We can’t wait to welcome you to Tennessee Extension at the Extension New Employee Conference! This event is a time to meet and make connections with fellow new employees, departmental staff, and Extension leadership. We will have opportunities for professional development within your program area and your role, so you can get to know your peers and learn more about your area.
Extension New Employee Conference Objectives
- Gain an understanding of the mission, vision, values, and culture of Tennessee Extension.
- Connect and build relationships with other new employees, leadership, and departmental and campus staff.
- Learn policies, procedures, and best practices for carrying out your responsibilities.
- Learn about available resources for professional development and educational programming.
If you have questions, check out the FAQ at the bottom of this page. Email Brandi Berven or Amy Kirk, or call the Extension HR, Evaluation, and Staff Development Office at 865-974-7245 with any additional questions.
Who should attend the conference?
The conference is for full-time UT Extension and TSU Extension employees.
| What was your start date? | Is your position exempt or non-exempt? | Required to Attend? |
| On or after April 1, 2023 | Exempt | Required |
| On or after April 1, 2023 | Non-exempt | Optional – highly encouraged |
Registration
Please register in SUPER for training credit. Let us know of any special needs or dietary restrictions when you register.
You will receive 20 hours of training credit for attending the conference.
Register in Qualtrics for your tours and breakout sessions.
Schedule at a Glance
Attendance at all sessions is expected. Unless there are extenuating circumstances that you communicate to us in advance (or emergencies – we understand!), you will be expected to attend all functions.
Download a PDF of the Schedule Here
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
| Time | Session |
| 7:30 – 9:30 am | Parking Shuttle will be making continuous loops between UT Creamery parking lot and the Plant Biotech Building |
| 8:30 – 9:30 am | Registration Open Session for Professional Headshots |
| 9:30 am – 11:00 am | UTIA New Employee Welcome |
| 11:00 am – 12:30 pm | UTIA New Employee Departmental Expo |
| 11:30 am – 12:45 pm | UTIA Employee Appreciation Lunch |
| 12:45 – 3:15 pm | Tours – Choose 2 of the following options UT Gardens Tour UTIA Campus Tour UT Veterinary Hospital Tour |
| 3:30 pm | Ice Cream Social at UT Creamery |
| 5:00 pm | Tour of Neyland Stadium |
| 6:45 pm | New Employee Welcome Dinner at Calhoun’s on the River |
| 8:00 pm | Adjourn for the Day |
Wednesday, April 24, 2024 – All sessions at the UT Conference Center
| Time | Session |
| 7:30 am | Full Breakfast Buffet |
| 8:00 am | General Session The Extension Story – Ashley Stokes Networking Activity – Dawn Seigel & Cora Ripley Understanding Yourself and Others with the Enneagram – Zoe Nunley |
| 10:15 am | Break |
| 10:30 am | Roundtable Discussions – Choose 5 topics. – Going Back to School – Laura Clark – Building Up Your County Program and Partnerships – Seth Whitehouse – Adapting Your Communication Style to Reach New & Diverse Audiences – Egla Lopez – Collaboration Across Program Areas – Haley Treadway & Kevin Treadway – Customer Service Under Pressure: Working with Difficult Clients and Volunteers – Tamera Adjei – Marketing Extension Programs – Celina Menard – Working with Volunteers – Daniel Sarver – Office of Sponsored Programs – Hollie Shreiber |
| 11:30 am – 12:30 pm | Professional Associations ESP, BEP, TAAA&S, TEAFCS, TAE4-HW, TEAAP Lunch with Professional Associations |
| 12:30 – 2:45 pm | Introduction to the Program Areas Program Area Breakout Sessions 4-H, ANR, FCS, Administrative/Financial |
| 2:45 pm | Break |
| 3:00 – 3:40 pm | Position Breakout Sessions Administrative/Financial: Career Development and the CAP Exam – Trudi Neubeck Specialists/Faculty: Developing Collaborative Relationships Between Agents and Specialists – Natalie Bumgarner & Andrea Ludwig Agents/Program Assistants: Career Development in Extension – John Toman & Brandi Berven |
| 3:50 pm | General Session Elevating Tennessee Extension: Building More Inclusive Programs and Collaborative Workplaces – Brandi Berven, Tamera Adjei, Egla Lopez, Kevin Treadway |
| 5:00 pm | Adjourn for the Day – Dinner on Your Own |
Thursday, April 25, 2024 – All sessions at the UT Conference Center
| Time | Session |
| 7:30 am | Full Breakfast Buffet |
| 8:00 am | General Session Work/Life Balance in Extension – Laura Clark |
| 9:00 – 9:40 am | Skill Building Breakout Sessions The Extension Learning Model – Steve James Group Facilitation Skills – Zoe Nunley Writing Better Emails – Amy Kirk Survey Best Practices for Program Evaluation – Karen Franck SUPER Events Module – John Toman |
| 9:45 – 10:25 am | Skill Building Breakout Sessions Best Practices for Developing E-learning (for specialists) – Steve James Time Management – Zoe Nunley Writing Better Emails (repeat session) – Amy Kirk Survey Best Practices for Program Evaluation (repeat session) – Karen Franck SUPER Profile Module and Promotion Process – John Toman |
| 10:35 am | General Session Telling the Extension Story: How to Tell a Good Story for Connection & Advocacy – Inga Haugen |
| 12:00 pm | Adjourn |
| 12:30 – 2:00 pm | OPTIONAL Post Conference Workshop – Must pre-register. Box lunch provided. SUPER Workshop: Events, Delivery, Profile, Enrollment |
Getting Here
Location
Sessions on April 23 will take place in 156/157 Plant Biotech Building, 2505 E.J. Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996 and on April 24-25 at the UT Conference Center, located downtown at 600 Henley Street, Knoxville, TN 37902.
When you enter the Plant Biotech Building from EJ Chapman Drive, the meeting room will be straight ahead through the entrance door on the first floor.
Parking on Campus on April 23
We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding with parking on Tuesday! Please read the following instructions and plan accordingly to make sure you are able to arrive, park, and walk or shuttle in time for the 9:30 am start time on April 23. The shuttle will start as early as 7:30 am and will run on a continuous loop to the meeting location. Note that the following information does not apply to campus employees who already have an assigned parking lot.
Please carpool as much as possible to campus. If you are staying at a hotel, please coordinate with other attendees at the hotel to ride to campus together. You can also take an Uber or Lyft to campus. If your region is bringing UT vehicles, please utilize those as much as possible. UT vehicles can be parked in any UT staff parking lot, which will be the most convenient option.
If you are not in a UT vehicle, we have parking permits for the lots at the UT Creamery (2712 Neyland Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996) for the morning event on April 23. To make the best use of these passes, we ask that you please carpool with other attendees. A member of the Extension Evaluation & Staff Development (EESD) staff will be at the UT Creamery on the morning of April 23, 2024 to hand-out those required permits. See the map below for the location of this parking area. UT vans will be used to bring participants to the Plant Biotech Building on the UTIA campus.
Parking at the UT Conference Center
If you are staying at a downtown hotel and walking to the conference center, you can stay parked at your hotel. If you are driving to the conference center, parking will be in Locust Street Garage. For more information about getting to the conference center and parking, see this document:
Carpooling
Carpooling is strongly recommended. Check with others in your region or with your regional office to coordinate carpooling with other attendees.
Hotel Info
If you are traveling to Knoxville and need lodging, you will be responsible for booking your own reservation.
Hotel Rate Information
The nightly CONUS rate for Knoxville is $113 plus taxes. Make sure you book at or below this rate.
How to Book Your Hotel Reservation
You may book at any hotel of your choice at the CONUS rate ($113 per night) through the Concur system . If you need assistance with Concur, work with your regional office or departmental business office or see the following training resources for using Concur.
Travel (booking) Focused
Intended for anyone interested in using the Concur Travel (booking) service provided by World Travel. In this session, attendees will realize the benefits of using Travel, review the basics of making travel arrangements (airfare, car rental, lodging), and learn best practices as well as how to troubleshoot common problems.
1 hour | Recording | FAQ: Booking Travel with World Travel Service and Concur
In-state Travel
Travelers or delegates processing expenses for in-state travel will learn how to claim expenses for the day, overnight, and mileage-only trips, including when and how to claim a travel allowance.
1 hour | Recording
Check-in and Check-out Dates
The conference will start mid-morning on April 23, so if your drive is more than a couple hours, you may wish to check in on April 22. The conference will conclude mid-day on April 25, so you can check out on April 25.
Travel Expenses and Reimbursement
Per normal travel reimbursement procedures, you will pay for your hotel room at checkout and submit for travel reimbursement once you return to your office or use a UT travel card if you have one.
If you do not yet have a UT travel card, please work with your regional office or department to obtain one. You may also pay for your lodging with a personal credit card and submit for reimbursement.
Nearby Hotels
While you may book at a hotel of your choice, the following hotels typically offer the CONUS rate and are located within walking distance of the UT Conference Center, but please confirm your rate before booking. Please book through Concur when possible.
| Hotel | Distance from Conference Center |
| Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown 618 W Main St 865-522-5400 | .16 miles Limited number of rooms reserved – Adjust dates according to your situation Booking link – https://group.hamptoninn.com/cwdouz Deadline to book – March 21, 2024 |
| Crowne Plaza Downtown 401 W. Summit Hill Drive 877-834-3613 | 0.4 mile; 8 minute walk Limited number of rooms reserved – Adjust dates according to your situation Booking link – UT Ag Ext New Agent Training Deadline to book – March 22, 2024 |
| Cumberland House Knoxville 1109 White Ave 865-971-4663 | 0.4 mile 8 minute walk |
| Hilton Knoxville 501 W. Church Ave 865-523-2300 | Across the street from the UT Conference Center |
Attire
Dress for orientation is business casual.
Meeting room temperatures may fluctuate, so you may wish to dress in layers.
On April 23, we will be doing quite a bit of walking for tours and other activities. Make sure to bring comfortable shoes.
We will be offering the opportunity to get your professional headshot from Marketing and Communications before the opening session on April 23 and during the expo from 11:00 – 12:00, so if you would like a more formal photo, please plan accordingly.
What to Bring
Please bring your laptop (if you have one), which will be used for some of the breakout sessions.
Download the app, Goosechase, to your phone through the Apple App Store or Google Play. You will receive further instructions at orientation, but go ahead and make sure you have the app downloaded.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is attendance required?
See the table below:
| What was your start date? | Is your position exempt or non-exempt? | Required to Attend? |
| On or after April 1, 2023 | Exempt | Required |
| On or after April 1, 2023 | Non-exempt | Optional – highly encouraged |
I have a major conflict with these dates. What do I do?
If you are required to attend and have a major conflict, address this with your regional director or department head to work out the scheduling conflict.
If you are in a group for whom attendance is optional, we highly encourage you to work out a way to attend. This will be a valuable opportunity for making connections with others in the organization and learning about important topics.
I don’t have access to SUPER yet. How do I register?
Sometimes it can take a few days after you start work to get access to all the systems you need. If you are unable to access SUPER, give it a few days and check back. We will work with you to make sure you can register to get training credit.
How do I pay for my hotel lodging?
In accordance with UT travel policy, you will pay for your hotel bill then submit for reimbursement once you return to your office or use a UT Travel Card if you have one. You will need to provide payment when making your reservation to secure your reservation. When you check out, make sure you get a hotel receipt with a $0.00 balance. If you have further questions about travel policies, check with your county director or county administrative assistant.
Where do I charge my travel expenses? Is there an account number?
Travel expense reimbursements are the responsibility of each individual’s county office or department and comes out of their regular travel budget. For administrative assistant positions, there is some funding available from the regional offices for travel to this event. Please work with your supervisor and your regional office. For those working in grant funded positions, please work with your supervisor to see if there is funding available.
Tour Options for April 25
Participants get to choose 2 of the following tours.
Tour Option 1: Guided tour of the College of Veterinary Medicine
Tour Option 2: Guided tour of the UT Gardens
Tour Option 3: Guided tour of the UT Creamery Plant
