2026

Greetings from Rocky Top

Over the past year, faculty, staff, and students have worked to build on UTIA’s strong foundation of global engagement. From destinations closer to home such as Costa Rica to faraway lands such as Japan, students traveled abroad, many for the first time, to learn about agriculture firsthand in a wide variety of settings. Faculty and staff also hosted visitors from around the world and collaborated with various partners on research, education, and Extension programs with global impact. 

In partnership with the UT Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Development, the UT Beef and Forage Center, and UT AgResearch, the Smith Center led a series of online seminars last fall featuring speakers from universities and partner institutions across Brazil. This spring, we were honored to host a group of ten Brazilian scientists for a weeklong visit to Tennessee. We are excited about the collaborations growing from that exchange, from study abroad opportunities to joint research grant proposals.

Thank you for continuing to partner with us as we grow global opportunities for UTIA faculty and staff and for students at the Herbert College of Agriculture, the College of Veterinary Medicine, and across UT Knoxville. 

Faculty, staff, and visiting scholars posed, smiling for a photo.

Research Gateways Grow Global

Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is structured around gateways that cross disciplines and encompass a broad scope. These gateways bring together faculty based on their strengths and expertise…

Ocean and mountains in Guatemala.

The Milams’ Legacy

A Global Connection Between UTIA and Guatemala Beverly and Kelly Milam just wanted to help. When the Knoxville couple learned how little of the money donated to relief agencies actually…

A group of people standing in a green field smiling for a photo.

Smith Global Leadership Fellows

Reflections on a Future of Growing Global From 2022 to 2026, the Smith Global Leadership Fellows program created opportunities for faculty at UTIA to become champions for global engagement by…

A faculty member and a student smiling for a photo in a greenhouse.

Brazilian Undergraduate Student Expands Forage Research Globally

Bruno Pedreira, UT Extension forage specialist and associate professor in the Department of Plant Sciences, has long searched for ways to connect research conducted in Tennessee with our academic counterparts…

A person standing on a bridge in the rainforest in a bright yellow rain jacket.

New Vols Expand Their Horizons Through First-Year Global Program

Since fall 2020, the Division of Global Engagement has partnered with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, the Division of Student Success, and the Smith Center for International Sustainable Agriculture (Smith…

Three people posed, smiling for a photo in Togo.

From Herbert College of Agriculture to Togo

How One Graduate Found Her Purpose Abroad A year ago, Josie Calhoon stepped off a plane in Togo, West Africa, unsure what the next two years would bring. Today, she…

Hands holding corn.

Local Roots, Global Reach

When Elizabeth Mobley and her husband started raising Boer goats, they weren’t thinking about global markets, they simply wanted to build a business their children could be involved in. A…

A group of students and faculty holding a University of Tennessee flag posed for a photo in Greece.

When Tennessee Meets the World

Sharing the Impact of Global Experiences Part of the Smith Center’s mission includes helping staff find opportunities to globalize their work in relevant ways. Global engagement at UTIA takes a…

A student in a yellow rain jacket and a University of Tennessee hat walking through the streets of Italy alongside other students.

Vol Field Guide

The Smith Center is working to facilitate more international experiences like these Herbert study abroad programs to create global change agents across UTIA. These experiences not only show students that…

Students and faculty smiling for a selfie in Panama.

Veterinary Students Gain Global Perspective Through Floating Doctors Partnership in Panama

A recent trip to Panama provided four University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine students with a firsthand look at the challenges of delivering care in remote communities and the…

Staff member smiling, posed for a photo.

UTIA Global Awards Celebrate the Faculty, Staff, and Students Taking the Lead in Growing Global 

One way the Smith Center celebrates the international engagement taking place across UTIA is through annual awards recognizing faculty, staff, and students for their involvement in advancing the institute’s global…

Bamboo forest

Applying the One Health Approach in Japan

The Japanese culture of Mottainai encourages respect for resources and emphasizes reducing waste. The term loosely translates to “waste not, want not.” Students learned this cultural concept during the May…