July 29-August 4, 2025
Updates and news for the week of July 29-August 4, 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
Get your football tickets
Faculty and staff can save $20 on chairback reserved season tickets. Click here and enter the promo code FACSTAFF to access this special discount. General admission season tickets are also available for just $60 each. For further assistance, please email Samantha Maffett or by phone (ext. 5872).
UTC opens the 2025 schedule on the road at Memphis on Saturday, Aug. 30, and the home opener is against Stetson University at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13.
The Mocs were picked to finish second in the Southern Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. UTC is coming off a 7-5 record in 2024 and is the only team in the league to have winning records in conference play since head coach Rusty Wright took over at his alma mater in 2019.
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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.
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SUBMIT YOUR EVENTS AND VOLUNTEER FOR WELCOME WEEK
Our goal for Welcome Week 2025 is to offer a calendar full of fun and engaging events that welcome our students to the start of a new semester, and we need your help.
If you are hosting an event or program during the first week of classes (Aug. 17-23), please submit your event to the official calendar found on the Welcome Week webpage. Click here to access the event submission form. The final deadline to submit events for the Welcome Week calendar is Thursday, Aug. 7.
More information about submitting an event for the Welcome Week calendar can be found here.
- Oak Street Roast is our annual Welcome Week kickoff event, and we need help from UTC faculty and staff to make it a success. Oak Street Roast 2025 is from 7-9 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 17, on Chamberlain Field. This event typically sees between 1,800-2,000 students. UTC faculty and staff volunteers are needed to assist with various parts of this event. Multiple volunteer activity options and time shifts are available. Click here learn more about the event, what help is needed and to sign up.
- We are seeking UTC faculty and staff to welcome our new and returning students to campus for the start of the semester by volunteering at a Welcome Table on Monday, Aug. 18, or Tuesday, Aug. 19. Our volunteers will greet students as they make their way on campus and distribute snacks, water and Welcome Week information. Multiple locations and time shifts are available for both days. Time shifts are one hour long, and shifts overlap to ensure continued coverage during class changes. Click here to learn more about the initiative, what help is needed and to sign up.
- Contact Director of Student and Family Engagement Laura Petrus with questions.
Outstanding People of UTC
 Dr. Xiunan Wang Dr. Xiunan Wang, assistant professor in the UTC Department of Mathematics, has received a $249,993 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS) program.
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 MOAA Chattanooga Chapter Treasurer Jack Mullinax, left, President Ray Mitchell and UTC Veteran and Military Affairs Director Sylvana Matthews. A grant from the Chattanooga Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America to the UTC’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs will help make a difference for student veterans.
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Check out these Mocs in the news:
Mark Your Calendar
The Center for Wellbeing is offering training 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.
- 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+.
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Chattanooga Connect 2025, hosted by the UTC Research Institute, will take place Oct. 6-8 at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Following its successful debut last year, Chattanooga Connect will again convene industry leaders, policymakers, and researchers to explore the future of urban transportation and cutting-edge advancements in quantum computing, digital infrastructure, AI, connected and automated vehicles (CAV), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies.
Campus Updates
There’s still time to apply for a $5,000 UT Wellness Mini Grant, but the deadline—Friday, Aug. 1—is fast approaching.
Faculty and staff are invited to submit proposals for collaborative, student-centered wellness projects with the potential to make a lasting impact on their campus and across the UT System. Whether you’re launching a mental health initiative, leading a student outreach campaign or building a multi-campus partnership, we want to help bring your idea to life. Learn more and apply here.
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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 now until 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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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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The Department of Physical Therapy, the Nutrition and Dietetics program, and the Center for Wellbeing have teamed up for the second interdisciplinary wellness program, Mocs Wellness Initiative, for full-time faculty and staff. The Mocs Wellness Initiative is part of a research project approved by the UTC IRB.
Key components include a physical therapy exam and weekly training at the ARC, a nutrition assessment with group classes, regular health coaching, optional lab work, an unlimited ARC membership and surveys related to the research project.
Sessions run Sept. 4-Nov. 13, with a wrap-up in January. Participants must be full-time employees, available 3:15-5:15 p.m on Thursdays and willing to participate in the research study. Previous participants are not eligible. Click here to learn more and apply.
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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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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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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
 From left: Gabriel Ghani, Alex Harris and Abigail Borden Hamilton County is home to numerous parks, trails, playgrounds, ball fields, dog parks and greenways. Many residents enjoy these spaces but may not think twice about who maintains them. This summer, three students from UTC set out to change that, using their internships with Hamilton County Parks and Recreation to document the people behind the scenes who keep it all running.
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 Tauheedah Brady Every summer, several undergraduate students at the UTC leave their comfort zones and embark on learning experiences at other universities. Tauheedah Brady, a sophomore chemical engineering major and Brock Scholar in the UTC Honors College, is one of this summer’s REU participants, taking part in the 2025 Ole Miss Chemistry REU program at the University of Mississippi.
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 Undergraduate researchers in the SERGUS REU visit Crabtree Farms. For the past three summers, groups of undergraduate researchers, led by a pair of UTC faculty members, studied how greenways—the ribbons of nature that wind through urban spaces—shape cities and the lives of the people within them.
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Here are some other recent UTC stories featured in the Newsroom:
- UTC officially broke ground on the Oak Street Residence Hall, an on-campus housing project that will expand student living options and serve as a hub for student life when completed in 2027.
- Chattanooga Connect 2025, hosted by the UTC Research Institute, will take place Oct. 6-8 at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Following its successful debut last year, Chattanooga Connect will again convene industry leaders, policymakers, and researchers to explore the future of urban transportation and cutting-edge advancements in quantum computing, digital infrastructure, AI, connected and automated vehicles (CAV), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies.
WUTC
 Rachel McIntyre Smith Nashville-based singer-songwriter and UTC alum Rachel McIntyre Smith discussed the re-release of her EP “Honeysuckle Friend” on “The Haley Solomon Show” for WUTC.
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