Striving for Excellence and Celebrating Our Success
This week we celebrate commencement. It’s the time of year when we not only reflect on the hard work and achievements of our graduates but of everyone across the university.
We should be proud of our new innovations in student success, highly rated academic programs, groundbreaking research, remarkable individual accomplishments, and athletic championships. All across campus, Volunteers are making a difference. We should be bold in celebrating our achievements and outspoken in telling the world about the great things we are doing. I know that it is the pride in our work and the impact it makes that keep all of us striving for excellence each day.
As always, thank you for all you do.
Transcript
Hello Vols! It’s Chancellor Donde Plowman here.
Today I’m standing in Lindsey Nelson Stadium and behind me is the number one baseball team in the country. They’re practicing! I know you’ve been excited just like I have to watch them this season.
One of the best parts of watching them is seeing how hard they work to be excellent, and I’m inspired by their greatness. I want you to join me in shouting from the rooftops about the great successes we’re having here on Rocky Top.
You know we have academic programs that are the best in the country. Nuclear Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Printmaking…to name just a few. We also have unparalleled capabilities research-wise in Advanced Materials.
Our student success programs are achieving tremendous success in helping students be the best version of themselves and use their strengths to accomplish great things.
Just last month Jack Dongarra, professor of computer science, was awarded the Turing Award which, if you don’t know what that is, it’s sort of like the Nobel Prize in computer science. Our professor! Jack Dongarra has been here for 33 years training young doctoral students, young faculty, and coming up with computer science code that’s changed the way we do almost everything.
Just as I’m inspired by this team right behind me I’m inspired by each of you every single day. You can’t hit home runs if you don’t swing for the fences and I know that’s what each of you are doing every day and I thank you. And Go Vols!