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Updates and news for the week of February 28 – March 6, 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.
Campus Updates | University Events Master Calendar | UTC News
QEP: The Value of Student Assessment
The University’s Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) on-site review takes place from March 6-9, and campus visitors will meet with UTC personnel to ensure we are fulfilling our mission concerning student learning via the outlined compliance standards. The site visitors will also meet with students, faculty and staff to discuss our Quality Enhancement Plan titled “A Moc’s First Year,” which is intended to increase the retention and graduation of first-time, full-time freshmen students by building a sense of community and a cohort environment.
Click here for the videos introducing the value of student assessment, the value of students learning together, “A Moc’s First Year” and first-year seminars.
Coffee with the Chancellor
Coffee with the Chancellor takes place from 8:15-9:30 a.m. today (Feb. 28) in the Decosimo Success Center, located on the 2nd floor of Fletcher Hall.
For those who haven’t attended Coffee with the Chancellor, stop by and chat, grab a cup of coffee and keep the mug. The only agenda is meaningful dialogue, so bring ideas, questions and concerns. Chancellor Angle will take questions from 8:30-9:15 a.m.
New Campus Card Technology has arrived
Mocs Card Services will be issuing new cards to all faculty, staff and students over the next several months. To beat the last-minute rush, please get your new card before the end of the semester.
What is the difference in the current Mocs Card and the NEW Mocs Card? The new Mocs Card is embedded with a 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.
- The ID Office is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
- If you do not bring your current ID, there is a $30 replacement fee. Replacement fees are processed in the Bursar Office (University Center Room 274).
- Contact Mocs Card Services (423-425-5819) or the ID Office (423-425-2218) with questions.
Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award
It is time once again to call for nominations for the Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award, a recognition program administered by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission that honors the late Tennessee Representative Harold Love Sr. and highlights higher education faculty, staff and students demonstrating exemplary public service. As in years past, five students and five faculty/staff members from across the state of Tennessee will receive a $1,000 award check in honor of their service.
- Nominees must be current undergraduate or graduate students or faculty/staff at a Tennessee higher education institution. UTC will submit up to two nominations from each category (i.e., up to two student nominees and up to two faculty/staff nominees). The Chancellor and members of the Executive Leadership Team will determine the nominations that go forward from our campus to THEC, where they will be reviewed by a task force comprised of representatives from the Independent Colleges, the Tennessee Board of Regents, and the University of Tennessee.
- For full consideration, each nomination submitted to the Chancellor’s Office must include the information indicated on the nomination form. If you are making multiple nominations, please submit separate forms for each nominee. Please submit completed nominations to alexis-hurley@utc.edu in the Chancellor’s Office no later than noon on Wednesday (March 1).
March Through History
 Credit: Lenfest Institute for Journalism UTC Women’s History Month activities include a “March Through History” exhibit in the Center for Women and Gender Equity’s Lupton Hall office and special events throughout the month. This week’s events include:
- Today (Feb. 28): Dr. Michelle Deardorff: The Dobbs Decision: What It Does and Doesn’t Do, Metro Building Room 231, 12:15 p.m.
- Wednesday (March 1): Trivia Night (co-sponsored by Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies program and Generation Action), Lupton Hall, 7 p.m.
- Thursday (March 2): Panel Discussion: Sex After Dark—What You Need to Know About a Post-Roe World, University Center Signal Mountain Room, 7 p.m.
- Friday (March 3): Suffragist March, Hamilton County Courthouse, noon.
- Friday-Sunday (March 3-5): Women’s Leadership Academy retreat.
The outstanding people of UTC
The inaugural O’Dea Lecture in the Humanities series kicked off before a packed audience in the Guerry Center Reading Room last Friday. UC Foundation Professor of English Gregory O’Dea (pictured) was the featured speaker for “Humanities in the Wild: Reintroducing a Vital Species of Thought.”
Check out these Mocs making a difference:
- Following the recent announcement of the launch of the accelerated BSN degree program, Dr. Chris Smith was interviewed about the new program by the Times Free Press and NewsChannel 9.
- For the seventh straight year, the SMILE Fund’s Chartered Financial Analyst Institute team won the Greater Tennessee Research Challenge. This year’s winning group: Claire Hoeke, Jacob Barber, Nick Morris and Grant Fetters.
- Junior Lesley Green earned all-Southern Conference honors in both the 3,000 meter and the 5,000 meter at the SoCon Indoor Track and Field Championships.
- When you think about physical therapy, you think about human beings. But thanks to Dr. David Levine, the world of animal therapy is growing by leaps and bounds. Levine’s story was told during a recent “More to the Story with Staley” on News 12 Now.
- Students Andrea Kelliher and Liomar Mercedes Sosa visited The Daily Refresh to talk about this week’s UTC Theatre Co. production of “Into the Woods.”
- Dogu Sahin, a master’s student from Ankara, Turkey, was interviewed by NewsChannel 9 about the recent earthquakes in Turkey.
- Associate Professor Annie Tracy Samuel was part of a University of Arkansas panel called “Woman, Life, Freedom: A Discussion About Iran.”
Another Busy Week at UTC
 Liomar Mercedes Sosa (as Wolf) and Andrea Kelliher (as Little Red Riding Hood) The UTC Theatre Co. presents Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s “Into the Woods” tonight (Feb. 28) through Saturday (March 4) in the Fine Arts Center’s Dorothy Hackett Ward Theatre. Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. every night, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday.
Tickets can be purchased through the UTC Box Office in person, by phone (423-425-4371) and by visiting the UTC Theatre web page. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for students (with proof of student ID) and seniors.
The Master of Public Health Program, in partnership with Academic Affairs and the Division of Diversity and Engagement, is bringing a no-hands CPR demonstration to campus from noon-2 p.m. today (Feb. 28) in the University Center Raccoon Mountain Room.
Applications are currently being accepted for the summer 2023 cohorts of the Leadership and Instructional Practice (EdD) and Leadership and Decision-Making (Ph.D.) programs, both terminal, professional degrees with rigor and academic depth. Due to the cohort nature of the programs, new cohorts are only admitted in the summer. Minimum admission qualifications include a master’s degree (or equivalent) from a regionally accredited institution (in any discipline), a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on all prior graduate coursework and a minimum of two years of professional experience—preferably in a leadership role. The application deadline is today (Feb. 28). For details, visit www.utc.edu/lead.
Take Five 2023 will continue its exploration of youth and the city at 6 p.m. today (Feb. 28) in the University Center Chattanooga Room. This session will feature Dr. Aaron Shaheen, who will present John Dos Passos’ 1925 novel “Manhattan Transfer.” Coming out to great critical acclaim, the novel was among the first to bring cinematic effects to the literary page.
Always free and open to the public, Take Five serves a light dinner and lots of laughs. For questions or comments, contact Aaron-Shaheen@utc.edu.
The biannual Bloodanooga Blood Drive, in collaboration with Blood Assurance, is taking place Wednesday and Thursday (March 1-2) from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. in the University Center Tennessee Room. Blood donors will receive free food and a ’90s grunge-themed T-shirt. As an extra incentive, all donors will be entered into a drawing to win a pair of AirPods.
A single blood donation will save three lives in our community.
UTC Photo Night, an event celebrating photojournalism, will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday (March 1) in the University Center Auditorium. Award-winning professionals and UTC Communication students will be showcasing their work.
The Photo Night program includes behind-the-scenes stories from photojournalists Olivia Ross (recent UTC grad), Kathleen Greeson (Pulitzer nominated), Kim Hubbard (National Geographic, Obama White House, UTC alum) and Wade Payne (Associated Press). Contact william-weeks@utc.edu for more information.
From 1-3 p.m. on Thursday (March 2), a Storm Spotters class—part of the National Weather Service’s Skywarn system—will be held in the UTC Library. Click here to register for the course.
The Department of Chemistry and Physics continues its Spring Seminar series with a visit from Dr. A. Gilad Kusne from 3-4 p.m. on Friday (March 3) in Grote Hall Room 411. Kusne will talk about autonomous materials research and discovery at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The next Badge in Applied Politics event will feature Christa Mannarino, owner of Mannarino Consulting and chief marketing and development officer for Signal Centers, Inc. The event will take place from 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday (March 4); breakfast will be provided.
In this session, Mannarino will work with participants to develop a project implementation plan that will include timelines, SMART goals, budget management, and outcome reporting tools for grant awards. Only a limited number of spaces are available, so register by Wednesday (March 1).
Look through Chattanooga’s historic 20.5-inch telescope. View a show at the Planetarium. Learn about the latest astronomical research. Meet members of the Chemistry and Physics department and the Barnard Astronomical Society.
The Clarence T. Jones Observatory (10 N. Tuxedo Ave.) has reopened, with Sunday night events scheduled throughout the spring. The observatory, owned and operated by UTC, is free and open to the public. Gates open Sunday at 5:30 p.m., with a lecture and Planetarium show beginning at 6 p.m. and telescope viewing until 8 p.m. This week’s topic:
- Sunday (March 5): Kepler—Mission Accomplished. Featured constellation: The Summer Triangle.
Dr. Andrew Davison, author of “Astrobiology and Christian Doctrine,” will be the speaker at a free public lecture, presented by the Department of Philosophy and Religion, at 7 p.m. Monday (March 6) in the University Center Auditorium. Davison is the Starbridge Associate Professor in Theology and Natural Sciences at Cambridge University.
Notice of Final Defense: Upcoming Research Presentations
The UTC Graduate School announced that the following students will be presenting their final works of research as advanced degree candidates. Everyone is invited to attend.
- Tuesday, Feb. 28: Justin Crowe will present doctoral research titled, “The Role of the Tennessee 4-H Specialist as Perceived by 4-H Agents,” Zoom, 9:30 a.m.
- Thursday, March 2: Gertrude Osei will present master’s research titled, “Effective Modeling of COVID-19 Outcomes Utilizing Google Trends Data: A VAR Approach,” Lupton Hall Room 302, 10 a.m.
- Thursday, March 2: William Stuart will present master’s research titled, “Mapping Urban Forest Extent and Modeling Sequestered Carbon Across Chattanooga, TN Using GIS and Remote Sensing,” University Center Signal Mountain Room, noon.
- Thursday, March 2: Rita Rowe Jackson will present doctoral research titled, “The Perception of Hybrid Nutrition Education Among Limited Income Families in Tennessee,” Zoom, 2 p.m.
- Thursday, March 2: Morgan Robinson will present master’s research titled, “From Students to Citizens: The Role of an Intergenerational Dialogue Experiential Learning Program in Undergraduate Student Development,” 540 McCallie Ave. Building Room 357, 3 p.m.
- Thursday, March 2: Samuel Talley will present master’s research titled, “Bronze Monuments: The Terror of Death and its Role in The Great Gatsby,” Lupton Hall Room 393, 4 p.m.
- Friday, March 3: Caleb Gruber will present master’s research titled, “Weather and its Effects on Tree Swallow Fledging Times,” University Center Ocoee Room, 11 a.m.
- Friday, March 3: Dana Stripling will present master’s research titled, “An Examination of the Disparate Impact of Neighborhood Characteristics on Routine and Gang-Involved Gun Crime,” 540 McCallie Ave. Building Room 461, noon.
- Friday, March 3: Mohammad Khan will present doctoral research titled, “Numerical Evaluation of Wavenumbers of the Acoustic Waves Propagating in an Ice-Covered Ocean,” Lupton Hall Room 393, 2 p.m.
- Friday, March 3: Stephen Lawrence will present master’s research titled, “Probabilistic Risk Assessment of System-Level Radiation Effects,” ECS Building Maytag Room or Zoom, 3 p.m.
- Monday, March 6: Ruipeng Zhang will present doctoral research titled, “Advancing IoT Security through Blockchain-based Decentralized Platform and AI-Powered Digital Forensics,” ECS Building Room 313G, 10 a.m.
- Tuesday, March 7: Lauren Strickland will present master’s research titled, “The Relationships Among Childhood Adversity, Working Memory Task Performance, and Subjective/Objective Stress,” 540 McCallie Ave. Building Room 107, 11 a.m.
- Tuesday, March 7: Hannah Nelms will present master’s research titled, “Propagation of Wild-Collected Prunus americana Marsh. by Rooted Cuttings for Germplasm Conservation in the Southern Appalachians,” Holt Hall Room 229, 2 p.m.
The Hayes comes alive with “The Sound of Music”
 Brooke Harwell, left, Ashly Dilbeck and Isaiah Owens at a rehearsal for “The Sound of Music.” On March 8, the UTC Chamber Singers will perform selections from “The Sound of Music” in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall in the UTC Fine Arts Center. In something of a curveball, though, while the performance is intended to raise money, there’s no admission fee. Instead, there is an account with Venmo, an online payment service.
“We’re actually doing it in the premise of a telethon,” student Lauren Graves said. “We have a Venmo account and we’re going to ask for donations. We’re going to ask that everybody donate at least give $5; that’s like the bare minimum, please.”
Writing with Tina and Jim
 Tina Mozelle and James Braziel The Honors College and the Department of English are hosting a creative writing workshop and public reading from 6:15-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7, in the Guerry Center Reading Room featuring the Braziels, Tina Mozell and James.
The Braziels live and write in a glass cabin that they are building by hand on Hydrangea Ridge. Their collection of poems about their glass cabin life will be released in 2024 by Pulley Press.
- Tina Mozelle Braziel is the author of Known by Salt (Anhinga Press), winner of the Philip Levine Prize for Poetry, and Rooted by Thirst (Porkbelly Press). Her work has also appeared in POETRY, The Cincinnati Review, Southern Humanities Review, and other journals.
- James Braziel’s latest book, This Ditch-Walking Love, is the winner of the Tartt First Fiction Award (Livingston Press, 2021). His novels Birmingham, 35 Miles and Snakeskin Road follow a family after an environmental disaster in the future South.
Mark your calendar for April 1
The Undergraduate Admissions Office will be hosting the annual Blue and Gold Preview Day-Spring Edition for prospective students and their families on Saturday, April 1.
Blue and Gold Preview Day includes a tour of campus, an academic department fair, a student organization showcase and a residence hall open house.
Click here for a link to the online registration.
Campus Updates
The summer 2023 class schedule is now available in MyMocsNet.
Registration is open and time tickets are available to students through MyMocsNet > Academics > My Profile.
Waitlist and FAQ information can be found here.
Are you still deciding on your major or thinking about adding a double major or minor? Consider the career benefits of Spanish, French, the Classics and Latin, or Latin American Studies on your resumé.
Come to the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Showcase from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7, in Lupton Hall Room 239 to find out more about the majors and minors being offered and the opportunities available to students—including scholarships, awards, study abroad opportunities and internships in the community. Lunch will be provided and MCLL alumni will share their experiences. RSVP by Thursday (March 2) to edwin-murillo@utc.edu.
ReSEARCH Dialogues has been renamed the UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference, with the event taking place April 12 in the University Center. This conference provides a place for students to showcase their academic and creative endeavors. The event will feature displays, presentations and posters from UTC undergrads, graduate students and faculty. Community college students and community partners are also invited to present.
The UTC Civil Engineering Department is hosting the 2023 ASCE Mid-South Student Symposium from March 30-April 1, and volunteers are needed. There will be approximately 450 participants, faculty, and judges. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated, so please consider volunteering.
The link to the volunteer sign-up can be found by clicking here.
The Commission on the Status of Women is seeking nominations from all staff and faculty members to serve on the commission starting Fall 2023. Established in 2019 at the direction of Chancellor Angle, the Commission on the Status of Women is part of a strategic focus on increased diversity, inclusion and engagement in all facets of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The purpose of this commission is to address the need to ensure equity for women and to create an environment based on a philosophy of social, political, and economic equality for all people throughout the institution. Click here for a link to the nomination form. Additional information about the nomination and election process can be found here. Please submit nominations by Friday, March 17.
For more than one year, UTC has been composting through NewTerra Compost, which has helped to divert over 50,000 pounds of food waste from the University Center food court and Crossroads dining hall from the landfill. Composting is the process of allowing food waste to decompose into nutrient-rich soil that can be used in gardens around the city.
This semester, a pilot project is being implemented which gives on-campus residents access to compost drop-off locations. Two bins are already in place, one at Johnson Obear and one at Decosimo residence halls. Students interested in participating in the project should complete this form.
The 2nd Annual Fly for Researchers pitch competition for UTC faculty and graduate student innovators will be held from 3:30-5 p.m. on April 19 at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Mapp Building. This event will spotlight ideas that have the potential to be commercialized or licensed. Applicants must have a validated proof of concept, intend to pursue commercialization or licensing opportunities and have submitted an invention disclosure in IDEA.
Click here to apply. For more information, email jennifer-skjellum@utc.edu.
The School of Nursing will hold a free culturally inclusive care virtual conference titled “Reducing health disparities among indigenous communities, refugee populations, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and patients with disabilities,” from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7. Register for the virtual event by clicking here. For more information, click here.
The College of Engineering and Computer Science is hosting a Marble Roller Coaster engineering design competition for middle school and high school students on Friday, March 10. The event runs from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the University Center Tennessee Room.
Click here to register to attend. Email CECS-SuccessCenter@utc.edu for more information.
 Mark your calendars now for I Love UTC Week 2023, taking place March 20-24. This is a time to celebrate all that makes UTC special. There will be a variety of activities and special events for all members of the Mocs family, whether faculty, staff, student, alumni or friend. The full calendar of events will be shared soon. If your office is hosting a program during the week of March 20-24 that would be appropriate to include on the I Love UTC Week calendar, email laura-cagle@utc.edu.
The Humanities Program invites all UTC undergraduates to participate in the North Callahan Essay Prize, awarded each year to an undergraduate whose exceptionally fine essay addresses a subject related to the Humanities (art, music, philosophy, religion, rhetoric/literature, history, theater or interdisciplinary studies that combine these disciplines). Essays will be evaluated by an interdisciplinary committee of professors. The prize carries a $1,000 award. Click here for information and entry requirements and email jose-luis-gastanaga@utc.edu with questions. Essays must be submitted by 3 p.m. on March 24.
UTC Campus Recreation has opened registration for its Mocs Adventure Summer Camp, Summer Pool Parties and Summer Youth Swim Lessons. Slots are expected to fill up quickly, so don’t delay in booking your child’s spots. For questions or additional information, email CampusRec@utc.edu.
Mocs Adventure Summer Camp | Youth Swim Lessons | Pool Parties
The International Symposium on Digital Forensics and Security—ISDFS 2023—will be held both online and in person at UTC on May 11-12. This symposium has been supported by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers since 2016. All papers approved by the referees and presented at the symposium will be sent for publication in the IEEE Xplore library. For information or questions, email Asaf-Varol@utc.edu.
Looking ahead
Events posted to this week’s University master calendar include:
- Today (Feb. 28): Justin Crowe Dissertation Research, Zoom, 9:30 a.m.
- Today (Feb. 28): The Dobbs Decision: What It Does and Doesn’t Do, Metro Building 231, 12:15 p.m.
- Wednesday (March 1): Trivia Night, Lupton Hall 389, 7 p.m.
- Thursday (March 2): Gertrude Osei Dissertation Research, Lupton Hall 302, 10 a.m.
- Thursday (March 2): William Stuart Dissertation Research, University Center Signal Mountain Room, noon
- Thursday (March 2): Rita Rowe Jackson Dissertation Research, Zoom, 2 p.m.
- Thursday (March 2): Morgan Robinson Dissertation Research, 540 McCallie Ave. Room 357, 3 p.m.
- Thursday (March 2): Samuel Talley Dissertation Research, Lupton Hall 393, 4 p.m.
- Thursday (March 2): Sex After Dark: What You Need to Know About a Post-Roe World, University Center Signal Mountain Room, 6:30 p.m.
- Friday (March 3): Caleb Gruber Dissertation Research, University Center Ocoee Room, 11 a.m.
- Friday (March 3): Suffragist March, Hamilton County Courthouse, noon
- Friday (March 3): Dana Stripling Dissertation Research, 540 McCallie Ave. Building Room 461, noon
- Friday (March 3): Mohammad Khan Dissertation Research, Lupton Hall 393, 2 p.m.
- Friday (March 3): Stephen Lawrence Dissertation Research, ECS Building Maytag Room and Zoom, 3 p.m.
- Friday (March 3): Chemistry and Physics Seminar Series: Autonomous Materials Research Seminar, Grote Hall Room 411, 3 p.m.
- Saturday (March 4): Badge in Applied Politics, 540 McCallie Ave. Building Room 462D, 9 a.m.
- Sunday (March 5): UTC Jones Observatory Tour, 10 N. Tuxedo Ave., 5:30 p.m.
- Monday (March 6): Ruipeng Zhang Dissertation Research, ECS Building Room 313G, 10 a.m.
- Monday (March 6): Astrobiology and Christian Belief Lecture, University Center Auditorium, 7 p.m.
 Sophomore Ryan Mudre was recently named the Southern Conference Player of the Week (photo credit: Ray Soldano/GoMocs.com). This week’s Mocs Athletics calendar:
- Thursday-Sunday (3/2-3/5): SoCon Women’s Basketball Tournament (Asheville, N.C.)
- Friday-Monday (3/3-3/6): SoCon Men’s Basketball Tournament (Asheville, N.C.)
- Friday (3/3): Softball vs. Sacred Heart (Boiling Springs, N.C.), 11 a.m.
- Friday (3/3): Softball vs. Harvard (Boiling Springs, N.C.), 1 p.m.
- Saturday (3/4): Wrestling at the SoCon Championships (Boone, N.C.), All Day
- Saturday (3/4): Men’s Tennis at Jacksonville State (Jacksonville, Ala.), 10 a.m.
- Saturday (3/4): Softball at Gardner-Webb (Boiling Springs, N.C.), 5 p.m.
- Saturday (3/4): Softball vs. Sacred Heart (Boiling Springs, N.C.), 7 p.m.
- Sunday (3/5): Men’s Golf at the Jason Dufner Invite (Auburn, Ala.), All Day
- Sunday (3/5): Men’s Tennis vs. Troy (UTC Tennis Center), 11 a.m.
- Sunday (3/5): Women’s Tennis at Troy (Troy, Ala.), noon
- Sunday (3/5): Softball vs. Detroit (Boiling Springs, N.C.), noon
- Monday (3/6): Men’s Golf at the Jason Dufner Invite (Auburn, Ala.), All Day
Looking back
 Photo by Kim Hubbard UTC alums Kim Hubbard and Olivia Ross are among the photographers participating in Photo Night on Wednesday night (March 1). The event takes place at 6 p.m. in the University Center Auditorium.
Here are some other recent UTC stories featured in the Newsroom:
WUTC Spotlight: Scenic Roots (The Photo Night Edition)
Photo Night returns to the UTC Campus at 6 p.m. on Wednesday (March 1), and a new episode of WUTC’s Scenic Roots promotes the event. Interviewees include Associate Lecturer Billy Weeks; student Seth Carpenter, photo editor of the Echo; independent photographer Kathleen Greeson; and student Madison Van Horn, editor of the Echo and Rising Rock Media.
Be Well Tip of the Week: Bloodanooga
Bloodanooga is this week. While this event is geared towards blood donation, getting routine blood work done is important, too. Here are some benefits of routine labs:
- Determining your risks for diseases and health conditions
- Early diagnosis of some illnesses
- Monitoring advancement, management and treatment of existing conditions
- Detecting and monitoring the status of many sexually transmitted infections
- Evaluating how well your organs are working
As a reminder, University Health Services offers lab services for students and employees. Call 423-425-2266 to schedule an appointment.
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