A professor at the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is midway into a project at Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University in the Philippines.

Krista Wiegand PhD is also director of the Center for National Security and Foreign Affairs (NSFA) at UT. Her project began on November 24, 2025, and will run through December 14. Afterwards, she will brief the U.S. Embassy in Manila about her work as well as her expertise on the tensions between China and the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea.

Wiegand’s project is funded jointly by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Recipients are selected based on academic and professional achievement, demonstrated leadership in their field, and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the U.S. and abroad.

As the director of NSFA at the Baker School, Wiegand oversees externally funded research projects that involve faculty fellows, affiliates, and both graduate and undergraduate students. Her role also includes policy engagement with government agencies and think tanks, as well as public outreach through workshops, lectures and guest speaker programs.

A member of the University of Tennessee faculty since 2014, Wiegand is a professor specializing in international relations, territorial and maritime disputes, conflict management, Indo-Pacific security and U.S. national security. She taught for nine years at Georgia Southern University and earned a doctorate in political science from Duke University.

In Memoriam

Craig Thompson

Attorney Craig R. Thompson passed away on October 10, 2025, at his home in Knoxville. He was 79. His full obituary is here.

With his law degree from the University of Tennessee (1983), he spent most of his legal career as a state’s attorney protecting the financial interests of children in family law courts in Knox County. As one of the first and longest-serving attorneys to hold this position, he became an expert in this area of law and a well-known, respected member of the local bar.

A celebration of Mr. Thompson’s life will be held on January 4, 2026, at 3 p.m. at Fellowship Church of Knoxville, located at 8000 Middlebrook Pike. The family will begin receiving visitors at 2 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

Notes & Quotes

Request for comment: I would like to speak with a lawyer who is handling NIL issues on behalf of college (and high school?) athletes. Drop a note to sandra.clark@knoxtntoday.com or phone 865-661-8777.

Quote: “The issues are still here and so am I.” – Jeff Talman, unsuccessful candidate for Knoxville City Council from District 4.

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