Faculty and staff of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, again rallied in numbers during the Big Orange Family Campaign with 100 more employees over last year showing their pride for the university through a donation. The campaign takes place early in each new calendar year and in 2023 completed its 10th anniversary. Throughout the years of the campaign, UT has regularly led the Southeastern Conference with faculty and staff giving growing from an original 16 percent to highs of more than 65 percent.
This year Chancellor Donde Plowman spoke about the momentum and energy she sees on Rocky Top and how faculty and staff involvement delivers a vital contribution to UT as a university on the rise.
“I want the people who work here to feel proud of this place,” Plowman said. “I want them to feel like they’re doing important work. I want them to feel like we’re a community and they’re part of it, that everyone has an important role, and I want them to see the energy that I feel and that I see on campus.”
One area that grew substantially in contributions this year was Parking and Transit Services. Moira Bindner, a communications and customer service manager in the unit, volunteered as a point person to rally staff for participation.I want the people who work here to feel proud of this place. I want them to feel like they’re doing important work. I want them to feel like we’re a community and they’re part of it, that everyone has an important role, and I want them to see the energy that I feel and that I see on campus.
– Chancellor Donde Plowman
“I went around and asked everybody personally and gave them what their options were, and the managers worked with their staffs,” Bindner said. “It was a personal ask, and I wanted to tell people why I contribute. I let them know some of the projects I support and how the stories of the amazing work being done by the UT community make me want to help everyone do their work a little bit better.”
Teams that reached 100 percent giving this year include:
- Advancement
- College of Communication and Information—Office of Student Media
- College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences—Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management
- College of Law
- Division of Student Life—Assessment and Strategic Initiatives
- Division of Student Life—Clay and Debbie Jones Center for Leadership and Service
- Division of Student Life—Communications
- Division of Student Life—Finance and Administration
- Division of Student Life—Office of Multicultural Student Life
- Division of Student Life—Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life
- Division of Student Life—Office of the Dean of Students
- Division of Student Life—Office of Vice Chancellor for Student Life
- Division of Student Life—Pride Center
- Division of Student Life—Student Union
- Division of Student Life—Technology Services
- Facilities Services—Arena and Athletics Building Services
- Facilities Services—Construction Group
- Facilities Services—Plumbing Services
- Finance and Administration—Team 3
- Haslam College of Business—Accounting
- Haslam College of Business—Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research
- Haslam College of Business—Business Analytics and Statistics
- Haslam College of Business—Economics
- Haslam College of Business—Finance
- Haslam College of Business—Graduate and Executive Education
- Haslam College of Business—Management
- Haslam College of Business—Marketing
- Haslam College of Business—Office of Diversity and Community Relations
- Haslam College of Business—Office of Marketing and Public Relations
- Haslam College of Business—Office of Technology Integration Services
- Haslam College of Business—Office of the Dean
- Haslam College of Business—Student Engagement and Success
- Haslam College of Business—Undergraduate Programs
- Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy
- Office of the Chancellor
- Tickle College of Engineering—Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Tickle College of Engineering—Office of Communications
- Tickle College of Engineering—Reliability and Maintainability Center
