Library Faculty Take Campus Leadership Roles

Two library faculty members are contributing their leadership skills to making UT Knoxville an even better educational institution. Teresa Walker recently participated in the inaugural class of the Chancellor’s Leadership Academy. Anna Sandelli is serving as a University Honors Faculty Fellow in the Division of Student Success.

The Chancellor’s Leadership Academy was an eight-month professional development program aimed at elevating leaders across the campus. Teresa Walker, professor and associate dean of Libraries, was among 32 department heads, directors, deans, associate vice chancellors, and other faculty and staff from colleges and units across the university who formed the inaugural class. Academy members began holding monthly meetings in September 2022 with Chancellor Donde Plowman and other top university leaders with the goal of expanding class members’ professional and personal leadership skills. The group celebrated completion of the course on April 26.

Walker leads library departments that interact directly with university students, staff, and faculty. That includes services in support of research, teaching and learning, student engagement, and outreach at Hodges, Pendergrass, and DeVine Libraries.

Anna Sandelli is one of 12 University Honors Faculty Fellows selected from various colleges on campus to develop a new core curriculum for the competitive Honors and Scholars Programs. The new curriculum will place a strong emphasis on the application of innovative methodologies, such as “design thinking,” to address complex and multifaceted real-world problems.

Sandelli is associate professor and head of Teaching and Learning Programs at the UT Libraries. She oversees a department focused on information literacy, online and experiential learning, user experience, and student success.

According to Pat Akos, associate vice provost for Student Success and executive director of Honors and Scholars Programs, “The Faculty Fellows were chosen based on their teaching excellence, experience with honors students, design and topical expertise, and commitment to the Honors Program. The collaborative nature of the fellow’s program mirrors the interdisciplinary problem-solving approach our University Honors students will learn.”