Welcome Back Cookout Kicks Off New Semester With Taste
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The University of Tennessee's College of Engineering (COE) and its Office of Professional Practice (OPP) will welcome back students with the 10th Annual College of Engineering Welcome Back Cookout at 11:00 a.m., Friday, Sept. 7.
This yearly event, which provides an opportunity for engineering students to interact informally with COE faculty and staff, will take place in front of the Science and Engineering Research Facility (SERF) on the engineering campus. In previous years, more than 800 students, faculty and staff have attended the cookout, which features free barbeque, baked beans, potato salad and soft drinks.
"This event is always a great way to officially kick off the new semester," said Walter Odom, OPP director. "The students can get to know one another and the COE faculty and staff in a relaxed setting, and it's a wonderful opportunity for the staff of the OPP to promote our programs."
Sponsors for this year's event include Kimberly-Clark Corporation; DuPont Corporation; Denso Manufacturing; Shaw Industries; International Paper; EMJ and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Each company will send representatives to meet and greet students, faculty, administrators and staff at the event.
The Office of Professional Practice's cooperative engineering program, established in 1926, is the second-oldest in the South and is one of the top 15 traditional programs in the United States. Cooperative education is a structured educational strategy combining classroom learning with productive work experience in a field related to students' academic and career goals. The OPP has also added internships as an additional way to provide students with on-the-job training.
For more information, contact Joyce Reed in the Office of Professional Practice at (865) 974-5323 or joreed@utk.edu.