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Updates and news for the week of February 6-12, 2024
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.
Submit your Chancellor’s Innovation Fund ideas
UTC faculty and staff, to build on your ideas and the culture of innovation UTC already has, we have established the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund and need your ideas and energy!
Please visit the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund webpage for details about how to submit a proposal to address a challenge or opportunity with an innovative solution you’ve identified.
The deadline for submission of proposals is 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15. A successful proposal may be awarded up to a maximum of $15,000 in one-time funding.
FAFSA Fridays throughout February
Financial Aid and Scholarships staff, along with Mocs One Center team members, will be holding FAFSA Fridays in February. They will offer a series of in-person and online workshops to assist current and prospective students and their families with filling out the form. For more information about the FAFSA process, visit the Financial Aid and Scholarships page.
Upcoming session dates: Feb. 9, Feb. 16 and Feb. 23
- In-person: 10 a.m.-noon in the Mocs One Center (University Center Room 124).
- Virtual: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., click here for Zoom links
UTC celebrates Black History Month
The theme of UTC Black History Month is “African Americans and the Arts,” with special events taking place throughout February. This week’s events include:
- Today (Feb. 6): International Tea Time, Lupton Hall first floor, 3 p.m.
- Friday (Feb. 9): Fresh Fridays – Art and Soul, Lupton Hall Multicultural Center, 2 p.m.
- Monday (Feb. 12): Hired Like Me, Lupton Hall Multicultural Center, noon
Check the Black History Month events calendar for a complete listing of activities.
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A pair of high-profile events are coming to campus as part of Black History Month.
On Friday, Feb. 16, UTC LIVE! will present The Core Ensembles’ “Of Ebony Embers: Vignettes of the Harlem Renaissance,” a chamber music theatre work for actor and trio (cello, piano and percussion). The presentation celebrates the lives of the great African American poets Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen and Claude McKay—as seen through the eyes of muralist/painter Aaron Douglas. The performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall.
The following week, from Feb. 22-24, the College of Arts and Sciences will present “Baldwin vs. Buckley” as performed by the New York-based american vicarious theatre group. Following critically acclaimed runs in New York City and London, the production of the historic 1965 debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr. is reenacted over three nights in three locations:
- Thursday, Feb. 22: Guerry Center Reading Room, 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, Feb. 23: UTC Library Roth Reading Room, 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Feb. 24: Roland Hayes Concert Hall, 7:30 p.m.
For ticket information, visit the Fine Arts Center website.
The outstanding people of UTC
 Stacy Lightfoot and actress Phylicia Rashad, dean of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Vice Chancellor for Access and Engagement Stacy Lightfoot was among the prominent leaders in the arts, business, education, entertainment, government, corporate America and community honored at the eighth annual Diamond Awards, held at the Morehouse College Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel in Atlanta. Among those receiving awards alongside Lightfoot were 1980s TV sitcom stars Phylicia Rashad (who played Clair Huxtable on “The Cosby Show”) and Glynn Turman (Col. Taylor on “A Different World”).
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 From left: Cpl. Gassim Abazid, Brian Freeman, Cedric Baldwin, Meghan Roberson and Adam Groves In mid-January, hazardous winter weather conditions impacted Chattanooga, the surrounding area and most of the state. “People had to be doing physical things in 10-degree weather, five-degree weather, which is crazy,” UTC Director of Safety and Risk Management Bob Jackson recalled, “but when the call went out for help, people responded.” Click here to read about some of the heroes of UTC snow days.
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Check out these Mocs making a difference:
- UTC has been awarded $114,344 from the Hamilton County Innovative Response to Opioids Grants to fund a clinical addiction studies certificate program to prepare students for the Tennessee Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor Licensing Exam. Dr. S. Tyler Oberheim, assistant professor and clinical coordinator of the UTC Counselor Education program, and Megan McKnight, director of the Center for Wellbeing, were co-principal investigators.
- Josh Tyler, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in computational engineering, has developed a code for higher audio quality. His story was featured in teknovation.biz.
- Junior baritone Owen Langford and sophomore piano performance and pedagogy major Bradley Bee, both members of the UTC Symphony Orchestra, were guests on WDEF’s Let’s Chatt.
Mark your calendar
The UTC Criminal Justice program is hosting a Criminal Justice Career Expo from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. today (Feb. 6) in the University Center Tennessee Room.
A variety of local, state and federal organizations will be coming to the event to recruit for employment and internships, and the event is open to all UTC students. Careers in law enforcement, security, corrections, investigations, case management, community services and children’s services will be represented.
For more information, contact Sherah-Basham@utc.edu.
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Information sessions are taking place for the summer 2024 International Business Experience study abroad course to South Korea, which is open to all UTC students. The course has no prerequisites and includes a two-week international study trip to Seoul, led by Gary W. Rollins College of Business faculty members. Upcoming session dates:
- Today (Feb. 6): Fletcher Hall 109 and Zoom, noon
- Wednesday (Feb. 7): Zoom, 4 p.m.
- Thursday (Feb. 8): Zoom, noon
- Tuesday, Feb. 12: Fletcher Hall 109 and Zoom, noon
- Thursday, Feb. 15: Zoom, noon
Students earn three credit hours on the undergraduate level (MGT 4950) or graduate level (MGT 5950). For more information, contact COBInternational@utc.edu or visit COB International Programs.
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Students, we want your voice in new furniture selection. Housing and Residence Life is hosting a furniture showcase from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesday (Feb. 7) in the old Math Plaza. As we phase out some of our older furniture in the coming years, help us choose the new campus standard. We have invited eight furniture vendors to campus so that you can see the options, sit on them, and then vote on your favorites. There will be snacks, door prizes and giveaways.
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Coast Model 1, a new, fully electric luxury RV designed and manufactured in Nashville, is stopping by UTC from 9:30 a.m.-noon on Thursday (Feb. 8). Coast will be located on Vine Street between Derthick Hall and the University Center, and students are invited to visit the new era of travel, innovative technology and sustainability.
Can’t swing by at that time? Join Coast at WanderLinger Brewing Co. right down the street in the afternoon and evening. For more information, check out Coast here.
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The Department of Chemistry and Physics continues its seminar series on Friday (Feb. 9) with a talk by UT Knoxville Assistant Professor Joshua Baccile titled, “Chemical probes for interrogating five-carbon metabolism in diverse organisms.” The seminar will take place from 3-4 p.m. in Grote Hall Room 411. Click here for the Campus Updates post.
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 The Clarence T. Jones Observatory is located at 10 N. Tuxedo Ave. in Chattanooga. The public is invited to the Clarence T. Jones Observatory, owned and operated by UTC, for a free Star Party on Sunday (Feb. 11).
The evening’s topic will be “Our Friend Orion” and the featured constellation is Orion. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., with a lecture and Planetarium show beginning at 6 p.m. and telescope viewing until 8 p.m. Seating is limited, so arrive early.
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Please join the Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science as we celebrate Darwin’s birthday on Monday (Feb. 12).
Darwin Day will take place from 2-5 p.m. in the University Center Chattanooga Room. Join us for an informal get-together as BGE faculty present their research.
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The UT Alliance of Women Philanthropists is now accepting applications from UT faculty, staff, departments, students and student organizations for the 2024-2025 Circle of Giving Grants Cycle. Proposals can be for a new project or program that benefits the campus or an expansion of an existing program.
Competitive proposals will provide opportunities that inspire leadership and collaboration within the UT Community and leverage support from outside the UT Community.
- The grant request may range from $2,500 to $25,000, but cannot include faculty salaries or overhead.
- Please notify Lindsey-Nabors@utc.edu by Monday (Feb. 12) if you intend to apply for this grant cycle. We can help you prepare the required budget and ensure all application materials are in compliance with the guidelines.
- Applications must be submitted in Cayuse SP by Feb. 19.
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Sponsored by the George C. Connor Professorship of American Literature and the UTC Department of English, Take Five 2024 commences this month with a five-book lineup that explores what it means to be educated in the modern world.
Take Five sessions occur Tuesday nights at 6 p.m. in the University Center Chattanooga Room. Each session will offer a light dinner, and no RSVP is necessary. Upcoming spring dates:
- Tuesday, Feb. 13: Dr. Verbie Prevost presents “Dai Sijie’s Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress”
- Tuesday, Feb. 27: Dr. David Pleins presents Emma Smith’s “Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers”
- Tuesday, March 19: Dr. Victoria Bryan presents R.F. Kuang’s “Babel, or the Necessity of Violence”
- Tuesday, April 9: Dr. Bryan Hampton presents Julie Schumacher’s “Dear Committee Members”
All books are available through online retailers and at the UTC Bookstore (423-425-4107). Contact Aaron-Shaheen@utc.edu with questions.
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 Kim White, 2023 honoree David Wade and Chancellor Angle Do you know an alumnus/a who is exemplary in their field, someone who champions UTC with their time and talents or a newer graduate making early strides in their career? The online nomination forms for the 2024 Distinguished Alumni, Outstanding Service and GOLD Excellence Awards are open through Wednesday, Feb.14. Submit your nominations using the following links:
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The UTC Chair of Excellence in Judaic Studies, SunTrust Chair of Excellence in the Humanities, Adolph S. Ochs Professor of Government, Jew-TC, Chabad Jewish Center of Chattanooga, The Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga and Fillauer Companies, Inc. are co-sponsoring a campus conversation featuring an internationally recognized human rights activist.
On Wednesday, Feb. 14, in the University Center Auditorium, Bassem Eid, a Jerusalem-based human rights pioneer and expert commentator in Arab and Palestinian affairs, will moderate a discussion titled “Israel, Hamas and the Future in Gaza.” The presentation will begin at 5:30 p.m. and is free to the public. Click here to register and click here for the Campus Updates post.
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The UTC branch of the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization—a national nonprofit focused on helping children in underserved communities—will be having an information session at noon on Thursday, Feb. 15, in 540 McCallie Building Room 461.
Big Brothers Big Sisters has bi-monthly meetings open to the campus community at 3 p.m. the first and third Thursdays of the month throughout the semester in the same room. Upcoming dates are Feb. 15, March 7, March 21, April 4 and April 18.
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What should you do after graduation? You might want to be a doctor, lawyer, IT tech, financial reporter, engagement educator, environmental activist or philosopher.
From 4-4:50 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15, come meet alumni and find out all the different paths that a degree in Philosophy and Religion can take you. The meet-and-greet will take place in Lupton Hall Room 302. Please email Talia-Welsh@utc.edu with questions.
Following the event, UTC alum Robert Austin Kippes—now a graduate student at Binghamton University-New York, will lead a discussion titled, “Can We Avoid Idealizing Justice?” The talk will take place from 5-6:30 p.m. in Grote Hall Room 411, with a reception to follow.
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Did you resolve to get more active in the New Year but find yourself struggling to stick with it now that the new semester is in full swing?
Sign up for the UTC Spring Step Challenge Feb. 19-March 3 to help yourself recommit to your goals, sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Performance and the Center for Wellbeing. All UTC students, staff and faculty are encouraged to participate (limited to first 100 to register). Click here to register.
- If you already use an activity monitor (FitBit, Apple Watch, Garmin, etc.) to track your activity, you will be able to sync it directly to the challenge platform. You also can enter your steps manually.
- You will be able to earn credit for non-step-based activities such as swimming, yoga and cycling.
- Prizes will be awarded for Most Steps and for Most Improved from Week 1 to Week 2 of the challenge.
Please contact Karissa-peyer@utc.edu with any questions.
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On Thursday, April 11, the College of Arts and Sciences will be co-hosting Pulitzer-Prize-winning author and sociologist Matthew Desmond in collaboration with the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga. Desmond’s latest book, “Poverty, By America,” reached #1 on the New York Times best sellers list shortly after its release; his book “Evicted” won a Pulitzer Prize.
Dr. Zack Simoni in Social, Cultural and Justice Studies will lead a CAS faculty/staff book club on “Poverty, By America” leading up to Desmond’s visit. The six-week discussion group will meet at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays from Feb. 21 through April 3 in the University Center Chickamauga Room. A copy of the book will be provided.
This CAS-led session is a professional development opportunity for lifelong learning for faculty and staff. To reserve your spot in the class, please register at this link.
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.
Campus Updates
RNtoMSN.org, a leading nursing education website, recently released its 2023-2024 awards, and UTC’s School of Nursing earned the #5 ranking in its guide to Tennessee’s best online RN-to-BSN programs. Click here to learn more.
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Human Resources provided a series of February staff development opportunities, including a virtual session at 2 p.m. on Wednesday (Feb. 7) titled “Receiving Feedback Well: Crafting Constructive Responses.” Check out the Campus Updates post to learn about all of the upcoming opportunities.
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Search committee orientation is a critical component of UTC’s hiring process. What was previously conducted via Zoom as search committee training has transitioned to a new and refreshed self-paced asynchronous online training module that can easily be accessed in K@TE through this link: Faculty and Exempt Staff Search Committee Orientation.
This shift ensures a more streamlined process, consistency in content, accessibility and convenience for all participants. It emerged as a collaboration between the Office of Equity and Inclusion and Human Resources and underscores our institutional commitment to continuous improvement in fostering an inclusive and equitable hiring environment at UTC.
Faculty and exempt staff members serving on search committees must undergo search committee orientation every two years if they plan to participate in the hiring process for positions at UTC. It is not required for non-exempt staff searches but is highly recommended. For more information, click here. Email oei@utc.edu with questions, comments or concerns.
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Students, UTC is seeking applications for the 2024-2025 student member of the UTC Advisory Board. Candidates for student member shall have completed a total of 30-semester hours with a cumulative 2.75-grade point average at the end of the semester of appointment.
- The successful candidate must be available to serve from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, and must be enrolled full-time at UTC throughout the term of appointment (summer terms excluded).
- Candidate applications must be submitted by Friday, Feb. 23.
Click here for more information. To apply, click here. If you have questions, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at dos@utc.edu or 423-425-4761.
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Learning and Leadership is currently accepting applications to its summer 2024 Ph.D. and Ed.D. cohorts. If you, your friends or colleagues with a master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution are interested in pursuing their terminal degree in leadership at UTC, we encourage them to apply or to reach out for more information.
Due to the cohort nature of the programs, applications are typically accepted December through February for each incoming summer cohort. New cohorts are admitted in summer only. All application materials, including official transcripts, must be submitted by Thursday, Feb. 29.
We routinely schedule Zoom meetings with the Program Advisor to determine whether our doctoral programs are a good “fit” for prospective applicants’ specific academic and professional goals. Prospective applicants may contact the LEAD Program Office at utclead@utc.edu to schedule a meeting. Click here for the Campus Updates post.
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The UTC Center for Professional Education is offering a seven-week Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam Prep Course from March 19 through May 2. The course will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30–8 p.m. ET via Zoom.
Many project managers, program managers, team leads and administrators pursue the globally recognized PMP certification to boost their professional credibility, increase their earning potential, gain a project management framework and develop risk-ready skills.
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Injured in intramurals? Tweaked something in the gym? Back and neck soreness from hours of studying? Just need guidance getting back to your favorite activities? Check out UTC’s free physical therapy clinic.
The Pro Bono Physical Therapy clinic, located in the Mapp Building, is staffed by UTC Doctor of Physical Therapy students and professors and is 100% free. Clinic hours are 8 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays and 1-5 p.m. on Thursdays. Call University Health Services at 423-425-2266 or email ptclinic@utc.edu for more information.
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It’s never too early to think about summer camp! Mocs basketball is hosting a kids camp for girls and boys ages 7-14 on June 24-27. Camp sessions will run from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. daily.
The cost is $260, including T-shirt and meals, and discounts are available for early bird signups, siblings and UTC employees. To register, visit chattanoogawomensbasketballcamps.com.
Email tyler-r-clark@utc.edu if you have questions.
Looking ahead
 Chaz McDonald (photo courtesy of Ray Soldano/GoMocs.com) This week’s Mocs home athletics calendar:
- Friday (Feb. 9): Men’s Tennis vs. North Alabama, UTC Tennis Courts, 1 p.m.
- Friday (Feb. 9): Wrestling vs. Presbyterian, Maclellan Gym, 7 p.m.
- Saturday (Feb. 10): Women’s Tennis vs. UNC Asheville, UTC Tennis Courts, 2 p.m.
- Sunday (Feb. 11): Men’s Tennis vs. Belmont, UTC Tennis Courts, noon
- Sunday (Feb. 11): Wrestling vs. Appalachian State, Maclellan Gym, 2 p.m.
Looking back
“The College of Engineering and Computer Science is currently experiencing an exciting and challenging phase,” said Dr. Ahad Nasab (above). “There’s strong momentum in the college’s research areas of machine learning, quantum computing, hypersonic flights, smart power grids, transportation logistics and intelligent robotics. We also remain steadfast in our commitment to preparing the next generation of skilled professionals to meet the evolving demands of the industry in the Southeast region of the country.”
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Here are some other recent UTC stories featured in the Newsroom:
WUTC Spotlight: The Haley Solomon Show
 Portugal. The Man at Bonnaroo 2023 (photo credit: Nessa Parrish) In the summer of 2023, WUTC-FM covered Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. Although the festival was in its 19th year, this was WUTC’s first time attending.
“Portugal. The Man and The People Who Changed Their Lives” features Haley Solomon’s audio interview with John Gourley and Zoe Manville from Portugal. The Man at Bonnaroo 2023.
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