Haslam College of Business - Haslam Faculty Member Honored with Major Athletics Award

Kenneth Baker, distinguished lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business, was recently selected as one of just six UT faculty members to be named an Athletics Professor of Excellence. The award, which includes a $15,000 honorarium funded by UT Athletics, recognizes professional excellence and outstanding citizenship at the departmental, college or university level. Awardees hold the title for one academic year.

In a joint message, John Zomchick, provost and senior vice chancellor, and Danny White, vice chancellor and director of athletics, said, “Athletics and academics are both vital parts of a robust campus community. The awards provide further evidence that UT is the ‘Everything School,’ pursuing excellence in every sport and in every academic discipline. These faculty members represent the spirit of collaboration, service and drive shared across our campus.”

A History of Campus-Wide Service

Baker joined the economics department in 2002 and was promoted to distinguished lecturer in 2018. Beyond the classroom, he has been active with several student organizations, including the Economics Club and Delta Sigma Pi professional business fraternity, and mentors junior faculty and graduate students. Baker is deeply involved in numerous campus activities, from the Big Orange Family Campaign, Digital Learning and Peer Teaching Review to the Undergraduate Council and Faculty Senate, which also played a large part in developing the Athletics Professor of Excellence Award.

“I’m incredibly humbled to have even been considered for this campus-wide award, given the number of distinguished, hardworking and certainly deserving faculty we have at UT,” Baker says. “It is a privilege to work at this university and the Haslam College of Business, and to work with other members across the university toward making this campus the best it can be. This is an absolute honor and highlight of my 20-plus-year career here at UT, and I’m equally appreciative and overwhelmed.”

The Face of the Economics Department

Scott Gilpatric, head of the Department of Economics, nominated Baker for the award, citing his university service, departmental leadership and passion for introducing students to the discipline of economics. Gilpatric noted that Baker’s dedication to students has earned him numerous awards over the years, from both Haslam and the university at large.

“Ken’s receiving this [Athletics Professor of Excellence] award is incredibly gratifying because it recognizes a career dedicated to teaching foundational courses that serve the entire university community,” Gilpatric says. “In addition to being an outstanding classroom instructor, Ken has shaped the student experience at UT in many ways, in particular through his leadership of the Undergraduate Council and contributions to VolCore. Ken has been the face of economics for so many UT students for over two decades, and the department is delighted by this recognition.”  

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CONTACT:

Stacy Estep, writer/publicist, sestep3@utk.edu