Meeting with prospective and current students energizes Amanda Lovelace. It’s a feeling that’s hard to replicate in any other job. That’s one reason Lovelace returned to the University of Tennessee this year to re-join the Department of Nuclear Engineering in the newly created position of graduate program coordinator.
In her role, Lovelace recruits and helps to onboard prospective students, as well as guides them through various milestones of their degree progression and educational experience within the department.
“These students come in and they want to make sure that that we’re a right fit for them, just as much as we want to make sure that they’re a right fit for us,” Lovelace said. “I love when you see that light bulb go off in their head, and they’re like, ‘Okay, I can see myself here.’ They get excited about the research that’s being done here. They get excited about our facilities, and they want to be here. That’s exciting.”
Lovelace served as the undergraduate academic advisor for nuclear engineering from May 2017—December 2023. After spending a little over a year at the Y-12 National Security Complex as a space management coordinator, Lovelace was drawn back to UT to become the first person within all the departments at the Tickle College of Engineering to focus solely on graduate program coordination.
“Previously, we had faculty do it while they were also teaching classes and doing research. It’s a lot. Those could be three separate full-time jobs. So just separating this out and making it its own thing, I think is important,” Lovelace said. “I want to be the welcoming face that graduate students see. I want to be a source of information. I want to be transparent and approachable to them and just help them along the way.”
NE Department Head Brian Wirth is “delighted” to have Lovelace return to the department in a novel role that enhances the student experience.
“Her presence in this role, which I personally call the graduate student success coordinator, will provide a consistent point of contact for our graduate students from their initial recruitment through graduation,” Wirth said. “Amanda’s ability to provide support, answers to questions, and navigate any situation will surely benefit our students throughout their academic and career development journey, aided by Amanda’s experience working at Y-12 and depth of understanding about the local nuclear ecosystem.”
Educational Counselor
Katy Worrell first met Lovelace when she was a freshman at UT in 2019. As her academic advisor, Lovelace helped Worrell navigate her first few years on campus as a nuclear engineering major.
“One thing that always stood out to me is it always felt like you really had a relationship with her as a student,” said Worrell, who is in her second year of the NE master’s degree program. “I had heard from some of my peers that their advisors were someone they met with maybe once or twice a year, and they just tell them what classes to take. But in nuclear engineering, I feel like Amanda is so much more than that to students. She’s really a resource, and someone that you can ask questions to and can really trust to help you with anything.”
A Lynchburg, Virginia native, Lovelace graduated from Radford University with a degree in psychology and later received her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Lynchburg University. She wanted to be a marriage and family therapist and served various populations through internships in the field. But once her future husband got a job at Y-12 and they moved to the Knoxville area, Lovelace began her career in education.
She worked at Tusculum University’s satellite campus as the director of student support services, and realized how much she enjoyed helping students fulfill their academic dreams. Her background in psychology has become a valuable resource.
“I think it’s important to have active listening skills and empathy,” Lovelace said. “Sometimes students don’t want you to offer a solution necessarily. They just want someone to listen so they can vent. I’m just a sounding board and there’s a lot of counseling, advising, and teaching in my interactions with students.”
Expanding Horizons
Lovelace and her husband have two daughters, ages 10 and 13. Outside of the usual school and extracurricular activities that fill the calendar, they enjoy traveling. The family has visited several national parks and is planning a trip to Alaska this year.
“I think travel is the best form of education. We like to introduce our girls to different groups, different areas of the world,” Lovelace said. “I think that kind of forces them to get out of their comfort zone and try different things and meet different people.”
Making students feel at home at UT is Lovelace’s primary mission when they first arrive. She gives them tours, introduces them to faculty, and shows off UT’s cutting-edge facilities. The ability to see students evolve from their first day on campus until they leave for a job is extremely rewarding to Lovelace.
“I was recently at a graduate recruitment event and saw students I advised when I was first here,” Lovelace said. “I remember sitting down with them at freshman orientation and how impressed I was with them at that point. I thought, ‘This kid’s going to do something incredible,’ and here they are now as a grad student. That’s amazing to see that transformation throughout the time. I am excited for that continue in this new role.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey (865-974-0683, rpotkey@utk.edu)