Hongwei Xin, Dean of UT AgResearch, was recognized at the 2023 Egg Industry Issues Forum with the Leggacy Maker Award for his commitment and achievements in advancing the egg industry and the mission of the Egg Industry Center (EIC). Xin was the founding director of the EIC.
In 2019, Xin became the dean of UT AgResearch, and to date a hallmark accomplishment is his persistent work in successfully securing $50 million in funding to modernize UT AgResearch infrastructure and equipment at the 10 AgResearch and Education Centers across the state.
Doctoral Student Receives Grant
Ravi Neelipally, a Ph.D. student in plant and soil science at the Herbert College of Agriculture, received the 2023 Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Graduate Student Research Grant for his work on determining the viability of organic wheat- soybean double-crop systems in the southeastern United States. Neelipally’s findings will contribute to Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science Professor Sindhu Jagadamma’s ongoing research on increasing the adoption of organic farming in Tennessee.
UT Extension Welcomes New Director to Lone Oaks Farm
Jeremy Burnett is the new director at the Lone Oaks Farm, and his duties will include overseeing the working cattle and hay farm, the Clays youth and adult shooting sports facility, the newly opened 4-H and Youth Development Center, the hospitality and corporate retreat facilities, and other recreational opportunities. Burnett most recently served as the dean of off-campus instructional sites at Southwest Tennessee Community College. He was with Southwest for 23 years as a tenured faculty member in hospitality management and in various administrative roles. Burnett (Knoxville, ’98, ’03) holds a bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant administration and a master’s in recreation, tourism and hospitality. He also has experience in the hotel and lodging industry.
Planning for the Future
As soon as he was no longer “interim,” UTIA Senior Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice President Keith Carver (Knoxville ’95, ’09) wasted no time forming a strategic planning committee and scheduling listening sessions for Institute faculty, staff and students as well as members of advisory councils, interested partners and other stakeholders. “One of the most important opportunities we have as an organization is to come together and set a course for our future,” says Carver. The planning committee has already met several times, and results from its efforts as well as coordinated input from the stakeholder meetings are expected as early as February 2024.
