July 22-28, 2025
Updates and news for the week of July 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
UTC Breaks Ground on Oak Street Residence Hall
On Monday, UTC officially broke ground on a new on-campus housing project that will expand student living options and serve as a hub for student life when completed in 2027.
Located between Oak Street and McCallie Avenue, the Oak Street Residence Hall will feature a pedestrian corridor through the building that links both sides of campus. The facility will include 794 beds in double-occupancy rooms and is designed with collaborative “neighborhoods” on each floor, flexible common spaces for studying and socializing, and outdoor courtyards for gathering and student gardening.
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Volunteer for Operation Move In
Operation Move In takes place Wednesday, Aug. 13, and Thursday, Aug. 14, for incoming freshmen and transfer students.
Housing and Residence Life could use as many hands as possible to make this day go as smoothly as possible for our newest residents. If you are interested in volunteering for OMI, please fill out the OMI volunteer signup form and share the link with others.
Those who volunteer will receive a meal voucher for UTC Dining and a signature OMI T-shirt as a special thank you. Learn more here.
For more information, contact OMI committee chair Jason Harville.
Outstanding People of UTC
 Dr. Murat Barisik Congratulations to UTC faculty and staff who received awards or submitted proposals for sponsored programs in June. The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs announced that faculty and staff attracted $517,360 in external grant and contract awards during the month and submitted proposals for the potential to generate over $2,730,132 in external funding, if awarded.
Among those receiving awards in June was Dr. Murat Barisik (Mechanical Engineering), who received $501,760 from the National Science Foundation for the project titled “CAREER: Multiscale characterization of heat transfer in nanoporous materials assisted by machine learning.”
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 UTFI President’s Award winner Nancy Mullins, left, and Kim White. Nancy Mullins, assistant director of events in the UTC Division of Advancement, has been named a recipient of the prestigious 2025 University of Tennessee Foundation (UTFI) President’s Award. The annual award recognizes advancement professionals across the UT System who demonstrate exceptional dedication, creativity and leadership in support of fundraising and alumni engagement.
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Hiren Desai (’91), Tennessee Sen. Bo Watson (’83) and Hallie DeHart (’18) have been recognized by UTC as the 2025 Distinguished Alumni, Outstanding Service and GOLD Excellence Award recipients, respectively.
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 Aliyah Wilkins and Autumn Austein Two UTC students—Autumn Austein and Aliyah Wilkins—have been chosen as summer interns to work for Youth Villages, a national nonprofit that helps young adults with behavioral and emotional challenges and their families live successfully.
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Check out these Mocs in the news:
- An Our Tennessee magazine piece featured Dr. Rick Dierenfeldt, UC Foundation associate professor of criminal justice, about his recent grants to reduce crime in Chattanooga.
- UC Foundation Professor of Health and Human Performance Andrew Bailey joined an episode of Jed & JR Mornings to discuss his summary report about McDonald Farm.
- On an episode of Jed & JR Mornings, School of Professional Studies Director Elizabeth O’Brien talked about depression and anxiety among children who use social media.
- UC Foundation Associate Professor Saeid Golkar was featured in a Middle East Forum piece about Iran.
- Adolph S. Ochs Professor of Government and head of the Department of Political Science and Public Service Michelle Deardorff joined Jed & JR Mornings to discuss the Supreme Court reconvening in October.
- UTC alum and Olympic gold medalist Olivia Reeves did an interview for “The A List” on WTCI PBS.
- Dr. Lori Bruce spoke to News 12 Now about her enrollment goal of 15,000 students by 2030. She was also featured by the Chattanoogan to discuss her new role as chancellor.
- A Chattanooga Pulse article featured geology instructor Kevin Hon and Steven Kline.
Mark Your Calendar
The Center for Wellbeing is offering a series of trainings and discussions for faculty and staff this summer. If interested, please sign up here. The Center is happy to schedule trainings for specific teams or departments at other times throughout the year. Reach out to Megan McKnight with questions or to request a training.
- Wednesday, July 23: Thriving, Not Just Surviving: Prioritizing Wellness Through the Semester Discussion, University Center Room 350, 11 a.m.-noon
- Thursday, July 31: Recovery Allyship: How to Support Students Who Are Struggling or Have Struggled with Substance Use, Zoom, noon-2 p.m.
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The Southeast Tennessee Age-Friendly Public Health Systems Celebration and Partner Event will take place from 8:30 a.m.-noon on Thursday, Aug. 8, in the Wolford Family Athletic Center. Click here to view the agenda. To register, click here.
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For the first time in school history, Chattanooga volleyball will host matches in McKenzie Arena during the 2025 Chattanooga Classic, taking place Sept. 4-6. The tournament features seven matches, with the Mocs welcoming Alabama, Cincinnati, Ohio and Jacksonville State. Admission is free, and all UTC matches will stream on ESPN+.
Campus Updates
The implementation of DASH Research IRB has been delayed and is now expected to occur in November 2025. Updated information regarding important dates, resources and training will be communicated over the coming months. Thank you for your patience as we navigate through this timeline change.
If you have Human Subjects Research projects coming up that will require IRB review, you may go ahead and continue submitting IRB applications to the IRB email.
Feel free to reach out to Baley Whary or to the IRB email address for more information or questions about submitting an IRB application or about DASH Research IRB.
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The Division of Access and Engagement invites you to join us at Hamilton County Schools annual Better Together service event from Saturday, July 26, to Monday, Aug. 4. Better Together celebrates the power of community to support our local schools as we head into the new school year. Join HCS families, neighbors, local businesses, staff and students as they roll up their sleeves to help create welcoming spaces and learning environments where every child can thrive.
- Volunteer or explore available projects by clicking here.
- Share this opportunity with your network—on social media, by email or word-of-mouth
- Invite others to join—family, friends, coworkers or neighbors are all welcome
This is a meaningful way to show up for HCS students and demonstrate that they are surrounded by a community that believes in them.
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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 $20.
Memberships include an official membership pack with tons of Mocs swag, free tickets to select home athletic events, exclusive events and opportunities, monthly emailed newsletters and so much more. Click here to learn more.
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Employees enrolled in the State of Tennessee and Higher Education Health Insurance plan can earn $50 by completing a biometric wellness screening. Screenings will be held from 8:30-10:30 a.m. on Aug. 5 and Aug. 6 at University Health Services.
Register for an appointment here by using your UTC login and selecting “appointments.” There is no employee access fee, but lab billing will be filed through your insurance—please bring your insurance information to your appointment. To prepare, download and print the Physician Results Form. You must complete your RealAge assessment before accessing the form.
Click here to learn more. For assistance, call 1-855-623-9355. For questions about the screening process, call 423-425-2266.
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Faculty and staff, are you passionate about student well-being and fostering a culture of wellness on your campus or with partners across the UT System? The new Wellness Mini Grants Program is here to support your innovative ideas.
The program offers up to ten $5,000 grants for faculty and staff to pilot projects that focus on the eight SAMHSA-defined wellness dimensions, promote collaboration across and between campuses, and create scalable, measurable student wellness innovations.
Projects that are measurable, collaborative and have a role for a student will be prioritized. Click here to learn more and apply. The application is just a short, three-page PDF and is due Friday, Aug. 1. For questions or concerns contact the UT Chief Wellness Officer.
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Undergraduate Admissions announced its Power C Tour and other important dates for the 2025-2026 academic year:
- Sept. 17: Power C Tour Nashville/Franklin
- Oct. 2: Power C Tour Memphis
- Nov. 4: Power C Tour Knoxville
- Nov. 12: Power C Tour Chattanooga
- Nov. 15: Blue and Gold Preview
- Feb. 27: Accepted Student Day
- March 25: Power C Tour transfer at ChattState
- April 11: Blue and Gold Preview Spring Edition
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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.
UTC Newsroom
 Brandon Gomes Toste arm wrestles Maverick during a session of the Creative Discovery Museum’s Friends’ Discovery Camps. During the summer months, UTC psychology students have been working at the Creative Discovery Museum’s Friends’ Discovery Camps and the Chattanooga Zoo’s Camp ZooAbility.
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The UTC Library Special Collections’ newly published Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of Chattanooga digital collection, which preserved documents dating from 1882 to 1995, contains 53 archival records representing more than 175 individual images.
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 DNP acute care student Alexis Murray, under the watchful eye of Dr. Chris Doneski, talks with a patient’s daughter during the AI simulation. Earlier this summer, students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice adult gerontology acute care program piloted an end-of-life training scenario unlike anything they had previously encountered in the University’s Metro Annex Safe Hospital. The twist? Students weren’t just caring for a simulated patient in the mock clinical setting. They also had to navigate a phone conversation with the patient’s daughter, which was played not by a faculty member or actor, but by artificial intelligence.
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 Chattanooga Rotary Club President Edna Varner and Chancellor Lori Bruce helped show off a “Power C.” In her first major public address as chancellor of UTC, Dr. Lori Bruce delivered a powerful and inspiring speech to a packed house at the Chattanooga Rotary Club meeting last Thursday held at the Chattanooga Convention Center. The audience included regional leaders, alumni and community partners eager to hear her early priorities for UTC.
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Here are some other recent UTC stories featured in the Newsroom:
- UTC has been designated a 2025-2026 College of Distinction for undergraduate education and was recognized as both a top Tennessee and public institution. The University also attained College of Distinction status for its business, education, engineering and nursing programs; for affordability and career development; and for its support of international students.
- UTC achieved a remarkable fundraising milestone in fiscal year 2025, securing $31.9 million from 7,086 donors.
- The one-year, three-semester BAS-IT CyS program is designed for working adults who want to fast-track their path into high-demand fields in IT and cybersecurity. It not only allows UTC students like Paul Allen to earn their degree quickly but also includes a built-in, paid internship at a local company, agency or nonprofit.
- The local Chattanooga community has seen an influx of SMILE Fund alums ready to work in the financial service industry, including former fund presidents Luke Johnson and Ryan Nichols.
WUTC
 Dr. Claudia Kramer An episode of “Scenic Roots” on WUTC featured Dr. Claudia Kramer, the Scott L. Probasco Distinguished Chair of Free Enterprise at the Gary W. Rollins College of Business, to discuss her monthly Business Trend column.
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