Worldview Programs
In alignment with the State of Tennessee’s Campus Free Speech Protection Act, the UT Board of Trustees Policy Affirming Principles of Free Speech for Students and Faculty, and UT Health Science Center’s Strategic Plan, campus partners continuously work together to ensure a climate welcoming the worldviews of all faculty, staff, trainees, and students.
Below are campus worldview programs offered to students, faculty, staff, and trainees throughout the year.
Tennessee Divisive Concepts Act
The Tennessee Higher Education Freedom of Expression and Transparency Act ("the Act") prohibits Tennessee public institutions of higher education from taking certain actions regarding divisive concepts and the ideologies or political viewpoints of students and employees. It also addresses mandatory training that includes divisive concepts as defined in the Act. For more information, visit our Tennessee Divisive Concepts Act page.
CDO Sessions
Welcome to the Candor, Dialogue, and Observation Sessions (CDO Sessions) that started in June 2022. UTHSC's Associate Vice Chancellor, Dr. Michael Alston, will host monthly small group conversations over Zoom (7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. CDT) on the first and fourth Fridays of each month. Participants will be capped at sixteen (16) in each session, and you may register to participate as many times as you would like.
Participants in these unstructured conversations will be able to discuss and ask questions regarding civility, respect, thoughts, viewpoints, or other topics/subjects that they may be uncomfortable asking in different spaces. This platform is in place to encourage unspoken thoughts or comments and viewpoints to be shared based on one's worldview. One's worldview encompasses cultural events, political beliefs, knowledge of history, and outlook on life. A person's worldview is framed by an array of factors, such as encounters, associations, acquisition of knowledge, and even personal reflections, which change one's viewpoints with time.
We are sharing the dates of the upcoming Zoom conversations (the first Friday of the month at 7:30 a.m. CDT and the fourth Friday at 7:30 a.m. CDT). Unless otherwise specified, these conversations are for the entire campus community (i.e., students, residents/fellows, staff, faculty, and administrators). If you wish to attend, please sign up for the date you want to attend below.
First Friday and Fourth Friday Morning Zoom Meetings (7:30 am – 8:30 am CDT):
Engagement Challenge Program (ECP)
The Engagement Challenge Program (ECP) aims to intentionally increase engagement with nuanced aspects of the workplace, including respect, courtesy, consideration, the importance of human interactions, and how relationships improve organizational culture and effectiveness. This program offers a safe avenue for experiential learning through multimedia, short readings, stimulating interactions, and productive dialogue, welcoming participation from a broad audience by being flexible and mostly asynchronous (at your own pace). It advocates for self-discovery and utilizing various resources to expand one's understanding of intersectional ideas, exploring the unique aspects of the human experience in the workplace. The ECP offers two individual 15-Day Challenge programs annually based on concepts and theories in organizational behavior management and organizational psychology that align with the Be One UT Values. For more information, visit our Engagement Challenge Program page.
Book Club At The Center
Engage in discussions through the power of books that demonstrate a collective mixture of worldviews that honor beliefs, values, expectations, and experiences! Participation is fluid to account for varying schedules and subject matter interests. Book drawings for free copies are held before each discussion. For more information, visit our Book Club At The Center page.