and sometimes a community
member or employer. We receive many, many of these announcements and we do our best to limit the amou8nt of email you receive without infringing on your right to know something.
I was approached by a faculty member yesterday who expressed concern about how these forwarded announcements might be interpreted by students. Thus, I want to clarify my position on this matter and I appreciate your time as I do this.
My emailing of announcements or opportunities sponsored by other universities offices, community initiatives, or employers in search of interns and applicants should NOT be interpreted as an endorsement or directive from me or the Department
of Geography.
If I have a specific opinion or encouraging word about the value of a specific program or opportunity, then I will be pretty clear about that in the email when I send it out. But simply forwarding news of something is not my recommendation
or a statement of my expectation that students should pursue what is being advertised.
In the case of all advertised opportunities and programs, it is the responsibility and right of the student to investigate and determine if they are a good match with the student or a worthwhile investment.
If departmental space, resources, or personnel would be needed to engage in the advertised opportunity, then a discussion would have to happen with me in order to determine if our program indeed endorses and supports the opportunity.
Thanks for your time,
DA
Derek H. Alderman, PhD
Professor & Head, Department of Geography
Betty Lynn Hendrickson Professor of Social Science
University of Tennessee
304C Burchfiel Geography Building
Knoxville, TN 37996-0925
Voice: (865) 974-0406
http://geography.utk.edu/about-us/faculty/dr-derek-alderman/
http://derekalderman.wordpress.com/
http://utk.academia.edu/DerekAlderman
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Derek_Alderman