Tom and Pam Korn, who gave a substantial gift to open the center, moved to East Tennessee from Memphis after retirement. Tom was the founder and CEO of Premier Concepts, a sales and marketing company based in Bentonville, Arkansas. Pam spent thirty-two years as an international flight attendant for Delta Air Lines. The Korns’ son, now an adult, struggled with learning disabilities throughout his childhood and into adulthood. It was these struggles that led the Korns to make the contribution to establish the center. The Korns continue to provide gifts that help to offset the costs of operation, allowing the center to offer a sliding fee scale to families and individuals in need.
Mission
- Assist students who struggle academically, need more effective learning strategies, or struggle with social adjustment
- Train and assist parents and educators in identifying, preventing, and remediating behavioral, social-emotional, and academic problems
- Provide research and training opportunities for the development and validation of innovative methodologies
Goals
- Provide clinical and outreach services to students, parents, and teachers
- Provide faculty and graduate students with opportunities to conduct research on academic and social skill deficits
- Serve as a research facility for faculty members and graduate students studying the effectiveness of the services and intervention programs provided through the center
- Provide training opportunities for graduate students
- Validate and disseminate research findings from studies conducted through the center
- Seek additional funding sources to support the work of the center