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Updates and news for the week of May 7-13, 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.
Pomp and circumstance: Celebrating the sights and sounds of commencement
Processionals, gonfalons and the “Imperial March.” The revelry of past UTC commencements was back.
For the first time since 2019, commencement at UTC was held without the restrictions of COVID-19 and McKenzie Arena renovations. Three ceremonies were held over two days last Friday and Saturday with more than 1,300 undergraduates and nearly 300 graduate students presented for degrees.
Click here for a Flickr gallery of commencement photos.
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 From left: Arsen Martyshchuk, Nina Klimenkova, Nehemiah Antoine, Jannat Saeed Among the graduates being celebrated:
- UTC Global Response Assistantship scholarship recipients Nina Klimenkova and Arsen Martyshchuk received master’s degrees. Before they said goodbye to UTC, the two reflected on their journey from Ukraine and their time in Chattanooga.
- Triple major and Brock Scholar Jannat Saeed received bachelor’s degrees in history, humanities: international studies and software systems.
- Nehemiah Antoine, a chemistry major and Innovations in Honors member, recently discussed his career path toward medicinal chemistry research.
- At 20 years old, Madison Cothern was one of the younger graduates participating in commencement ceremonies. Despite her age, her list of accomplishments does not reflect a lack of experience—as she graduated with about 186 credit hours.
- Communication major Ahok Wol spoke with Adjunct Instructor Mark Kennedy for a Times Free Press story about coming to America as a refugee from South Sudan.
- Exercise major and Sugar Moc member Mallary Quaderer was selected to the NFL New England Patriots’ cheerleader team.
- Emma Sprayberry, a highly decorated student who recently landed a Fulbright Scholarship to Taiwan, received bachelor’s degrees in humanities: international studies and Spanish.
- Members of the UTC occupational therapy doctoral program, including Mckenna Menard and Raven Smith, spent the spring semester participating in capstone projects throughout the Chattanooga area.
- Entrepreneurship major Mitchell Hibbs, an Innovations in Honors member, spent his college years in the UTC Honors College alongside his twin sister, Meaghan. Meaghan Hibbs, a Brock Scholar, has already finished her degree in international studies; after adding a major in trumpet performance, she will graduate in December.
- Communication major Kali Glover penned a tribute to her first college roommate, Rosie Robinson.
The outstanding people of UTC
 From left: Rep. Harold Love Jr., Chamyra Teasley, Tennessee Higher Education Commission Director of HBCU Success Brittany Mosby and THEC Executive Director Steven Gentile at the annual Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award ceremony on Monday, April 29, at the State Capitol. Photo credit: Tennessee Photographic Services. Student Government Association President Chamyra Teasley has won the Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award, given by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to 10 individuals in higher education throughout the state who demonstrate a lasting, meaningful impact through service; are valued by peers and community leaders; and embody the legacy of the late Rep. Harold Love Sr.—the namesake of the award.
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 John Houk (photo credit: Todd Drexler) The Chattanooga men’s golf team is headed to the NCAA Golf Regionals for the 14th time in school history. The Mocs are the #7 seed in the Rancho Santa Fe Regionals, which take place May 13-15 at the Farms in suburban San Diego.
Four Mocs men’s golfers received Southern Conference postseason honors. Seniors John Houk, Paul Conroy and Samuel Espinosa were named to the All-SoCon team while Ward Harris was selected to the league’s All-Freshman team.
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 Credit: Chattanooga Athletics The Chattanooga Mocs softball team won the 2024 Southern Conference regular-season title for the 15th time since the program was founded in 1994. The SoCon tournament takes place Wednesday-Saturday (May 8-11) in Greensboro, North Carolina.
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The Mocs beach volleyball pairing of Morgan Romano and Julia Lawrence received American Volleyball Coaches Association Top Flight honors.
The AVCA Top Flight program, now in its sixth year of existence, recognizes beach volleyball pairs that have competed in at least 15 matches together at a specific flight and have won at least 75% of their matches. Romano and Lawrence received the honor in Flight 5 after going 17-1 for the Mocs on Court 5 (94.4%).
Mark your calendar
The Walker Center for Teaching and Learning’s 2024 Instructional Excellence Conference will be held today (May 7) and we still have room for the UTC community to register to attend the keynote address at 10 a.m. Click here to register.
The keynote speaker is Dr. James Lang, professor of practice at the Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Notre Dame and an emeritus professor of English at Assumption University in Worcester, Massachusetts. A sought-after speaker and author of six books, he has given talks and workshops on teaching for faculty at more than 300 colleges, universities and schools in the U.S. and abroad. His talks focus on topics such as the science of learning, distraction in the classroom and academic integrity.
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Human Resources’ May staff development opportunities includes an online workshop titled “Understanding Your Individual Conflict Dynamics Profile,” taking from from 2-3:30 p.m. on Wednesday (May 8). Click here for the Campus Updates post.
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Campus Recreation is running a faculty and staff 4 vs. 4 summer intramural sand volleyball league for the first time, with a three-week league taking place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from May 14-30 at the UTC Sports Complex.
- Sign-up times are noon and 1 p.m.
- Click here to register.
- Registration ends on Friday (May 10).
For more information, email amy-slagle@utc.edu, Campus Recreation’s coordinator of intramural sports.
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The UT System Business Intelligence (BI) team is here to support UT employees across the state. The BI team gathers, warehouses, models and visualizes data from multiple information systems across all University of Tennessee campuses and system administration. This team provides data for institutional research, strategic planning and assessment purposes.
The BI team now hosts a monthly drop-in session for UT System and campus colleagues. You’re invited to connect every third Thursday of the month at 3 p.m. ET. Feel free to drop-in to ask questions, run an idea by the team, ask for help or just to chat. This Zoom link will be used each month: https://tennessee.zoom.us/j/86317402797. You can also find more information on the drop-in sessions here. The next BI drop-in session is scheduled for Thursday, May 16, at 3 p.m. ET.
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UTC Campus Recreation will kick off the summer with battleship, log rolling, pool games and snacks/drinks at Family Fest: Splash Into Summer, which will take place from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, May 17, at the Aquatics and Recreation Center. Come on out and meet Campus Rec staff while learning about Mocs Adventure Camp, swim lessons and family memberships.
Tickets are required for the event regardless of membership status, and everyone is welcome to attend. The cost is $12 per person. Click here to purchase tickets. Waivers are required for all attendees.
Please direct questions to colleen-demarco@UTC.edu or call 423-425-5672.
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Please join UTC’s Interdisciplinary Geospatial Technology Lab (IGTLab) for a free GIS workshop from 10 a.m.-noon on Thursday, May 30, in the Multidisciplinary Research Building. During the workshop, attendees will learn how to access free GIS resources available to campus; how to implement GIS in the classroom, research or work activities; and connect and learn about other available services offered by the IGTLab.
This workshop, led by UTC GIS Director Charlie Mix and Assistant GIS Director Nyssa Hunt, is open to all user skill levels. Space is limited, so make sure to click here and register.
Campus Updates
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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Save the date! UTC is excited to participate in the United Way of Greater Chattanooga’s city-wide “Day of Caring” volunteer service initiative on Friday, September 20. Your serving hands are needed to represent, bring together and impact the residents and partners in Chattanooga.
Indoor or outdoor projects may include painting, moving debris or gardening. Interested students, faculty and staff will be able to indicate a preferred volunteer site, and transportation will be available. Additional details, including registration information, is forthcoming.
Email Daniel-Grzesik@utc.edu, the director of Leadership Development and Programs, if you have any questions about getting involved with this volunteer service initiative.
Looking back
 Richard Zhang, far right, pictured in the 1991 Moccasin yearbook along with the other members of the Student Government Association. Courtesy of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections. The featured speaker for both undergraduate ceremonies was UTC alum Richard Zhang, a Brock Scholar who graduated summa cum laude in 1992 with bachelor’s degrees in chemistry, economics and accounting.
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 Innovations in Honors students recently presented projects in the City Hall conference room. Last August, the UTC Innovations in Honors program and the Chattanooga Department of Innovation Delivery and Performance agreed to collaborate on developing solutions to citywide challenges involving public housing and health during the 2023-2024 academic year. Before the semester ended, Dr. Chris Acuff’s students presented their policy recommendations for affordable housing in Chattanooga to a City Hall contingent.
WUTC Spotlight: CH-AI
The CH-AI initiative at UTC supports the investigation and potential application of AI discoveries as a strategic imperative of the University’s commitment to excellent education, research innovation and good stewardship of resources. Through the initiative, UTC also serves as a critical partner with the city of Chattanooga in providing expertise in workforce development, economic opportunity and engaged communities.
Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer Vicki Farnsworth, the lead for the CH-AI program, recently sat down to talk about the initiative on WUTC-FM’s “Scenic Roots.”
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