April 22-28, 2025
Updates and news for the week of April 22-28, 2025
The UTC Campus Weekly newsletter is distributed every Tuesday morning. If you have news, events or announcements you would like shared with campus, please submit your information to Peyton Schultz (peyton-l-schultz@utc.edu) in the Division of Communications and Marketing by 3 p.m. on Friday for placement in the following Tuesday’s newsletter.
Highlights
Top 10
XX
* * * * *
Parade?
XX
* * * * *
Commencement Marshals
We are looking for a handful of faculty or staff to serve as marshals at each of our undergraduate commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 3.
If you would like to volunteer to be a marshal, please register here and indicate which commencement ceremony(ies) you are available to marshal.
Marshal duties include lining up students before the ceremony, leading students into the arena at the start of the ceremony, and directing students from their chairs to the stage and back during the ceremony. Marshals will need to arrive one hour before the ceremony starts, so schedule accordingly. We will have a marshals lunch and training session on Thursday, May 1. Attendance is not required but highly encouraged.
Outstanding People of UTC
 Durand Henderson UTC senior Durand Henderson, a United States Air Force veteran and nontraditional student majoring in business administration with a concentration in economics—to go with minors in personal finance and political science—has been selected for the prestigious Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Spark program for Korean.
* * * * *
 Andrea Stevens receives the Outstanding Master’s Student Award for the Chemical Engineering graduate program from Dr. Ethan Carver, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School. As part of UTC’s Graduate Student Appreciation Week, which recognized the contributions, impact and value of UTC’s graduate and professional students, students were honored by their respective programs during a celebration event.
* * * * *
UTC will recognize outstanding faculty members for excellence in teaching, research, mentoring and service at a ceremony today (April 22) in the Wolford Family Athletic Center. Presented by the Faculty Awards Committee of the Faculty Senate, these annual honors highlight the impact UTC faculty have in the classroom, in research and in the community.
- Research Award Recipients: Irv Resnick, Laurie Allen, Tian Li, Michelle Evans
- Teaching and Mentoring Award Recipients: Gary McDonald, Dawn Ford, Monica Miles, Chuck Margraves, Ruth Walker
- Service Award Recipients: Hilary Browder-Terry, Jejal Bathi, Tatiana Allen
* * * * *
Check out these Mocs in the news:
- NASA’s Earth Observatory featured research by Associate Professor Azad Hossain, an environmental geoscientist in the UTC Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science, as its Image of the Day. The article highlights Hossain’s Landsat-based research on Chattanooga’s urbanization and land use changes.
- Communication students Addison Middleton and Kambria Ichkawa were recently featured on Local 3 News, where they discussed their work for their public relations class campaign for WTCI’s “Be My Neighbor Day” for PBS Kids.
- Dr. Thomas Lyons, the Clarence E. Harris Chair of Excellence in Entrepreneurship in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business, was featured in a recent WalletHub article about the best and worst small cities to start a business.
Mark Your Calendar
 Neva Clark and Corina Vale (photo credit: Jordyn Butler/GoMocs.com) This week’s Mocs home athletics calendar:
- Thursday, April 24: Beach Volleyball—OVC Championships, UTC Sports Complex, all day
- Friday, April 25: Beach Volleyball—OVC Championships, UTC Sports Complex, all day
- Saturday, April 26: Beach Volleyball—OVC Championships, UTC Sports Complex, all day
- Saturday, April 26: Softball vs. Samford, Frost Stadium, 1 p.m. (doubleheader)
- Sunday, April 27: Softball vs. Samford, Frost Stadium, 2 p.m.
* * * * *
Ever wonder what a registrar does all day? Have questions for a registrar?
Faculty and staff are invited to join the registrars for open discussion of the roles and responsibilities of the Office of the Registrar and explore ways we can work together to best serve UTC.
The next session will take place from 1-2 p.m. (today) April 22, in Hunter Hall Room 215.
* * * * *
 Dr. Henry Spratt The Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science will celebrate 30 years of excellence in teaching and research by Dr. Henry Spratt at a retirement party in his honor from 2-4 p.m. on Thursday, May 1, in the University Center Chickamauga Room. We hope you will be able to join us.
* * * * *
Class of 2025, join the Office of Alumni Affairs on Thursday, May 1, for a special send-off as we honor your upcoming graduation. Bring your family and friends to the beautiful Wolford Family Athletic Center for complimentary appetizers and drinks, and enjoy a relaxed evening celebrating your achievements. Register here.
As part of the celebration, which begins at 4 p.m., you’ll receive free gifts with registration:
- A professional headshot courtesy of UTC alumnus Christopher Shaw
- An exclusive Power C Alumni pint glass
- A fun graduate Scrappy sticker
* * * * *
The Walker Center for Teaching and Learning will host the 2025 Instructional Excellence Conference on Tuesday, May 6, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Michelle Miller.
Miller is a cognitive psychologist, researcher and author whose work supports higher education faculty in creating effective and engaging learning experiences. Her books include:
- “Minds Online: Teaching Effectively with Technology” (Harvard University Press, 2014)
- “Remembering and Forgetting in the Age of Technology: Teaching, Learning, and the Science of Memory in a Wired World” (West Virginia University Press, 2022)
- “A Teacher’s Guide to Learning Student Names: Why You Should, Why It’s Hard, How You Can” (University of Oklahoma Press, 2024)
She is a professor of psychological sciences and a President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow at Northern Arizona University.
Click here to register for the Instructional Excellence Conference. This event is free for UTC faculty, lecturers and adjuncts.
* * * * *
Only one session remains in CPE’s Spring 2025 CHAIN Lunch and Learn Series. Attendees can enjoy lunch, network with other local professionals and explore how AI can improve productivity in both professional and personal life.
- Thursday, May 15: “AI and Society – Global Challenges, Environmental Impacts, and a Responsible Future” 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
The cost is $25 and includes lunch. Departments may pay with a transfer voucher after registration. Visit the CHAIN webpage or call the Center for Professional Education at 423-425-4344 to register or for more information.
Campus Updates
Did you know? While some people use cannabis to cope with anxiety, long-term use can actually exacerbate anxiety symptoms and reduce the quality of sleep. Taking a 21-day tolerance break (t-break) from cannabis can be a valuable step for anyone looking to reset their body’s response to the substance. Over time, regular use of any substance can lead to increased tolerance, meaning you need more to achieve the same effects. A 21-day t-break is all it takes to reset tolerance to baseline, improve mental clarity, sleep quality, and overall wellbeing. A t-break can also potentially enhance the benefits of cannabis when you resume use.
Ready to learn more? Pick up a t-break guide from the Center for Wellbeing (University Center Room 350).
* * * * *
The Mocs One Center will be returning to their permanent location on the first floor of the University Center on Wednesday, April 23. Service may be impacted during the move that day. After the move, access to the Mocs One Center will be through the exterior entrance on the Vine Street side of the construction fence on Terrell Owens Way. When the UC lower gallery reopens, access will shift to the regular interior entrance to the Mocs One Center.
* * * * *
The Disability Resource Center is seeking faculty and staff volunteers to help proctor during finals week, a high-volume time in the DRC testing center. Due to increased demand, additional space is reserved in the University Center, which is not equipped with cameras for proctoring.
Volunteers can sign up for one or more time slots using the form linked below. Proctors are asked to arrive 10-15 minutes early for instructions and may be in a testing room for up to three hours. Many volunteers find the time ideal for catching up on email or quiet work.
Click here to sign up. We cannot do this important work without you.
* * * * *
Operation Move In (OMI) 2025 is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 13-14, in first-year residential spaces across campus. This marks a return to a campus-wide collaboration to welcome UTC’s newest Mocs this fall.
OMI is an opportunity for faculty, staff, students and organizations to come together and create a warm, supportive environment for incoming students and their families. A campus-wide committee is being formed to coordinate the two-day event. Volunteer roles will include unloading, parking, traffic flow, greeting and more. There will be follow-up communication to request volunteers for OMI.
For more information, contact OMI committee chair Jason Harville.
* * * * *
The National Science Foundation Noyce Track 2 fellowship project is accepting applications from STEM-degreed professionals to prepare to teach secondary mathematics and science through the Master of Education degree program. The 2025-2026 cohort will begin coursework in May. Please contact Deborah McAllister or visit this link for project details.
Click here to read about Andrew Calkins, who is pursuing a master’s degree in education thanks to the Noyce Fellowship program.
* * * * *
The Center for Wellbeing launched its Mental Health Ally training program for faculty and staff to recognize employees on campus who are engaging and learning how to best support our students’ mental health. Trainings included in the Mental Health Ally program are QPR (one hour), Suicide Prevention Using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) (one hour), Psychological First Aid (one hour) and Mental Health First Aid (eight hours). Complete trainings and receive recognition on campus for your dedication to improving outcomes for students.
Recognition tiers:
- Certificate of completion: Every training
- Mental health ally sticker to display: Complete QPR, Suicide Prevention Using the C-SSRS, and Psychological First Aid
- Mental health ally sweatshirt: Complete Mental Health First Aid
- Mental health ally recognition on Center for Wellbeing website and Campus Newsletter: Complete all four trainings
If you have questions about this program, please reach out to Amy Kyriakidis or Megan McKnight.
* * * * *
The Department of Chemistry and Physics and the UTC Quantum Center are hosting a quantum summer camp from May 27-30 for high school students entering the 10th and 11th grade. A registration link will be available soon.
* * * * *
Starting in July, rising second to sixth graders in the Challenger Exploration Camp will have the opportunity to participate in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) challenges, rocket launches and explorations of space and Earth. Each day, campers can also go on excursions to locations such as the Chattanooga Zoo, the UTC Aquatic and Recreation Center, the Clarence T. Jones Observatory and the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.
To learn more about the Challenger STEM Learning Center and to access a link to the Challenger Exploration Camp, visit this link.
* * * * *
The UTC College of Engineering and Computer Science will host the Summer Algebra Enrichment Program for rising 8th through 11th graders from July 7-18 at the CECS building (735 Vine St.). The program runs from 9 a.m.-3:45 p.m. each day and the cost is $75 per student.
This two-week experience is designed to strengthen algebra skills and introduce students to career pathways in engineering, computer science and other STEM fields. The program includes Algebra 1 instruction led by experienced educators, mentoring sessions with UTC students and hands-on career exploration activities. Space is limited to 30 participants and registration is required.
For more information or to register, click here or contact CECS Outreach Coordinator Alex Coker.
* * * * *
Upcoming Transition from Windows 10 to Windows 11: Microsoft will be ending support for the Windows 10 operating system on October 14. After that date, there will be no more security updates, feature updates or technical support for Windows 10. To prepare for this, Information Technology will be gradually upgrading all UTC owned Windows 10 devices to Windows 11 this year, with full completion expected by October. For more information on the Windows 11 project timeline and upcoming next steps for faculty and staff, visit our Knowledge Base – Windows 11 articles.
UTC Newsroom
 Trevor Jolley’s photo of Mocs guard Trey Bonham taking a shot in the NIT championship against the University of California, Irvine. An impossible decision seemingly was on the table for UTC senior Trevor Jolley—a choice between a club roller hockey program he built and nurtured to the team’s first nationals appearance and his Echo sports editor duties. Luckily, he was able to do both.
* * * * *
The UTC Division of Communications and Marketing recently captured two honors in the 2024 Collegiate Advertising Awards, a national competition celebrating excellence in higher education marketing and advertising.
* * * * *
Here are some other recent UTC stories featured in the Newsroom:
- April is Financial Literacy Month, and UTC is helping raise awareness with its annual financial literacy lecture series. This year’s lecture, titled “Coping with Complexity,” took place over Zoom in early April. The Scott L. Probasco Jr. Distinguished Chair of Free Enterprise, the Center for Economic Education, and the Department of Finance and Economics in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business co-hosted the conference.
WUTC
 Dr. Robert Dooley Ray Bassett sat down with Interim Chancellor Robert Dooley as part of the “Chatting with the Chancellor” series on WUTC’s “Scenic Roots.” The two discussed UTC’s strategic plan, esports and commencement.
|
