Talkin' Tennessee with Yvonnca
Talkin' Tennessee with Yvonnca
A Journey of Heartfelt Connections and Academic Success Ft Dr. Amber Williams Vice Provost, University of Tennessee
Picture a mother of two making the bold move from Kansas to Nebraska to chase her dreams as the youngest admissions director in the nation. This episode unravels the challenges and triumphs of balancing a trailblazing career in diversity recruitment with personal life, including the supportive relationships like her marriage to Dr. Dedrick Williams that have been her cornerstone. We highlight her passion for college students and her dynamic role at the University of Tennessee, painting a vivid picture of resilience and dedication.
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Check us out to hear the latest on life in the volunteer state. Yvonca and her guests discuss everything from life, love and business with a Tennessee flair. It's a Tennessee thing, always relatable, always relevant and always a good time. This is Talkin' Tennessee, and now your host, yvonca.
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Speaker 3:Welcome back to Talking Tennessee with Yvonne Ca. I am your host and I am here with Vice Provost Dr Amber Williams. Welcome.
Speaker 4:Oh, I'm so excited to be here. Thank you for inviting me.
Speaker 3:Most definitely, most definitely, viewers. Let me tell you a short story on how I met this person. So everybody y'all know about turning knocks and how all that goes and we're turning people around on 360s. But she was at an event and she walked up to me and she thought she was talking to Adrienne because she had met Adrienne at a previous event that we were doing. And we started having a conversation until she realized she wasn't talking to Adrienne, but you were.
Speaker 4:So beautiful, so beautiful black woman. So yes, I got you confused.
Speaker 3:But the best part about it was is that you were just so nice. You were very approachable, like we've known each other for years. We just started talking and once we realized that she thought I was Adrian. You know, we got that straight real quick and we it just started a friendship there. And the more I watched you through the event I want you to know this I watched her through the event and what impressed me about her is that she made a point to go to every station, to every vendor, to every section of that event and she blended in just like you were.
Speaker 3:Everybody else you didn't. I didn't hear you say your title. I didn't hear you say you know your position. You were just Amber, and that really stuck out to me because you've worked really hard to get those titles and to get those positions and be where you're at. But the humble humbleness came out that day and I was just like I want to know more about this person. So I want you to know and I say this publicly she is paving the way for another black woman to share someone's story and to give me a voice at the same time. So I thank you for that.
Speaker 4:Oh, you are welcome, and what I don't know? Just to even hear you say that. I always think that my legacy in this world really is just impacting people.
Speaker 2:It is.
Speaker 4:And so that's, I think, the most welcoming and most authentic thing you can do every day is just create an environment where people feel like they're a part of yes described. I mean, you know, that comes on naturally, just walking around and chatting with people, but you know the way you describe that it makes me.
Speaker 4:I'm humbled by it, first off, but then, secondly, it that's the exact experience that I hope every student on our campus, every staff person, because we all matter. Yes, no matter who you are, where you, what you do, where you come from, it doesn't matter. Everybody matters, everybody has a purpose, and so my goal is always to acknowledge that.
Speaker 3:I think the thing that we connect on you spoke on it just a minute ago is legacy. My grandfather told me as a young kid what is your legacy going to be? What is people going to remember you as? Are you going to make a difference in someone's life?
Speaker 3:He said money cannot build that I agree he said money, wealth, you know all those different things that the world gives you. He said that has nothing to do with legacy. He said what your legacy is is how you made someone feel, Did you make a difference in their life? And so I've been on that journey, and so for you to say that, I think that's what brings us together, because we're both trying to be on that legacy trail, you know, and see how many people can we make a difference, and that when we're called to heaven will God say well done.
Speaker 1:You know, that's the biggest thing is, will he say, well done.
Speaker 3:So when I do my podcast, I always pray. Uh, someone comes in and I say, god, let me use your words, not mine. You know to tell someone's story, so let's tell your story. How and what made Amber Williams? Who are you?
Speaker 4:there's so many facets to Amber Williams, you know there's there's the generic titles of mom, wife I work at the university but I'm going to start with absolutely a woman of God. He's empowered and inspired me in so many different ways and put so many people in my life to kind of not kind of but to hone who I am today.
Speaker 4:I've been really blessed to have mentors from the you know from high school, actually, I would think all the way back to middle school, my science teacher, who was Mrs Williams too, by the way From there through high school, through college, through my time at Kansas and the university of Nebraska to here, I mean, I just had really great people that have helped me to be my authentic self.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:And um, that authentic self is just really based on um, trying to always empower others to be their best, and I think that can be done in so many simple ways. It's just honestly just saying hello to people and just having a positive energy about yourself. But yeah, at the end of the day, I think you know I am a person that hopes to inspire others to be their best selves. So you're married. I am married.
Speaker 3:yes, Would you like to say that? Yeah, Dr.
Speaker 4:Dedrick Williams is my husband. He's an associate professor here at the university, very talented, hilarious, he cracks lots of jokes. But he's in some ways my complete opposite, because I'm actually an introvert. People don't realize that, but I am. He's an extrovert all the way. Yes, um, and so we make a wonderful team, uh, together he may, does he pull it out of you?
Speaker 2:he absolutely pulls it out of me and more spontaneous.
Speaker 4:Um, because I'm much more. I'm very organized like.
Speaker 3:These are the things we need to do, and he's like maybe tomorrow, but he, he really completes me as well because of things that I would say I can't do that. He's the one that will say I agree, why can't you do that? You know who told you you can't do that? Yeah. I think you always need that person that will pull something out of you and I say this on social platforms is that you have to evolve together, yes, and you have to be equally yoked. That you are building something, yes.
Speaker 4:You know that big thing.
Speaker 3:Marriage is a blessing, but marriage can be very hard at times.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you know, I think the thing that people least talk about but should talk about the most is how challenging marriage is.
Speaker 3:And that's how challenging parenting is. It is.
Speaker 4:I think we normalize that. Both are easy and both are very challenging. You have to wake up every day ready to go to work.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:And ready to engage, and ready to compromise.
Speaker 3:That's the biggest thing in marriage? Yes, and learn. I think the biggest thing I've learned. In two days I'll be married 21 years.
Speaker 4:Congratulations. Thank you.
Speaker 3:And the biggest thing I think I've learned is pick your battles. Yes, every battle's not yours. Yes, and it's okay to disagree and move on. It doesn't have to be a big you know conversation or deep conversation, just move on sometimes, yes, and let time heal those wounds. So your mom of two, yes, two Anthony's 10.
Speaker 4:Avery's 8. Okay, avery will tell you she's the future chancellor of the University of Tennessee. She has a little name she might be. She has a little name tag and she shows up at events and will take the mic from me and get up there and just chat away. And then I have such a deep thinker in Anthony who I have all the confidence in the world that he's going to solve some complex problem that's out there that the world needs solved. But yeah, we're really blessed with two beautiful children that are definitely thriving in Knoxville. We very much enjoyed our experience here.
Speaker 3:Well, it seems like you have acclimated very well to Vol Nation.
Speaker 1:Yes, Vol Nation.
Speaker 3:Because, coming from, let's go back some. You came from Kansas, yep, and then you went to Nebraska. And tell us a little bit about your journey from Kansas to Nebraska and what brought you, what made you make the decision to come to Tennessee.
Speaker 4:Yes, yeah, so I worked in the office of admissions at the University of Kansas. I'm from Kansas, I'm from Wichita, kansas, so all my family is there. So I'll be honest, when we, when I made the decision to move from Kansas to Nebraska, that was even a journey for us. I mean, it was only four hours for me, but it's for some reason. Nebraska seemed far and and and all my family had been in Kansas. So to just change states was difficult.
Speaker 2:It was difficult. It was difficult and my sister and I are super close and I'm very close with my mom.
Speaker 4:My father lives there too, I mean, the whole family's there, and so that was definitely um grandparents. Everyone is definitely a transition, but I went there, um went to Nebraska for a promotion. I started off in admissions and I just very much enjoyed recruiting students to the university of Kansas and I was able to travel across the entire state and other States and just talk with students about their dreams and I completely enjoyed it. And so when I was recruited to come to the University of Nebraska in some ways it was I went back and forth. I'll be honest with you, because I didn't want to move, but my mentor at Kansas.
Speaker 4:I talked to her and I said I really want to be promoted here and she was like you're not ready yet. You need to get a master's degree.
Speaker 4:She gave me all these reasons why a whole list yes, a whole list and I said, okay, well then I guess I have to go to Nebraska. If I want to have a new opportunity, then this is gonna happen. This will need to be it. That was a huge opportunity for me, um, and it helped me grow up if I'm to be honest, grow up professionally personally, you know, living in Kansas, I was still with family and I don't know that and my friends from college all the things, yes, absolutely, they're gonna hold together.
Speaker 3:Be that village for you.
Speaker 4:Yes, you go to a totally different state where I know no one. I'm having to make this transition. That was good for me and the job was a challenging job as well. I was the assistant director for diversity recruitment Diversity recruitment in Nebraska very challenging.
Speaker 3:I bet Very challenging. I know there was days like did I really make this decision?
Speaker 4:Yes, true story, but I would also say that that challenge was was inspiring for me too. Like I, I'd like a challenge, and so we had some good stories there.
Speaker 4:There's some real good work that was done at the University of Nebraska. There was a point in my career where I was trying to decide do I want to stay in diversity recruitment or did I want to kind of move into the administrative route? And I remember I mean I kind of battled with this for a couple of weeks because I think both are equally important. You need the advocates, but you also need someone to infiltrate the policy.
Speaker 4:Yes, I agree and to think about strategically, how do you move the organization forward. And so I went back and forth and I decided that I wanted to go the administrative route. And so which was also interesting I was ended up being named the youngest admissions director in the country. I was a little under 30 years old when I became the admissions director in. Nebraska that was. It was amazing. It was also a big, huge challenge and I would show up at events and people would ask me like are you for diversity agreement?
Speaker 4:I'm like no Matter of fact, there was one meeting I'll never forget. We're at a big table. I come in. Someone said do you, did you mean to go over to the multicultural center down the hallway? And I said no, actually, actually I didn't. So I sat down and I didn't say anything more and I let the meeting start and then we went around and introduced ourselves and I said I'm Amber Williams, or, yeah, amber Williams, the director of admissions and that person's face was like yeah, and then it was a technology meeting and I was all up in that business, so anyway, I moved up the ranks at Nebraska, married my husband there he was starting his PhD there.
Speaker 4:He had come from Mississippi, so he's from Mississippi actually from. Macon, mississippi, and had gone to Mississippi State for his undergrad and master's degree and started his doctoral program in Nebraska, so met him there and you know it is what it is, and we started building and our move to Tennessee.
Speaker 4:You know I was on the enrollment management side of the house, so I, when I left there, I was the enrollment manager, which means you're responsible for admissions, financial aid, the registrar's office. I was also working with a program that was for first generation low income students in the state and it was like a college access program and I started kind of thinking about where was I most thriving in my job? The areas, what were the areas that I just enjoyed and loved and I could feel my passion? And it was that college preparatory academy and it was the registrar's office of all things. Most people wouldn't, say the registrar's
Speaker 4:office. But I found, the more I dug into the registrar's office, the more I realized how important that office is to impacting students and yes, right it is and making sure we have the courses available for students to so that they could graduate, removing barriers for enrollment. So once.
Speaker 3:I got into that office.
Speaker 4:I was like I love this place.
Speaker 3:I've loved everything about it. So you got to nurture.
Speaker 4:I did, I did.
Speaker 3:Right, nurture those students coming in and showing them you can do this.
Speaker 4:And just yeah, and giving them a clear pathway to meet whatever dream they had, and so I started thinking about the two things that I enjoyed most college preparatory academy and in the registrar's office. So I said you know, I want to pivot out of the enrollment management space. I started pivoting and looking at roles that were focused on the student experience.
Speaker 4:I will tell you when I went out into the job market, though, because of my background in enrollment management, everyone wanted to pivot me and like pigeonhole me into that space, and I just just kept telling people yeah, like I just kept saying listen if you get it, but there's some other things I can do.
Speaker 4:Absolutely the reality is recruiting students is very similar to retaining them, it's true. I mean, it is about understanding who they are, it's about understanding what they need and then it's about applying those resources to them. So the strategy is the same, as how you apply it is different, and that's how I was trying to explain is like, okay, on the student side of the house, it is my job to recruit them to stay year after year until they get a degree, and so it was trying to articulate that to people who weren't, and to build those relationships.
Speaker 3:Yes, that each year you're giving them a reason why they should stay.
Speaker 4:Yes, why they?
Speaker 2:should stay.
Speaker 3:Instead of it being. When I was reading about you and studying for this podcast, what I noticed is that in different things that you spoke about is that numbers. You said you did not want students to be looked at like a number. Yes, you wanted it to be a relationship. You wanted to build a relationship with the student and the student to realize that they had someone to come to that wasn't going to treat them like a number.
Speaker 4:Yes, is that what you were talking about? That is absolutely, and you know the reason I was interested in that is yes, you did. The reason I was interested in that is because I think not. I think I know I felt like a number in undergrad, yes, and nobody wants to feel like that. Nobody wants it. I mean, nobody wants to feel like things don't matter.
Speaker 3:We don't want to be quota and we don't want to be a number. Yes, you know that type of thing. It's just we want to be a person that has talents and you can help pull those talents out of that student, for them to grow and succeed in adult life.
Speaker 4:Absolutely, absolutely. And I've had people in my career who have seen that in me and I want to see that in every single student that enrolls here at the university. And, luckily, when I was on the market, chancellor Plowman, who I worked for she was my supervisor at the University of Nebraska. She had already accepted the role here and she was looking to build a division of student success here to really increase our retention and graduation rates at the university. And after the position was posted and things, she reached out and said I'd love for you to apply for this. I saw it and I was like, oh my goodness, absolutely. I mean what did your husband say? Well, his first statement I don't think you're going to like the South.
Speaker 3:He's like well, I get it.
Speaker 4:I don't know if you're going to like the South, but where he grew up in rural Mississippi is very different than Knoxville.
Speaker 3:Very.
Speaker 4:Very so, yeah, it's like a culture shock. It is a culture shock, yes. And so, yes, he was like I don't think you're going to like this and I said, well, let me at least go up there and check it out and everything I was googling seemed like it was great.
Speaker 3:Google told me it was great.
Speaker 4:Well, there were some other places we had looked at that didn't look great on google, so at least I felt like there was a baseline interest and, um, then, when I came to visit the campus and the community, I just completely fell in love.
Speaker 4:The people are so nice and the campus, the faculty and staff are so committed to the student success and ensuring that we create the environment. And I felt like I had the team around me meaning the team as in the entire campus, every faculty and staff member around me that could enhance the experience here, because we already have a really strong foundation. It's just we needed a little more strategic direction.
Speaker 3:I think a lot of times, people, when we are we out at the games and we talk about Tennessee, about how great it is, I think people think, oh, that's what you're supposed to say about your university. And I'm like, no, you just don't understand. Tennessee gives a feeling of home. It gives you that feeling of you're home. Now you go to a game, you feel like you're at home. You go to an event, you feel like you're at home. You go to an event, you feel like you're at home. And I think the biggest thing that people miss I'm not saying other universities don't have great qualities, but it's not like Tennessee. I'm just saying that but I just think that a lot of people don't stop to think about you know what Tennessee, the feeling that they give.
Speaker 3:Think about it. You're coming from Nebraska, you came to visit Okay, and one thing I tell people about Tennessee is you can go in a grocery store and people are going to speak to you. Absolutely you don't have to know their name, you don't have to know what they do for a living, whatever they could care less. We have people that eye contact, they're going to speak to you and I think that's a big thing that Tennessee has, because, think about it when you're 18 years old, okay, you're coming from another state. You know no one your parents bring you. You get your dorm room set up.
Speaker 3:You get all the pretties but then you're left. You're left, You've got to have people on campus that is going to see the needs that you have and help you nurture those needs and tell you where to go. And I think the biggest thing that I hear coming from you is you want to give an experience to those students and you want them to know they matter.
Speaker 4:Yes, and that it can be done at scale. You know we have about 39,000 students on campus, so it's a nice campus with a lot of students.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:But you know, every single student that enrolls on our campus receives what we call a ball success team. So it's three professionals, full-time professionals, that help them navigate their experience on campus. It's their academic advisor we have some courses they're going to take in their major, that sort of thing. Their academic coach, which is, um, we believe in, we. We have all our students take the clifton strengths assessment.
Speaker 4:Uh, we believe in the potential of every student and the coach is trained as a cliftonStrengths coach and helps the young person think about what strengths they have, what unique talents they have, but then, more importantly, how to apply it to their goals. And then they're all assigned a financial aid counselor. There are very few campuses.
Speaker 2:Yes, so think about it.
Speaker 4:I mean every year we have 8,000 new students between our first year and our transfer students that are all assigned. A squad of people Like these are my people, yes, and that doesn't happen on a campus of our size.
Speaker 3:I mean, I hear people. It's like you're creating small villages. Yes, for each student.
Speaker 4:Yes, that's what that is.
Speaker 3:It's exactly what it is. We've always been raised that you need a village. You know, but that's what Tennessee creates. A small, you know, but that's what Tennessee creates a small village for each student to know where they can go, exactly.
Speaker 4:Get fed, yes, and not just food, yes, absolutely, you know, into bringing out the best of them and that's you know, when I got here and I met before COVID hit. So I arrived in 2020, january 2020. I met with about 150 or so first year students and I asked them, asked them, I said what do y'all need, what do you need to thrive? And they said you know, we have so many resources on campus that we don't know where to go, so we don't go anywhere, we go to each other. And I was like, oh, that's not always great, right? So that's where this careful who you go to exactly.
Speaker 2:So that's where this is Be careful who you go to Exactly, and that's where this idea of the Voss success teams came from.
Speaker 4:It came from them. It came from talking to them about what they need, and I think that you know in higher ed that's what we need to be doing, Like you have to sit down with students, talk to them about their needs and then respond, Act that's what leadership is about Exactly it's action. And so we created the ball success teams and amongst other programs that we had, but I will tell you.
Speaker 4:Listening to our students is how we were able to move the needle on their success rates. When I got here, our first year retention rate for about seven to 10 years had been around 86%, and it fluctuated 86.5, 86.4 in that space.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:We're at 92% now. That's awesome In a really short period of time, because you've only been here four years.
Speaker 3:Yes, been here four years. That's what stuck out to me when I was reading about you. I'm like so many things that they say that you implemented and I'm like that's just in four years, and when you think about it, that's during COVID. So in four years, and when you think about it, that's during COVID.
Speaker 4:So it's really short four years not long. Four years it is. But you know what I will say is sometimes disruptions like COVID can be useful, while COVID impacted families in a very negative way.
Speaker 3:The students really needed support during COVID because there was a lot of students and I'm going to speak on this in a few minutes about something that stuck out to me that y'all do for your students. Now let me speak on it now. One of the events that I went to. I asked what the event was about and they said, well, the kids are getting ready for finals, yes, okay. And they said, well, we're doing this event to try to bring anxiety down, to try to help all the students to get ready for finals but, at the same time, just not have their anxiety so high that they test lower. Bring that anxiety down and they test higher. That was brilliant to me because I watched all those students walk around at Circle Park and they were happy. The vendors were happy making things with them. You know they got on our selfie station.
Speaker 3:They made a moment for themselves and it was great things. But I thought that is awesome because I know back when I was taking finals, I didn't have that. I didn't either. I had parents that were like you better study, you better study, you better make a good grade Exactly. But I didn't have my school and I'm not taking away from my school.
Speaker 4:It's just a different time.
Speaker 3:Different time and we're learning more than students are needing. But that's one thing that stuck out to me is that y'all are really trying to keep down the students' anxiety, so they will do well, you know, and just even the anxiety, the dog, the habit dogs, yes Came out and I was just like that's amazing. And all those students were smiling, yes, and happy and laughing, yes, that's huge.
Speaker 4:Oh, it's so funny you bring this up. Just the other day I guess it was last week we were preparing students for midterms, and so we've had what we call Fall Success Week, and so it's a week of activities getting them focused on midterms while also relieving that anxiety, and so I hosted with the dean of the libraries late night I think it's called late night breakfast.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:In the library and so we had pancakes. I mean, the food was great, Like it was really great Anyway.
Speaker 3:It was really great Side comment. I'm just kidding.
Speaker 4:It was great, but the students, some of them had no idea.
Speaker 3:we were there, some knew.
Speaker 4:So some were purposely coming over, but a good chunk of them were in there studying for chemistry. There was some big chemistry exam, and so they were you could tell they were overwhelmed. And then they saw this food and I was like surprise.
Speaker 3:You're surprised, you're going to get to eat and I was like you know what?
Speaker 4:This is your celebratory moment for coming in here to study Like this is a surprise for you, for doing what you're supposed to be doing as a scholar.
Speaker 3:On the campus, so that's thinking out of the box, yes. And on the campus, so that's thinking out of the box, yes. And you know, the biggest thing I see in this generation, that what they want from the past generations, they want to be heard, they do and they want to be, you know, have that feeling of not without judgment, that they can really, really, you know, open up without the scolding, you know, and that may have worked in the past generation, but this generation, you know, I think they really want team players.
Speaker 4:They do and they value authenticity.
Speaker 3:Yes, they do, yeah. So let me ask you this I know there's probably a lot of them, but let me, if you could pick, what is one thing on campus, is your favorite thing to do? Pick?
Speaker 4:what is one thing on campus is your favorite thing to do? Oh gosh, I know there's a lot, but I just um, oh my goodness, I have to think about it. Think about it. Um, there's so many okay, so I, these kind of are similar but they're not okay. Um, like that late night breakfast, or I do what's called orange dash, where I just show up in places where students are studying and I surprise them with orange food okay, all oranges or snacks, doritos, orange drinks yes, anything, orange anything orange.
Speaker 4:Yes, it's so much fun, because both of those things are surprises, and so the energy you get from the students. They're like sitting there studying and here I come rolling with my little cart and I'm like, hey, with a big smile, and they are just, they're so happy, um, and so showing that, to see those smiles, it is, it is, and to see them just be surprised. My team knows, I like to do those just because they're actually more fun to me than the planned events, I go to in some ways.
Speaker 4:But yeah, I mean to see someone who I know they're sitting there and they're working so hard at whatever it is and a lot of times they're overwhelmed and you can see it.
Speaker 4:There's been a where I've seen an older student with a with a younger one and they're working on something together and you see them like the energy and how serious they are and to be able just to stop and, um, make them smile, it's, it literally makes my day so campus that you could change, like if you could pick one thing that you say because you know change takes time.
Speaker 3:Yes, change takes time. We know change takes time. But name something that you would say you know what, if I could snap my fingers? I want to change this. Is there anything? I think, this is going to change this, I think this is going to sound.
Speaker 4:I hope it doesn't sound cliche, but if I could change anything, I just would want every student to know that they matter and that we're here to help. I think a lot of times students get lost in the shuffle and they feel like they're alone and they're not. And it's one of the things that orientation I meet with every single student when they arrive to UT. I do like 15 sessions it's a lot of sessions, she's a lot, it's a lot of sessions. But I do it myself because I want to make sure they understand they're not alone. Okay, um, and so, yeah, so if there's anything that I could change, you just don't want someone to feel alone.
Speaker 3:I never want anyone to feel alone that's big, because with everything that your position carries, that's a lot on your back and on your shoulders. Uh, for you to say I want to think, I want to make sure that every student feels like they're not alone and they have somebody, you know. That shows how humble you are, because a lot of times when you have a whole lot of you may want to change a lot of things, but a lot of times when we get in positions, you've got certain things that you have to do, you know, and so some things can fall through the cracks because there's so many things that you have to check off your list. So that shows that you're very humble and you think of them as you.
Speaker 4:Oh, I appreciate that. I guess what I would say is and I say this to campuses all the time leadership is about, about people yeah, it is the projects and things that we have going on. It only works if people work right, and so I think our metrics, you know, of course we're we're university, we're a university, we're assessed on how many students would graduate, how many students have a job post-UT all these things right.
Speaker 1:Those are things that.
Speaker 4:I have to respond to for my administration. Having said that, if you focus on the people, the metrics will come, so I'm less worried on that Viewers. I want to say it one more time If you focus on the people, the metrics will come and that's what.
Speaker 3:That's what makes university of tennessee different, because when I hear other universities speaking, I don't hear that and and that it goes back to what you said at the beginning. Yeah, you know, when you came here, what you saw and, like I said in every different department or whatever you want to make people feel at home.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:You know and that they matter. So tell me this with all the universities around the Southeast what makes us unique.
Speaker 4:You know well, let me just say this. You know well, let me just say this. I have consulted at lots of universities across the country, different types, whether it's Boyd, to Chancellor Plowman, to Provost Zomchick. Their number one priority is ensuring that our students are doing well, and, and having that from the very top, it means something.
Speaker 3:Yes, it really does, it does.
Speaker 4:And.
Speaker 3:Well, it goes back, if you think about it. It goes back to the way we were raised, yes, In our churches.
Speaker 4:Yes, think about it the head.
Speaker 3:Yes, the head had to be in check for it to flourish down to everybody else. It has to. So your head has to be that strong and understand the assignment, because if they don't understand that assignment it's going to affect everything that's coming down that ladder. And so you've got to be able to, and you've got to build a team that understands that and is trying their best to make that happen. Yes, if you have someone that's on your team that is not a team player, that can really hurt a lot of students.
Speaker 4:It really can, and I will tell you the campuses that I've been on where students are not thriving, it's because it hasn't started at the top.
Speaker 3:It has to start at the top.
Speaker 1:You have some really wonderful well-meaning people who are working really hard and running on the ground trying to enhance the experience.
Speaker 4:But to enhance experience needs resources, it needs time to think, it needs strategy, it needs presence from the leadership and they need to see the leadership. Exactly right.
Speaker 3:And President Boyd and Chancellor Plowman. You see them, they are out with the students. They are Because when I was reading about you, I read about everybody. Yeah, you know, because I wanted to prepare for this and I know I see them out a lot. Yes, you know, and I'm like okay, so it goes from the top All the way. Y'all make sure that y'all connect with the students. I've sat and watched you and you can see it is sincere. It's not a photo op. Yes, you may take a photo with them to bring a memory, but it's not a photo op.
Speaker 4:Yes, that's the difference Agreed. There's a memory and then photo op. Just like on Friday when it was raining, all crazy on campus, we had an event of coffee with the vice provost and the provost went with me. It was raining like cats and dogs and this brother walked out with his little umbrella. I was like do you want to drive the golf cart over? He was like nope, I'm just going to walk.
Speaker 3:And I was like, okay, and you're like, it's pouring rain, it's pouring rain, you are clear across campus.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we got over there and luckily we were under a tent but he stayed out there the whole hour waited for students and they came in waves because of the rain, so there was some dull times, but it did not matter for him. I mean, he was out there the entire time he wanted to make.
Speaker 3:He wanted to make a difference right and there's so many things our provost could have been doing, but he chose at that moment to be with them and that means it does, because there's a lot of kids that let me just say this with no judgment there's a lot of kids that come to the university and you don't know how they were raised, you don't know how, what, what they've been through, what trauma they've been through, and they may not have gotten that one-on-one, they may not have saw their mom or saw their dad on a regular basis and got that love. You know that y'all are giving and making sure that they see they matter. Yes, I think that's the biggest thing is the students need to know they matter and it's not for show and I've watched all of you and I'm just like they really get it and they really want to make a difference. And that's where it goes back to the legacy. Part of it is okay. What is people gonna remember you as? They're gonna remember that you wanted to make a difference.
Speaker 3:You, you went out and you labored, because I think a lot of times when we get in high positions, sometimes you don't see the labor. I can see the labor in you. I see the smile, you know, and I'm not talking about just in a photo, I'm talking about just live. I see you, you know, interacting with those students and asking how's your day going? I've seen you say that to many students How's your day going? Is everything okay? Do you need any help? You know that type of thing and I think that we need more of that. You know, university of Tennessee to me and I'm not saying that because I live in Tennessee, because I have viewers- outside of.
Speaker 3:Tennessee I'm not saying it because I live in Tennessee and I believe in the Vols and university. It's just. It's just different. It's a different feeling and I think that you should be proud of yourself that what you're doing is making a difference. So my next question what is your primary role at the University of Tennessee?
Speaker 4:Yes. So as Vice Provost, I'm primarily responsible for ensuring that every student who is admitted to the university that they graduate. So I work really closely with our faculty specifically to make sure that our students are prepared and have strong what I would call academic confidence in the classroom. So my role, the offices I work with, is from orientation, so orienting all new students, advising, coaching. I mentioned career center, honors programs, undergraduate research, and then we have some programs for special populations like our veterans, first generation students, those sorts of things. So my goal is to understand what the faculty are looking for in the classroom and then to give our work with our students to give them those skills so that they can perform well in the classroom. And the same with the career side. What are employers looking for? And then how do we ensure that our students are getting those so many people that I hear when we're out working that people will ask me my opinion of college and it seems like the value of college is going down.
Speaker 3:What is your thoughts on that?
Speaker 4:Yes, there was recently a Gallup Illumina survey that asked people about their confidence in higher education, and this is at an all-time low. It's sad, you know, and it it stems from, honestly, probably, the university experiences that you and I had. I don't think that's experiences that students are having now Correct, but you know, higher ed used to be this organization on the hill that you had to do all these things and prove you were worthy to be a part of it.
Speaker 4:And you know that has shifted and but there are still people who believe that we're still that elitist group and I guess there probably still are some campuses that are in that space. But the reality is and we know this, that people who have a four-year degree they earn more over their lifetime. They are. I don't know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:Considered, yeah, positioned, more time. Uh, they are. I don't know what. I don't know if they're more considered, yeah, position more, yeah, they have higher.
Speaker 4:You know um opportunities different resources for for positions.
Speaker 4:Um, different doors will open. Um, also, you're talking about legacy. You're leaving a legacy for your family, especially for first generation families. I mean there's generational wealth that is created by the experiences. So there's just, it makes me sad because we have so many opportunities and I wish that people would see some of the things like what we're doing in a modern land grant like UT, where we're not the school on the hill, we are the community school. We're here to serve the state of Tennessee, we're here to listen to what the people of the state need and want and our goal is to deliver on that. And so you know, I think that Chancellor Plowman and President Boyd have done a phenomenal job, cheerleading across the state, talking about the value we have, we've added, but also listening, listening to the people of the state about what they need, and then us kind of not kind of but trying to deliver on those resources.
Speaker 3:Now you see why I brought Vice Provost Dr Amber Williams on Talkin' Tennessee. She's brilliant, she's ready, she's willing to have the conversation and we're going to do a second segment Tune in next Friday to part two of this segment. Bye, guys.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to Talkin' Tennessee with Yvonca. Watch out for our weekly episodes from the First Family of Real Estate and check us out on the web wwwyvoncasalesrealestatecom. See our videos on Yvonca's YouTube channel or find us on Facebook under. Yvonca Landis and Twitter at Yvonca Landis. And don't forget to tell a friend about us. Until next time. Yvonca signing off.