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On June 25, the UT Board of Trustees approved a budget of nearly $1.35 billion for the upcoming school year that includes a zero percent increase in tuition for the UT Knoxville campus. This is the second year that the board has approved a zero percent increase, a decision that many colleges made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Â
The new budget also includes an increase of $17.5 million in state funding, $13.6 million of which will be dedicated to raising the campus-wide minimum wage to $13 and creating a four percent salary pool for staff and faculty raises.Â
The board also approved the granting of an honorary doctorate in humanities to poet Joy Harjo, who held the Hodges Chair of Excellence in the Department of English, before leaving to become the 23rd and current poet laureate of the United States.
Though there is already a great deal of excitement surrounding the planned return to in-person classes in the fall, the English departmentâs latest hire has given them another reason to look forward to next semester. Cornelius Eady will be joining the faculty as the John C. Hodges Chair of Excellence, bringing with him over 40 years of experience not only as an award-winning writer, but also as a beloved educator and community builder.
Eady said he is looking forward to joining the UT community, especially after hearing glowing comments about the creative writing program from Joy Harjo, the incumbent U.S. poet laureate who last held the John C. Hodges Chair of Excellence.