TITLE:                                   Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy                                          

DUTIES:                                Teach undergraduate & graduate classes in philosophy, specializing in metaphysics and/or philosophy of mind; conduct research in philosophy

                                                     (metaphysics/philosophy of mind) and publish results; advise students; participate in department and university committees and activities

REQUIREMENTS:              Ph.D in Philosophy with a specialization in Metaphysics or Philosophy of Mind); potential for high quality research and excellent teaching at all levels

SALARY:                                   $54,999.96 per year

HOURS:                                        40 hours per week

The earliest international student identified in the records of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is one Mr. Stamas S. Trikaliotis of Greece, who was awarded an M.A. degree in 1844.[1] It was not until the middle of the twentieth century, however, that international students began coming in significant numbers to the banks of the Tennessee River for their higher education. Indeed, since World War II many thousands of students from outside the United States have earned degrees at this institution or, as participants in one-or-one exchanges, transferred credits back to their home institutions abroad from their semester or year spent in Knoxville. Spurred by the establishment of the headquarters of the Tennessee Valley Authority in Knoxville during the 1930s and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory nearby in the 1940s, the faculty of UT Knoxville became particularly actively involved in international research and development projects since shortly after World War II. American students from Tennessee have gone to travel, work and study in other countries each year over the past sixty or so years.

Campus-based services for international students at UT Knoxville were brought together in the 1960s under the direction of Nelson Nee and, later, of Dixon Johnson. It was during that decade that the university’s first International House was established, occupying a former single-family dwelling in the Fort Sanders area at the edge of campus, as a meeting place for students from abroad. In the 1970s Professor Nelson Robinson, assisted by Nancy McCormack (now McGlasson), developed an Office of Study Abroad which later was to become the Division of International Education. Central administrators at UT Knoxville, meanwhile, signed agreements of mutual cooperation with overseas institutions.

The UT Institute of Agriculture, following a decade of successful involvement with the development of agricultural education (and with the establishment of an agricultural university in India), received US Title XII support for building internal competence in international activities. The UT Space Institute—situated in Tullahoma, Tennessee, but administratively a part of UT Knoxville—established a still-functioning exchange of lecturers and students with Germany’s Technishe Hochschule Aachen. Student exchange schemes were entered into, providing opportunities for Tennessee students to change places for a year or semester with students from Britain, Ireland, Germany and, later, with many other countries through active membership in the International Student Exchange Program (“ISEP” is a student exchange consortium of approximately 230 universities and colleges, half in the US and half outside). Since October 1975 the development of international education at UTK has been guided by the Statement on International Education, a policy pronouncement adopted by the UT Board of Trustees, the governing body for the entire University of Tennessee System.

During the early 1980s the pace of international activity at UT Knoxville increased markedly. In 1980 the university became a member of the Southeast Consortium for International Education (SECID). During the next year the UT Board of Trustees approved a “Proposal for Reciprocal Student Exchange Programs,” clearing the way for one-on-one student exchange programs, and the Faculty Senate created an International Education Committee.

The year 1982 witnessed not only the establishment of the International Agricultural Board at the UT Institute of Agriculture but also the laying of the groundwork for a new UT Knoxville administrative unit, the Center for International Education (CIE). In April of that year 120 people from near and far were invited by the Chancellor to a conference entitled Strategies for Developing International Education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to discuss a 34-page discussion paper which had been developed over the preceding eleven months by a Conference Planning Committee. The conference led directly to the establishment later that year of the Council on International Education, an advisory body of the UT Knoxville Chancellor, and to the creation of the CIE eighteen months later. Also during 1982, the UT Knoxville campus formally adopted its Guidelines on Foreign Student Enrollment—that, while still viewed in the admissions offices as an ideal for which to strive, are no longer strictly applied.

In 1983 the Role and Scope Committee, made up of students, staff, faculty and administrators, studied the question of how international education should best be conducted at UT Knoxville and formally recommended the creation of the Center For International Education. CIE became a reality with the appointment, following a national search, of David C. Larsen—who later became Vice President of Arcadia University—as the unit’s first permanent Director in September 1984.

Also in 1983 UT Knoxville moved into its second International House. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Howard Aldmon had secured a former family home, built circa 1900, at 1515 Cumberland Avenue as the new International House. Situated directly across Cumberland Avenue from the Carolyn P. Brown University Center building (and also from CIE’s main offices in Alumni Hall, later renamed Aconda Court) and also between the College of Law and the Panhellenic Building, the second “I-House” was much closer to the campus proper. The new facility offered 3,577 usable square feet divided into twenty rooms. Then-Acting Vice Chancellor Phillip Scheurer secured funds to double I-House operating monies and to provide for a graduate assistant. A director was hired, initially into a three-quarter-time position and, later, a full-time one.

Although the new International House’s name remained the same as the first I-House, its undergirding philosophy had changed. The 1983 Role and Scope Committee had charged the I-House to serve all UTK students (not just foreign nationals), the UTK faculty and staff and the greater Knoxville community, and to develop programming which would reflect this change. The I-House thenceforward was meant to provide ample opportunity for people of every nationality—including Americans—to meet. No longer was it to be seen merely as a haven for students from other lands.

The new CIE—which initially reported simultaneously to Vice Chancellor for Students Affairs Phillip A. Scheurer and to Provost George Wheeler (via Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate  School C.W. Minkel)—quickly established itself on campus as a catalyst for international activities at every level. Services to international students and scholars increased: exchange and study-abroad programs for US students increased in general across campus, the I-House was active, and interest by faculty and staff in international research and exchange rose sharply. New collaborations on special projects took place with such outside organizations as the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Hubert H. Humphrey North-South Fellows Program, the Institute of International Education and the Council on International Education. With the departure of David C. Larsen in 1988, James N. Gehlar became CIE’s Acting Director and later its second Director. Internal restructuring in 1991 gave CIE an Office of International Programming (which included the I-House), an Office of International Scholar Services, an Office of International Student Services and a Programs Abroad Office. The number of full-time staff members rose to twelve, half of them clerical and half professional.

A 1992 decision to expand the UT Knoxville College of Law had a dramatic impact upon CIE. The existing main College of Law building was to be completely renovated and a much larger addition would be constructed next door, precisely upon the site of the second International House. Not only would UT Knoxville need to make provision for a new I-House but, by coincidence, CIE’s offices would simultaneously also have to be moved because its Aconda Court space was required as “surge” space for College of Law staff during the construction period.

In the spring of 1994, CIE offices moved to their current location, a renovated space in the “G” section of Melrose Hall, a residence hall constructed in 1948 in the heart of campus and next door to the new John C. Hodges Library. CIE staff made a transition from working on a cramped single floor in Aconda Court to four more spacious floors in their own free-standing portion of the residence hall.

In the fall semester of the same year, 1994, ground was broken for the construction of UT Knoxville’s third International House. Thanks to the Student Government Association’s decision to allocate $1.3 million from Student Activity Fee funds to construction and furnishing, the university was to have its first purpose-built I-House (the second I-House had closed its doors early that same summer, moving a semblance of its operations to a single room in the “Down Under” recreational area in the lowest level of the University center building).

CIE Staff moved into the new I-House on Friday, December 15, 1995, and first opened the facility’s doors to the public on the following Monday, December 18. The formal and ceremonial opening of the structure was celebrated on Wednesday, February 7, 1996, the event having twice been postponed by a series of winter storms that hobbled business and industry throughout the eastern third of the US. The third (and present) I-House is a 10,000 square foot facility situated among residence halls, adjacent to the John C. Hodges Library and along sidewalks that are daily trod by perhaps a third of UT Knoxville’s student population.

The third International House is across Melrose Avenue from CIE’s Melrose Hall offices. Although Melrose Avenue is a much smaller and less busy road than the four-lane Cumberland Avenue, the present geographic separation of the two facilities is quite similar to that of their predecessors in the 1980s and early 1990s. During the planning for moving both the I-House and CIE offices, there was active discussion about whether to place both functions under a single roof. It was decided to keep the I-House as a distinct, always welcoming place, psychologically separate for international students and scholars from CIE’s administrative offices. Because CIE staff on both sides of the street work closely, however, there is no administrative distinction.

If you are leaving the U.S. for vacation or business, don’t forget to take a minute before you travel to think about the documents you will need to get back into the U.S.   We want to review the lists of required documents and give some other hints for travel and visa applications.   If you still have questions after reading this, please feel free to contact an advisor in the UT Center for International Education.

Persons in F-1 status (including those on Practical Training/OPT).

Contact the college or university that issued your I-20 for information on getting a travel signature and other advice.

>> Continue reading “Travel Tips for All International Scholars and Employees” 

If you are leaving the U.S. for vacation or business, don’t forget to take a minute before you travel to think about the documents you will need to get back into the U.S.   We want to review the lists of required documents and give some other hints for travel and visa applications.   If you still have questions after reading this, please feel free to contact an advisor in the UT Center for International Education.

If you have H-1B status, you will need the following documents to re-enter the U.S.:

1.    A valid passport (normally valid for at least six months into the future).

2.    An unexpired H-1B visa (Multiple entry or two-entry with a remaining entry)

3.    Original of the lower part (or lower left part) of the most recent I-797 (H-1B approval from the U.S.

Citizenship and Immigration Services) [This is the part labeled “Detach this half for personal records”]

NOTE: CIE no longer provides the upper portion of the I-797 for visa applications.   USCIS policy requires the employer to keep the upper portion; we have been assured by the U.S. Department of State in Washington DC that the upper portion is NOT needed.   Therefore it is very important that you keep the original lower portion and present it to the U.S. Consulate with your visa application.  Do not let the airlines take this small document with your I-94 when you board the plane to leave the U.S.) 

 We also suggest you carry the following documents:

4.     A photocopy of the entire I-797 (upper and lower portions)  (Given to you when the petition was approved)

5.     Copy of the LCA (Labor Condition Application) given to you with your H-1B approval

6.     Copy of the I-129 petition filed by The University of Tennessee (also given to you with your H-1B approval).

7.     A recent letter from your department verifying that you have been employed and that you will still be employed when you return (If you cannot get this letter, we suggest you print out your last few Payroll statements from the UT Payroll Office website)

If you must apply for a new visa while you are outside the U.S., you should also carry with you, in addition to the above documents:

8.    Highest level diploma (original if possible, but photocopy will probably be accepted; an alternative is a photocopy of the diploma plus an original transcript showing the degree)

See also general information about visa applications and background checks below.

IMPORTANT:  If you have an H-1B petition pending with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), or if UT will be filing a new petition for you soon, please consult the Center for International Education before traveling.   If you leave the U.S. while an application is pending, it may cancel your application or create some confusion.

>> Continue reading “Travel Tips for All International Scholars and Employees” 

If you are leaving the U.S. for vacation or business, don’t forget to take a minute before you travel to think about the documents you will need to get back into the U.S.   We want to review the lists of required documents and give some other hints for travel and visa applications.   If you still have questions after reading this, please feel free to contact an advisor in the UT Center for International Education.

Scholars with J-1 status:

To re-enter the U.S., you will need:

1.  A valid passport (normally valid for at least six months into the future)

2.  An unexpired J-1 visa (multiple-entry, or two-entry with one entry remaining) in your passport

3.  An unexpired DS-2019 with travel signature from the Center for International Education (You may not re-enter the U.S. during the 30-day grace period)

Note:   The “travel signature” is a signature from David Lawson (or other authorized CIE advisor) in the lower right hand corner of the DS-2019 under “Travel Validation”.   The signature is officially valid for one year or until the ending date in Question 3 of the DS-2019, whichever is earlier.   However, if possible, we recommend that you get a new signature if the last signature was over six months ago.

To get a signature, please contact David Lawson at dplawson@utk.edu or 865- 974-3177 to arrange for a short appointment.   We suggest you arrange for a signature at least two weeks before you travel.  Travel signatures are normally not given on a walk-in basis, without an appointment).  If you have an appointment, the signature is normally done “on the spot” in a few minutes.

Remember, if your DS-2019 was not issued by The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, then your travel signature must be obtained from your sponsor (the office that issued your DS-2019).

Also, please remember that a departure from the U.S. (or from the university) of more than 30 days will usually mean that your J-1 program is terminated.   If you will be gone longer than 30 days, please discuss your plans with David Lawson before requesting a travel signature.     If your absence is work-related or if you are in a teaching position (taking summer vacation), we may be able to keep your J-1 program “active”, but we will need to report your overseas address in the SEVIS database.

If your J-1 visa has expired, you will need to apply for a new visa while you are outside the U.S.   (See exceptions below)   The DS-2019 form should be the only document you need for this application (in addition to the normal visa application forms available from the U.S. Consulate website).    (See information below about possible visa delays if a background check is required)

>> Continue reading “Travel Tips for All International Scholars and Employees” 

If you are leaving the U.S. for vacation or business, don’t forget to take a minute before you travel to think about the documents you will need to get back into the U.S.   We want to review the lists of required documents and give some other hints for travel and visa applications.   If you still have questions after reading this, please feel free to contact an advisor in the UT Center for International Education.

Leaving the U.S.

As you leave the U.S., remember to give your I-94 to the airlines before you board the plane.    (This is normally done when you check in for the international flight.)    (Again:  H-1B employees:   Do not give them the lower left corner of your I-797)    See exceptions for Automatic Visa Revalidation, discussed below

As you probably know, U.S. Consulates are sometimes booked up long in advance for visa interviews. (Note that the U.S. Consulate in London may be partially closed for a while due to the Olympics)     We urge you to make an appointment for a visa interview before you leave the U.S., and apply as soon as you get to your home country (or to the country you will visit).   To download forms and read specific visa application requirements for a particular consulate, go to http://www.usembassy.gov/   and go to the website of the consulate you will visit.   Consulates are now using an on-line application form.   After you have submitted your form, you will probably be required to schedule a personal interview (now waived in a few cases).   To make an appointment , you may need to know your SEVIS Number (For J-1 visitors:   Located in the upper right corner of your DS-2019) or your H-1B Case Number/Receipt Number (Located in the upper left corner of the I-797 approval notice)

Background checks

Persons from certain countries and working in certain fields of research may be told that their name has been submitted for a background check (known as a “mantis clearance”) before the visa can be issued.   (They often call this “administrative processing”)  The good news is that most of these clearances are now  completed in 3-4 weeks.   But in a few cases, the clearances can delay the visa for several months.   If you have waited longer than 30 days for security clearance, contact Wendy Syer (syer@utk.edu)   or David Lawson (dplawson@utk.edu) for advice.

Arriving in the U.S. 

When you re-enter the U.S., you will normally get a new I-94.   Before you leave the Immigration Officer, check the I-94 and make sure it is correct.   It should show your correct immigration status (such as J-1, H-1B).   If you have J-1 status, it should indicate “D/S”.   If you have H-1B status, it should expire on the same day your

I-797 expires, or ten days later. (If your passport will expire before that,   it may expire when your passport expires.)  If you believe the I-94 has been marked with the wrong date, please ask to have it corrected before you leave the Immigration Officer.   If they cannot correct it, see an advisor in CIE as soon as you can,  for advice.  If your I-94 expires, you will be out of status, even if you have an H-1B petition approval or DS-2019 for a longer period)

Automatic Visa Revalidation

If you are traveling to Canada or Mexico for less than 30 days, you should be able to re-enter the U.S. with an expired visa.  (Called “automatic visa revalidation”)  This is true even if you have changed status while in the U.S. (Example:   If you changed from F-1 status to H-1B in the U.S., you may enter the U.S. from Canada with your expired F-1 visa.  (See http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/info/info_1299.html  and http://cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/travel/id_visa/revalidation.ctt/revalidation.pdf   for details)

However, please remember:

• Automatic visa revalidation does not apply to citizens of certain countries (See above links).
•  You will require all other documents as listed above (passport, DS-2019 with travel signature, etc.)
• You must be sure to keep your I-94 when you leave the U.S.   Do NOT let the airlines take the card away when you depart.
•  If you have changed immigration status since your last entry to the U.S., we suggest you get a copy of the relevant  regulations from the UT Center for International Education to carry with you to  facilitate your re-entry or print regulations given at 22 CFR 41.112(d)(ii)
• Available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2011-title22-vol1/pdf/CFR-2011-title22-vol1-sec41-112.pdf
• You may still need a visa to enter Canada or Mexico (Consult consular websites for those countries for visa information)
• If you apply for a U.S. visa while you are in Canada or Mexico, then you MUST have a valid visa to return.   For this reason, we often do not advise people to apply for U.S. visas while visiting  Canada or Mexico.
•  If you are re-entering the U.S. with F or J status, you may also enter from adjacent islands (Bermuda plus the Caribbean islands except Cuba) with an expired visa.   (This does not apply to those with H-1B status.)

If you will be visiting a country which is not your home country, you may still be able to apply for a U.S. visa while you are there.   This decision will be made by that particular consulate.  You may try contacting the U.S. Consulate by e-mail before you travel, to see whether this will be permitted.   But also remember:

1.     The country you want to visit may not give you a visa if you do not already have a valid U.S. visa

2.    Sometimes the chance of having a background check is greater when you apply in a country which is not your home country.   Background checks in a third country often take longer than those in your home country.

What if you have applied for permanent residence?

If you have H-1B status, an application for permanent residence will not interfere with a new H-1B visa application or re-entry to the U.S.   If you decide to re-enter the U.S. with “Advance Parole”, you may still be able to extend your H-1B status after you return.

If you have J-1 or F-1 status and you have applied for permanent residence, you should not leave the U.S. unless you have Advance Parole.   Consult a CIE advisor for advice.

Missing documents

Please keep all documents and photocopies related to your current or past immigration status in a safe place and do not throw out old documents.  CIE now charges $10 to provide new copies of documents from your file, if you have already received these copies in the past.  If you have lost an original immigration document, you may want to consult a CIE advisor for advice.

We know that U.S. visa applications and immigration laws can be rather complicated.   But we do hope that these hints will help you plan ahead and avoid common problems.   Let us know if you have specific questions.  Happy Traveling!

>> Continue reading “Travel Tips for J-1 Scholars”

>> Continue reading “Travel Tips for H-1B Scholars”

>> Continue reading “Travel Tips for Persons in F-1 status (including those on Practical Training/OPT)”

Note: This meeting is for department heads and administrative staff only. Others can attend the PR Seminar with Ms. Kate Tucker.

On Thursday, April 26, the Center for International Education (CIE)  will offer a short program covering options for permanent residence (informally known as the “Green Card”) which may be available to UT faculty and permanent staff. This program will be held at 1:00 pm in the Great Room of the International. House and will last about an hour and a half.

The program is primarily designed for Department Heads and Department Administrators who work with immigration or human resources issues, but international employees seeking permanent residence are welcome to attend as well,  if they wish.   The purpose of the program is to give a very general overview of the various routes to permanent residence usually available to UT faculty and staff, the rules for eligibility for each,  the basic steps involved,  and the possible time needed to obtain the “Green Card”.   The program will not provide detailed instructions on the application process and will not provide or discuss specific forms.   If a department wishes to have The University file a permanent resident petition on behalf of an employee, a CIE representative will discuss the details of that particular case with the department at a later time.

Note:   This program will cover permanent residence routes for permanent UT  employees only.   We will not be discussing permanent resident options for  non-UT employees.   CIE does periodically organize information programs for international students and scholars  seeking information about permanent resident petitions filed by other employers or about “self-sponsorship”

If you have questions about this program , please call Wendy Syer at 974-3177.

• PERMANENT RESIDENCY PROCESS OVERVIEW AND BASIC REQUIREMENTS
• NATIONAL INTEREST WAIVER
• EXTRAORDINARY ABILITY CATEGORIES

As you probably remember, the deadline (for most of you) for filing your tax return is April 17.    The tax return must be postmarked by midnight on April 17.

If you need help completing your tax return forms, here are some suggestions:

VITA Advising Site

The VITA Volunteers have agreed to come back one more time  from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on Wednesday, April 11 near the Career Center (and the vending machines) at the UT Law School. Many many thanks to the UT Law Students for providing this service and for extending it!!

Last minute questions?

Wendy Syer will also be at the International House on April 16, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.

We will NOT be preparing tax returns and may not have computer access, so please have your tax return all completed as well as you can before you come!   At the very least, bring a blank copy of Form 1040NR-EZ with you. This is just a chance for you to get final questions answered before you mail the return if you want.

Brazil Week is coming up, and next week is full of I-House events! There’s Brazilian Movie Night on Monday, Brazilian Coffee House at International House on Tuesday, Brazilian Culture Night on Wednesday, and a lecture on Thursday. We hope you can join us! Keep an eye out on our Events page for more information.