Updates and news for the week of August 15 – 21, 2023

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 chuck-wasserstrom@utc.edu in the Division of Communications and Marketing by 3 p.m. on Friday for placement in the following Tuesday’s newsletter.

UTC News   |   Campus Updates

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A big round of applause for the students of UTC

All students, faculty and staff are invited to Convocation at 10 a.m. this Friday (Aug. 18) in the McKenzie Arena.

Convocation is our opportunity to welcome students to UTC once they have moved in and are settling into campus life. We would love to have a great representation of faculty and staff there to make our students feel supported and encouraged by their new Mocs family.

• Students will be brought to the arena by their resident assistants beginning at 9:30 a.m. and enter through the ramp behind the information booth. Commuting students should arrive around 9:30 a.m., park in the Fitth Street Garage and enter through the ramp behind the information booth.

Submit Events for the Scrappy Newsletter

As it’s a new semester, a reminder to the campus community: The Scrappy Newsletter is a weekly email to students highlighting campus events and brief announcements/deadlines. This newsletter is distributed to all students on Monday mornings around 9:30 a.m. during the fall and spring semesters. All student organizations, University departments and offices are invited to submit events and announcements for the newsletter each week. The deadline for submissions is 9 a.m. the Friday before the event occurs or the announcement should be made.

• Events that exist in MocSync with visibility set as “The Public” or “Students and Staff at UTC” will be automatically included in the Scrappy Newsletter each week if they are added by the weekly submission deadline.
• Events that exist outside of MocSync and announcements/deadlines must be submitted via the Scrappy Newsletter Submission Form by the weekly submission deadline.

Send in your Information for the UTC Parent and Family Association Newsletter

It is again time to recruit campus partners to send in information for the UTC Parent and Family Association newsletter, a monthly roundup distributed to more than 5,400 parents/family members.

The September issue of the newsletter will be emailed to members on Wednesday, Sept. 6. To share information with the families of UTC students—upcoming events, important deadlines, helpful suggestions and departmental news—email hannah-turcotte@utc.edu by Friday, Aug. 25.

• Please keep info to one paragraph of 200 (or fewer) words.
• Images or logos to accompany the paragraph may be submitted.

Mark your calendar: Undergraduate Admissions upcoming recruitment dates

The 2024 undergraduate application cycle begins today (Aug. 15), and Undergraduate Admissions would like to get the following “Save the Date” reminders on everyone’s calendar:

• Monday, Aug. 28: UTC campus tours begin
• Thursday, Oct. 5: Power C Tour—Memphis
• Tuesday, Oct. 24: Power C Tour—Nashville
• Monday, Oct. 30: Power C Tour—Knoxville
• Wednesday, Nov. 8: Power C Tour—Chattanooga
• Saturday, Nov. 11: Blue and Gold Preview
• Saturday, March 23, 2024: Blue and Gold Spring Preview

Details and more dates coming soon.

The outstanding people of UTC

Dr. Amber Roaché

A $2.6-million grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration has been awarded to the UTC School of Nursing program to prepare advanced practice nurses to meet the needs of rural and underserved communities in the Chattanooga region. Dr. Amber Roaché, assistant professor and coordinator of the UTC Nurse Practitioner concentration, is the principal investigator.

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Associate Professor of History Annie Tracy Samuel’s book, “The Unfinished History of the Iran-Iraq War: Faith, Firepower, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards,” has been published in paperback and can be ordered through the Cambridge University Press website. Please use code HIST2723 at checkout for 20% off the list price. Tracy Samuel recently discussed the book with Negar Mortazavi for an episode of the Iran Podcast.

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Check out these Mocs making a difference:

• Mike Bradshaw is the new director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship after serving as the CIE’s first Entrepreneur-in-Residence since 2021.
• Vice Provost Shewanee Howard-Baptiste graced the cover of HealthScope Magazine’s late-summer 2023 issue.
• A Times Free Press feature on the Obvious Dad theatre company included interviews with Professor Gaye Jeffers and alumnus Blake Harris. Obvious Dad company members also include UTC alums Grace Holtz, Jessie Wright and Helia Quhite.
• Maddie Witt, a 2019 alum with a degree in communication, is a contestant on Discovery Channel’s Survive the Raft. She was interviewed by Local 3 News about appearing on the reality show.
• Senior soccer midfielder Mackenzie Smith was named to the Southern Conference Coaches Preseason All-Conference Team.
• Seniors golfers Paul Conroy and Samuel Espinosa were named to the Golf Coaches Association of America’s 2023 All-America Scholars list—the sport’s highest collegiate academic honor.
• Redshirt freshman women’s basketball forward/center Frode Flos van der Schans was a member of the Dutch national team that captured the bronze medal at the FIBA U20 Women’s European Championship in Craiova, Romania.
• The Mocs Athletics Department announced a series of promotions: Ken Jones and Ryan Jones are now senior associate athletics directors, Taylor Toner was elevated to associate athletics director and Chandler DeRieux was promoted to director of compliance.
• Clay Huffaker, a teacher at Chattanooga Christian School who received a master’s degree in secondary education from UTC in 2014, has been named the 2023 Tennessee History Teacher of the Year. The award is presented annually by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, an organization dedicated to K–12 American history education.

Mocs Resource Fair

Student Success Programs will host the Mocs Resource Fair, which takes place from 2-4 p.m. on Thursday (Aug. 17) on the first floor of Lupton Hall.

Mocs Resource Fair is a chance for students to get to know departments on campus that will play a critical role in their success. It is a part of First Flight, a pre-Welcome Week experience designed to help students after move-in and before the semester starts. More than 400 students attended last year’s event.

UTC Research Institute announces a Town Hall meeting by the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute

The University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT-ORII) is seeking concept papers describing topics for future Convergent Research Initiatives within the Institute. This is an opportunity for faculty to think creatively about research in which UTC and ORNL can collaboratively become nationally recognized leaders. Concept papers will be due by Sept. 15.

Dr. David Sholl, the interim director of UT-ORII, will hold a virtual Town Hall for UTC faculty at 11:30 a.m. this Friday (Aug. 18) to provide additional context and answer questions. Click here for the Zoom link.

Audition for the Singing Mocs

The UTC Choral Department is holding auditions for Singing Mocs for fall 2023 on Monday (Aug. 21). Students interested in auditioning can sign up here for a 15-minute time slot and learn more about what to prepare for the audition.

This highly select ensemble is devoted to choral singing in contemporary commercial styles. A few spots are available, and Singing Mocs seeks interested students from across campus in any major.

• Singing Mocs meet Tuesday and Thursday from 4:30-5:45 p.m., so interested students must have that time available in their schedule. The course can be taken for 1 or 0 credits.
• Contact Alison-Allerton@utc.edu for additional questions or if none of the available audition times work.

ICA to hold Fall Opening Concert

The Institute of Contemporary Art, located in the Fine Arts Center lobby, will open its fall event series on Thursday, Aug. 24, featuring a concert by folk guitarist Jake Xerxes Fussell beginning at 6 p.m. in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for the concert, which is free and open to the public.

Following the performance, the ICA will debut its fall exhibition, artist Kevin McNamee-Tweed’s “When the World’s on Fire.” The gallery will be open until 9 p.m.; light food and drink will be offered.

Click here for more information.

Save the date for the next brown bag lunch

The next UTC Research Institute brown bag lunch will take place from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 25, in the UTC Library Room 435. Each brown bag lunch is designed to engage faculty and staff across campus in identifying opportunities for collaboration.

Message from Mocs Card Services

Residential students, the fall 2023 meal plan change request deadline is Sunday, Sept. 3. Students may request a meal plan change by emailing MOCSCARD@UTC.EDU; remember to include your UTC ID number and the meal plan you would like for the fall 2023 semester. Requests received after Sept. 3 will not be accepted.

Meal plan eligibility is based on earned credit hours. The University classifies undergraduate students as freshmen, sophomores, juniors or seniors according to the number of credit hours students have completed:

• Freshman: 0-29 semester hours
• Sophomore: 30-59 semester hours
• Junior: 60-89 semester hours
• Senior: 90 or more semester hours
• The Meal Plans are listed by student classification. Please click here for more information.

Campus Updates

The student organization re-registration process for the 2023-2024 academic year is now open. All UTC student organizations are required to complete re-registration annually to maintain active status and campus privileges.

Re-registration eligibility, steps, deadlines and resources can be found here. Contact Laura-Petrus@utc.edu with any questions.

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UTC has launched the new Off-Campus Student Services (OCSS) program for the 2023-2024 academic year. Housed in the Office of Student Outreach and Support, Off-Campus Student Services aims to help students find off-campus housing, educate students on their rights and responsibilities as renters, and assist with other needs they may experience living off-campus.

In addition, UTC has entered a partnership with College Pads, which provides an online tool to help students become more-educated renters, compare off-campus housing options, and find potential roommates. The link to College Pads’ Chattanooga off-campus housing listings can be found here.

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A message from the Office of the Bursar …

This message is for all students who are continuing the UTC experience. The process for completing payment of fees for fall 2023 has begun in the Office of the Bursar.

• Students who have registered for fall 2023 should view their E-Mocs statement via their MyMocsNet accounts. The first E-Mocs statement was available on July 13. 
• Employees and dependents, ensure that you have submitted the proper documentation for the tuition waiver if applicable.
• All students are encouraged to set up ACH/Direct Deposit for refunds through their MyMocsNet accounts. Note that a paper check mailed to the permanent address on file can take 5-10-plus days via USPS. If assistance is needed in adding the refund account information, please go to utc.edu/bursar, click the “Video Instructions” tab in the middle of the page, and click on the video titled, “Bursar Series: Direct Deposit.”

If you have any general questions, please contact our office at (423) 425-4781 or email Bursars-Office@utc.edu. The office is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Ensure that anyone permitted to discuss your account has a MyMocsPass Passphrase to receive specific information about your account.

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UTC will be rolling out a new events calendar using software from Localist. The new UTC calendar will enable members of the campus community to easily share, manage and publicize events from a single, convenient platform. Event information shared via this platform also is accessible to the public.

In addition to enabling easily adding an event to the calendar, the platform will automatically incorporate events from other calendars—such as events hosted by Mocs Athletics, the UTC Library and more. The new calendar tool will offer:

• Ease of use
• Customizability
• Possibility of improved engagement/turnout at campus events

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The Institute of Internal Auditors Chattanooga chapter is hosting a networking event and student night from 5:30-8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 25, in 540 McCallie Ave. Building Room 104. The event is open to all business and computer science majors who are interested in learning about careers in internal auditing. Dinner is provided and chapter members from several large employers will be in attendance, including those in the corporate, nonprofit and governmental spaces. This is a fantastic opportunity for students, particularly those majoring in accounting, finance or computer science, to learn about the industry and network with hiring managers in an informal setting. Seating is limited and registration is required. | Calendar Info

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“The First Amendment, the Academy, and the Media: Restoring a Marketplace of Ideas,” is the topic of the 13th Annual Dr. Richard Gruetzemacher Constitution Day Lecture Series, which takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 13, in the University Center Tennessee Room. The lecture series is presented by the UTC Center for Reflective Citizenship.

The featured speaker is Joshua Dunn, the inaugural executive director of the Institute of American Civics at the Howard H. Baker School for Public Policy and Public Affairs. For more information, contact the Center for Reflective Citizenship at crc@utc.edu or call 423-425-5603. | Livestream Link | Calendar Info

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Exempt employees (and/or non-exempt employees with supervisory responsibilities) of any UT campus are welcome to register for the inaugural BEST Man Forum to be held Sept. 19 at the UT Conference Center in Knoxville. The forum will be based on the book “Of Boys and Men” with keynote remarks from the author, Richard Reeves. The one-day event will include facilitated small-group sessions based on chapters of the book, an executive leadership panel, extensive networking and a vendor session.

The UTC Division of Diversity and Engagement is sponsoring transportation to this event for UTC employees, leaving campus at 6:30 a.m. and returning at 6 p.m. the same day.

• Learn more about the conference and register here.
• Resources may be available through UTC’s Career Development Fund to help defray the cost of this event for non-exempt employees. Visit that website to see if you’re eligible for financial assistance.

Do you care about the future of Chattanooga’s neighborhoods, housing, commercial areas, infrastructure, transportation, parks, facilities and natural resources? The Chattanooga Regional Planning Agency is undertaking an ambitious planning process to create detailed area plans for all areas of Chattanooga and a parallel process for other parts of Hamilton County.

The Plan Chattanooga survey is intended to involve the community in this planning process. These plans will address many topics and include specific actions to make our city more prosperous and livable as it grows. There will be many opportunities to get involved over the next 12 months. Click here to learn more and to take the survey.

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Jeff Flowers, retirement plan advisor with Empower Retirement (aka Retire Ready Tennessee)—the 401k and 457 provider—will be on campus Wednesday (Aug. 16) and Tuesday, Sept. 19, for in-person retirement planning meetings. Meetings will be held in UTC Library Room 429. To schedule an appointment, follow this link to see available times: https://jeff-flowers.empowermytime.com.

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Timothy Tubbs, UTC’s TIAA Financial Consultant, will be visiting UTC on Wednesday, Sept. 20, for in-person Optional Retirement Program consultations. Meetings will be held in UTC Library Room 429. To schedule an appointment, follow this link to see available times: www.tiaa.org/schedulenow.

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Do you know a young Mocs fan? Now is their chance to join our team and get in on all the fun-filled action that Mocs Athletics has to offer.

Scrappy’s Kids Club is the official kids club of Chattanooga Athletics and membership is open to all kids in eighth grade and under for only $15. Memberships include Mocs swag, free tickets to select home athletic events, exclusive events and opportunities, monthly emailed newsletters and more. Click here to purchase a membership.

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Space is still available in International Business Experience: Portugal and Spain, a fall 2023 course open to all UTC students. This course, which is being led by Professor Bento Lobo, has no prerequisite and includes a 10-day study trip to Lisbon, Portugal, and Madrid, Spain.

Students earn three credit hours on the undergraduate level (MGT 4950) or graduate level (MGT 5950). Submit a course application as soon as possible to be considered. For more information, contact COBInternational@utc.edu or visit COB International Programs.

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Mocs Card Services is issuing new ID cards to all faculty, staff, and students. As campus card readers are being replaced, this new card will be necessary for door access and use.

The ID Office summer hours of operation are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Please anticipate a higher-than-normal volume of customers on Orientation days.

What is the difference in the current Mocs Card and the new Mocs Card? The new Mocs Card is embedded with an RFID chip (tap technology) that will coincide with the installation of new card readers across campus.

• Bring your current Mocs Card to the ID Office in University Center Room 262 to exchange for the new card.
• If you do not bring your current ID, there is a $30 replacement fee. Replacement fees are processed in the Bursar’s Office (University Center Room 274).
• Contact Mocs Card Services (423-425-5819) or the ID Office (423-425-2218) with questions.

SoCon unveils refreshed brand ahead of 2023-24 school year

The Southern Conference launched its refreshed brand last week. Click here to watch the official launch video.

The conference’s refreshed brand and primary logo leverages the term and abbreviation “SoCon” while providing improvements to the visual representation and artistic presentation. The new logo builds from the conference’s previous secondary logo and modernizes the visuals to be more effective in a variety of media presentations.

Music to Our Ears

Listen as Duo Esplanade—visiting lecturer Ayça Çetin (flute) and adjunct instructor Katsuya Yuasa (clarinet)—perform Microduo, composed by UTC composition major Katherine Fair, at the spring Campus Composers Concert.

Looking ahead

Mackenzie Smith (photo credit: Chattanooga Athletics/Ray Soldano)

This week’s Mocs Athletics calendar:

• Thursday (Aug. 17): Volleyball Blue-Gold Scrimmage, Maclellan Gym, 6 p.m.
• Thursday (Aug. 17): Soccer at Vanderbilt (Nashville, Tennessee), 8 p.m.
• Saturday (Aug. 19): Volleyball vs. Tennessee Tech (Exhibition), Maclellan Gym, 6 p.m.
• Sunday (Aug. 20): Soccer at Tennessee Tech (Cookeville, Tennessee), 7 p.m.

Looking back

Andy Tomas, a sophomore majoring in management with a minor in Spanish, is one of the UTC students leading Spanish-language tours.

For the first time in its history, UTC will offer Spanish-language campus tours. The inaugural guided tour, led by UTC students, will take place at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 25. Buses will pick up prospective high school students and their families at 4 p.m. from La Paz Chattanooga—located at 809 S. Willow St.—and a trio of local high schools: The Howard School, Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy and East Ridge High School.

Prospective students wanting to register for the tour should go to utc.edu/visit and scroll down the page until seeing Spanish Speaking Tour—then click “Register Now.”

• At the pop-up box, click “Register.”
• Fill out the registration form and click “Complete” to finish.

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Aug. 9 was the first day of class on the UTC campus—for 56 high school juniors, that is. University High, a Hamilton County Schools initiative headquartered at UTC, made its long-awaited debut.

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Mocs Head Coach Rusty Wright (photo credit: Billy Weeks)

Thanks to the efforts of Mocs football student-athletes in April, 200 members of the UTC campus community have been added to the national Be The Match Registry for blood stem cell and marrow donations. The Mocs football team has been involved with Be The Match since 2011, adding 1,189 people to the registry over the years.

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Here are some other recent UTC stories featured in the Newsroom:

• The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga raised $14,113,826 from 6,100 donors during the fiscal year 2023, exceeding the University’s fundraising goal by more than $3 million. This fundraising total represents a 38% increase from the previous fiscal year and a 115% increase from two years prior in dollars raised to support students, faculty and staff.
• As an intern this summer in UTC Communications and Marketing, Peyton Schultz spent 12 weeks writing about UTC students, faculty and staff and their accomplishments. From research programs to new job prospects to exciting summer internships, she discovered there are many people on campus with great experiences to share.
• For the past three summers, as part of the National Science Foundation-funded Research Experience for Teachers, faculty from the College of Engineering and Computer Science have worked with Hamilton County Schools teachers and others on project-based learning that is both effective and fun for students.
• Even though the Colonial Chemical name is not on the label, there’s a good chance the molecules are from the South Pittsburg, Tennessee-based company, which is home to 16 current UTC graduates—nine of them with undergraduate degrees in chemistry or chemical engineering.
• This summer, UC Foundation Professor of Spanish Lynn Purkey has led a six-week Beginning Conversational Spanish Course for UTC faculty and staff.

Tales from the UTC PodLab

Michael Crosa and Meghan Phillips

“Tennessee Valley Across the Table” is a student-led podcast that brings locals, often strangers with different views, together to learn who we are as people. It is inspired by StoryCorps’ One Small Step program.

In 2022, community members came to the UTC PodLab and opened their lives with stories about their families, their politics and their hopes for the future. This year, UTC Honors students, under the direction of Will Davis, studied the recordings and chose the material that most resonated with them. This episode by UTC political science student Kristina Thompson features a conversation between Meghan Phillips and Michael Crosa.

You can subscribe to “Tennessee Valley Across the Table” on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

WUTC Spotlight: On the Outside in Chattanooga

For the past 18 months, UTC senior Mal O’Connell and radio personality Richard Winham have been talking to people living on the street in Chattanooga—along with the small army of people working every day to alleviate the suffering of the unsheltered in Chattanooga. The series can now be heard on WUTC-FM 88.1.

Those voices include the people of the Community Kitchen (now called The Chatt Foundation), the Homeless Health Care Center, the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition, and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing for the City of Chattanooga.