Beginning November 1, the Office of Community Engagement and Outreach will shift from the Office of Research and Engagement to report to Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Engagement Tyvi Small.

Engaging with the broader community remains a top priority for the university. This realignment reinforces UT’s commitment to building bridges between university knowledge and community knowledge while also providing resources to administrators, academic departments, faculty, and staff.

The Office of Community Engagement and Outreach was established in 2013 as part of UT’s effort to more deeply integrate community engagement into its land-grant mission of research, teaching, and outreach. The office has accomplished a great deal in the past six years, and this move allows it to build on that success and expand beyond research to focus fully on the broad mission.

As part of the reorganization, Director of Community Engagement Javiette Samuel will become an assistant vice chancellor for diversity and engagement. In addition to her current role, Samuel’s expanded duties will include responsibility for communications, special events, and community relations within the office, including collaborations with the Institute of Agriculture and UT Extension; working with campus partners on faculty and staff recruitment initiatives; assisting directly with the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students, faculty, and staff; and continuing to build strong collaborations with community organizations.