Guest Blog from Carey Smith

Advocacy Is Critical to Strengthening the University of Tennessee

UT Advocacy was on hand at the IPS Annual Conference in Chattanooga this month to discuss the importance of advocating for the University of Tennessee System. 

Raising awareness of the UT System’s distinctive contributions to improving the education, economic development and qualify of life of all Tennesseans is a goal of the newly completed System Strategic Plan.  To help accomplish this goal, the University has launched a new advocacy program.  UT Advocacy seeks to engage faculty, staff, alumni, students, and friends of the University more extensively in government relations and the political process.  The goal is simple:  to educate and mobilize supporters to effectively advocate for the University of Tennessee at both the state and federal levels. 

With hundreds of thousands of alumni, faculty, staff, and students in its ranks, the University of Tennessee is awakening a sleeping giant in the world of government relations.  The influence of this group will develop as numerous individuals send coordinated messages to their elected officials.

Several online tools have been created to assist this effort.  Advocates can learn about critical political issues facing the University, register to receive Advocacy Alerts, and learn effective communication strategies to maximize their impact.  These tools can be found at: http://advocacy.tennessee.edu.  

Building a community of informed advocates is critical to strengthening the University of Tennessee.  The Institute for Public Service can play an enormous role in this effort.

 
How can you impact Tennessee’s future?
Get educated.  Get connected.  Speak out today.

http://advocacy.tennessee.edu/
http://facebook.com/UTAdvocacy
Twitter: @UTAdvocator