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Understanding Access to the UT Knoxville Employee Hub
SharePoint Web Delivery Platform
Before delving into the details about permission, let’s make sure you understand SharePoint sites and hubs. SharePoint is a web-based collaboration platform developed by Microsoft. It integrates with Microsoft Office and allows organizations to manage documents, collaborate on projects, and store information securely and accessibly. A SharePoint Hub connects a curated selection of SharePoint Communications sites, called associated sites, into one cohesive group of sites that contain overarching hub navigation, consistent branding, and integrated search through all its sites’ content.
About the UTK Employee Hub
The UTK Employee Hub is a collection of SharePoint Communications sites designed to provide University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) employees with streamlined access to essential news, resources, services, and information. By consolidating various services into a single, user-friendly interface, the UTK Employee Hub serves as an invaluable tool for faculty, staff, and administrators.
Learn more about UT’s Digital Transformation initiatives.
Who Can View Content on the UTK Employee Hub?
Active employees within the UTK ecosystem, including faculty, staff, and student employees, can access the UT Knoxville Employee Hub. Read-only access is granted through an active directory group created specifically for the employee hub. This employee active directory group is updated daily and includes the following employees, campuses, and institutes:
Campuses and Institutes with access to the UTK Employee Hub
- UT Knoxville (UTK)
- UT Space Institute (UTSI)
- UT Institute of Agriculture (UTIA)
- UT System (UTSA)
- Institute for Public Service (IPS)
- UT Foundation (UTFI)
What constitutes an employee for the purposes of the UTK Employee Hub?
- Regular and term employees
- Pending employees
- Graduate assistants, graduate teaching assistants, and graduate research assistants with employment status. *
- Student assistants with an employment status *
* Please note that active graduate and undergraduate students who DO NOT have an employment status with the Knoxville campus WILL NOT have access to the UT Knoxville Employee Hub. However, for SharePoint sites that reside outside of the UTK Employee Hub, you may grant access to everyone with valid campus credentials while excluding public access. Read more about sharing, below.
Learn more about when employees are entitled in the related OIT Knowledge Base article.
Do Emeritus Faculty, Staff Retirees, Friends, and Special Statuses have access?
- Faculty and Staff Retirees without active appointments DO NOT have access.
- Faculty and Staff Retirees with active term/temp appointments DO have access.
- Emeritus Faculty members with active appointments DO have access.
- Friends with employee titles, such as pending employees, adjunct faculty, and emeritus faculty, DO have access.
What if I need to share content with the entire campus or just my department?
By policy and intent, the UTK Employee Hub needs to remain an intranet system for all employees. SharePoint Communications sites are an available option for publishing web-based intranet content, news, and announcements with a larger or smaller group of people. SharePoint Teams sites are also available when you need a group of people to actively chat, share, co-create, and manage group content and calendars.
Anyone with a UTK Microsoft 365 account can create a SharePoint Communications or Teams site. Once the site is created, the site owner can manage permissions at the site level, meaning you can allow anyone in the UT system to access your site or create a select group of members.
Consult the OIT SharePoint Support Team to learn more about SharePoint sites, roles, and permissions that best suit your needs. UTK-branded SharePoint Communications sites are also available upon request.