Updates and news for the week of July 5 – 10, 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

Award-Winning Mocs

President’s Award winners (from left): Dr. Abeer Mustafa, Dr. David Rausch, Dr. Michelle Rigler

UT System President Randy Boyd announced that Executive Director of the Disability Resource Center Michelle Rigler, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Abeer Mustafa and Associate Dean of the College of Health, Education and Professional Studies David Rausch—who also is a professor and director of the Learning and Leadership program—have been selected as 2023 President’s Award recipients, the highest accolade an employee can receive from the UT System.

Mustafa, Rausch, Rigler and 11 other award winners from across the UT System will be honored by President Boyd and his Be One UT cabinet at a special luncheon on Aug. 3 in Nashville.

• Rigler won the President’s Award in the “Embrace Diversity” category, which honors an individual who respects individual and organizational uniqueness.
• Rausch received the President’s Award in the “Nimble and Innovative” category, which honors an individual who inspires creative and transformational action.
• Mustafa was selected for the President’s Award in the “Excel in All We Do” category. The award honors an individual who commits to continuous improvement and outstanding performance.

Don’t forget: Crossroads closed this week

Crossroads Dining Hall is closed for construction purposes July 3-7. Lunch will be available from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. daily at the University Center.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Calling all Mocs: Submit your events for Welcome Week 2023

A message from Student and Family Engagement …

Our goal for Welcome Week 2023 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. 20-26), please submit your event to the official Welcome Week calendar found on the Welcome Week website. Click here to access the event submission form.

• The priority deadline to submit events for the Welcome Week calendar is Friday, July 21.
• More information about submitting an event for the Welcome Week calendar can be found here.
• Contact laura-petrus@utc.edu with questions.

The outstanding people of UTC

Rising junior and Brock Scholar Helena Rosa (pictured) was selected from hundreds of applications to attend a free virtual Public Policy and International Affairs Program Public Service Weekend hosted by George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration and the GWU Law School.

Rosa, a piano, performance and pedagogy major, spent the last weekend in June networking with accomplished public policy and international affairs leaders, creating and presenting a public policy proposal within her cohort, and learning about graduate school and career opportunities.

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Check out these Mocs making a difference:

• Mocs student-athlete Jonathan Boyd, who completed his master’s in electrical engineering in May, was named to the Division I Men’s Cross Country/Track and Field Academic All-America second team by College Sports Communicators. Boyd, who received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 2021, maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout his UTC academic career.
• Assistant Professor of Anthropology Morgan Smith was featured in Hakai Magazine in a story titled, “Buried History: Off the coast of Florida, archaeologists are finding ancient sites hidden beneath the waves, tucked into the state’s sunken continental shelf.”
• R.L. Maclellan and UC Foundation Associate Professor of Finance Hunter Holzhauer was recently featured on Local 3 Plus You’s “Know Your Dough.” The UTC Finance and Economics Department is cohosting a few segments on the “Know Your Dough” segment to promote financial literacy.
• UC Foundation Associate Professor of Management Nai Lamb was interviewed for a Yahoo Finance story titled, “There are worrisome implications when executives sit on several boards at once.”
• The Chattanooga Police Gun Team, headed by UTC 2000 graduate Sgt. Josh May, earned the Excellence in Crime Gun Intelligence award from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
• Chattanooga native Doug McCoy, a 1997 UTC alumnus who majored in theatre and speech, will present a collection of paintings, titled “A Fine Line,” from July 7-31 at the In-Town Gallery on Frazier Avenue.
• Mocs Athletics announced the addition of several new staff members, including Anthony Miele (assistant athletic director for development), May 2023 graduate Scarlett Elliott (events and operations coordinator), McCay Mathis (athletics counselor) and Gracie Thurson (assistant athletic trainer). In addition, Gerry Pacitti was promoted to assistant athletics director.

Volunteer for Operation Move In

Housing and Residence Life is seeking volunteers to assist with Operation Move In, which will take place on Aug. 16-17.

Volunteer assignments cover everything from greeting students and their families, parking and traffic, and unloading cars. This is a great way to welcome our incoming freshmen and transfer students to UTC and help them settle into their new homes on campus. Each faculty/staff volunteer will receive a free T-shirt and meal voucher that can be used at select campus dining locations.

The sign-up form can be found on the Operation Move In page or by using the link here.

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.

• Today (July 5): Thomas Wiegand will present master’s research titled, “Increased Phenotypic Plasticity Linked to Broader Geographic Range Size in Sunflower (Helianthus) Species,” Holt Hall Room 229, 2 p.m. | Calendar Info
• Thursday (July 6): Yasir Hassan will present master’s research titled, “Deep Learning-Based Framework for Traffic Estimation,” Multidisciplinary Research Building Auditorium, 11 a.m. | Calendar Info
• Friday (July 7): Syed Tareq will present doctoral research titled, “Experimental and Ansys Investigation on the Aerogel Envelopes for Energy Efficient Building,” Multidisciplinary Research Building Conference Room, 10 a.m. | Calendar Info

Great War Prostheses in American Literature and Culture

Dr. Aaron Shaheen, the George C. Connor Professor of American Literature, is delivering a lecture at 7:30 p.m. next Tuesday, July 11, at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City. The lecture, which explores the ways in which prosthetic devices were designed, promoted and depicted in the U.S. during and after WWI, is based on the book he wrote titled, “Great War Prostheses in American Literature and Culture.”

The event can be viewed live via this registration link.

Campus Updates

This summer, 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

Teams involved with the project are in the final stages of development.

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Human Resources provided a series of July staff development opportunities, including a pair of webinars taking place on Tuesday, July 11.

• “Life Would Be Easy If It Weren’t For Other People,” featuring Connie Podesta, takes you inside the minds and personalities of the people you deal with every day. Click here to register for this webinar, which takes place from 2-3 p.m.
• When we make assumptions about how other people expect to be treated, we can easily make a faux pas. A presentation and discussion titled “Business Etiquette,” which takes place from 3-4 p.m., will show how we avoid providing specific etiquette rules by instead exploring how to keep our antennae alert to what is appropriate for the setting in which we are working. Click here to register for this webinar.

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Certified Financial Planner Celeste Friend, UTC’s local Optional Retirement Program and 403b Voya representative, will be on campus from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 11, in Room 429 of the UTC Library. She will be available to discuss your ORP and 403b accounts and what retirement looks like for you. To schedule a private and confidential consultation, email Celeste.Friend@Voyafa.com or call (423) 777-1591.

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In order to provide new transfer students and their guests with the most information in a limited time frame, New Student and Family Programs is holding a UTC Student Services Fair from 8-9 a.m. in the University Center Tennessee Room during check-in for all in-person transfer orientation sessions on July 13 and Aug. 1.

If your office or area provides a service or program that would be beneficial to an incoming transfer student, please consider attending the Student Services Fair. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today by emailing your name and program and/or department to Carrie-Sherbesman@utc.edu.

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The Testing Center is looking for individuals interested in helping with the administration of the ACT on UTC’s campus. This is a paid position, and proctors and room supervisors are needed for the July 15 test. If you are interested in working, email cathy-jackson@utc.edu.

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The UTC women’s basketball program is holding a series of camps this summer. Kids Camp, which takes place July 17-20, is open to boys and girls 7-14 years old. Kids will get an opportunity to enhance offensive and defensive fundamental skills while learning from the 2023 Southern Conference women’s basketball champions.

Click here to register online. For more information, contact tyler-r-clark@utc.edu. Please note: Medical forms are required for all camps and can be found via the registration link.

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The UTC Volleyball program is offering a 10% discount to all faculty, staff and students for the following volleyball summer camps:

• Middle School Day Camp: July 19-20
• High School Advanced Camp: July 19

Click here to register online. For more information, contact julie-torbettthomas@utc.edu.

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UTC Campus Recreation is hosting a series of family nights at the Aquatic and Recreation Center this summer open to all faculty and staff, with the next event taking place Aug. 11. Come on out for games in the gym and try out the pool and the rock-climbing wall.

• The cost for non-ARC members is $10 per person. Adult guests must show their UTC photo ID.
• Click here to learn about Campus Rec memberships.
• For more information, email colleen-houghton@utc.edu.

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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 audit. 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. 14, 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. | Calendar Info

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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.

Looking back

Dr. Don Reising’s classes and research at UTC revolve around the “Internet of Things.” It’s a broad field of study and a booming industry encompassing much of tech-driven society, from cellphones and cars to smart appliances and power grids.

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

• Brandalyn Shropshire is the associate director of engagement in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Office of Undergraduate Admissions. One of her many roles is overseeing campus tours, and she has seen a considerable increase in the number of out-of-state students coming to visit and tour UTC.
• Todd Appleton is a nontraditional student pursuing a bachelor of applied science in Applied Leadership, a degree program of the College of Health, Education and Professional Studies. He also is the web and campus information administrator for Cleveland State Community College. He has what he has called his dream job, but as his wife said, “He doesn’t just half do anything; he always wants to do more,” which led him to the UTC program.

WUTC Spotlight: The Smile Fund on Scenic Roots

UTC alum Luke Johnson (photo credit: Acumen Wealth Advisors)

Luke Johnson, a May graduate with a bachelor’s degree in finance, was a recent guest on WUTC-FM’s Scenic Roots. During his time at UTC, Johnson was president of the SMILE Fund.

Arie Veltenaar, a client ambassador for Acumen Wealth Advisors in Chattanooga, also was interviewed for the segment. Acumen Wealth works with the SMILE Fund and the Gary W. Rollins College of Business.

UTC Student Lens: Legacy in the Cedar

If you happen to find yourself deep in the woods of Dunlap, Tennessee, you may come across the smell of burning timber, the peaceful chirping of birds and Steve McBryar wielding his chainsaw, ready to create his next sculpture. 

McBryar is what you would call a chainsaw sculptor. A welder by trade, he is no stranger to power tools and material manipulation. He first discovered his interest in woodcarving after coming across a massive totem pole on a trip to Pike Place Market in Seattle. Afterward, he told his friends he’d like to do something just like that—but they never believed he actually could. 

Click here to see Rising Rock’s Legacy in the Cedar, filmed by Hannah Blair Hurt and Cassandra Castillo.

• Rising Rock features student-developed non-fiction stories about greater Chattanooga. The site is a combined effort of the Department of Communication and UTC student media—including The Echo (student newspaper), MocsNews (student video news program) and The Perch (student digital radio station).