NASHVILLE — UT President John Petersen has announced the promotion of Mary Jinks to vice president of public service for the University of Tennessee.
Mary Jinks“In recent years, Mary has worked alongside us to strategically define the university’s public service role and to chart a course for increased success in outreach initiatives. Her knowledge and experience in the field of public service will be invaluable as we advance this priority for the university,” Petersen said. “We are pleased to recognize her leadership.”
Jinks has been with the university for nearly 25 years, with more than 20 years at the statewide UT Institute for Public Service (IPS). Her history at UT includes a master’s degree in public administration and an educational doctorate.
Jinks has served as associate vice president of IPS for the past year, and in her new role she will continue to lead and manage the institute.
Hank Dye, UT vice president for public and government relations whose office oversees IPS, said, “IPS has a tradition of excellent service and has made a difference to the state of Tennessee. Mary’s leadership over the years has set IPS on a well-planned course to deliver results to businesses, local government officials and state agencies.”
In fiscal year 2007, IPS helped businesses and government entities realize $868 million in economic impact through increased revenues, reduced expenses or jobs created. That success led the university’s efforts to provide $1 billion in outreach activities by 2010.
Through its four agencies and leadership development programs, IPS answered more than 26,000 requests for assistance from government, law enforcement and business officials last year. More than 19,000 people took advantage of IPS training in 2007, logging more than 140,000 hours of training.
“Public service has been my life’s work,” Jinks said. “IPS has been tremendously successful in taking UT’s expertise to the people of Tennessee. Our work with local government and industry leaders has been rewarding, and the opportunity to elevate these efforts for the university is one I graciously accept.”
IPS collaborates with all campuses, institutes and divisions of the UT system, enabling the university to provide public service across the state. IPS has offices statewide in 10 cities (Johnson City, Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Chattanooga, Cookeville, Columbia, Nashville, Jackson, Martin and Memphis) and consultants assigned to every municipality and county in Tennessee.
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Contacts:
Queena Jones, (865) 974-1533, queena.jones@tennessee.edu