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Updates and news for the week of May 9 – 15, 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.
Campus Updates | University Events Master Calendar | UTC News
Celebrating the Class of 2023
Spring commencement was celebrated with five separate ceremonies taking place Friday and Saturday.
The commencement highlight video can be found by clicking here.
A Flickr link with hundreds of photos can be found at https://www.flickr.com/photos/utchattanooga/albums/72177720308030073.
In case you missed them, here are the Livestream links to the five ceremonies:
New UTC Calendar Launches this Summer
Later this summer, UTC will roll 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 and expect to share this resource later this summer.
Introducing the Robotics, Intelligent Systems and Control Lab
The College of Engineering and Computer Science had a grand opening celebration to introduce its second mechatronics laboratory—the Robotics, Intelligent Systems and Control Lab. The new lab will focus on two intertwined areas: Artificial intelligence and mobile mechatronics, also called mobile robots.
The outstanding people of UTC
College of Arts and Sciences faculty and staff have been serving lunch regularly at the CHATT Foundation, formerly known as the Community Kitchen, a couple times every month for over a year. In addition, students in the nursing program have been holding foot clinics there for a long time. Recently, CHATT Foundation held an awards ceremony in which CAS faculty and staff and the nursing students were publicly recognized for the volunteer work they have been doing.
Check out these Mocs making a difference:
North Callahan Undergraduate Essay Prize
A message from Dr. José-Luis Gastañaga, coordinator of the Humanities Program
As coordinator of the Humanities Program, it is my pleasure to announce the winner of the North Callahan Undergraduate Essay Prize this year. The jury, a group of professors from three different academic departments, decided to give the prize of $1,000 to Stacy Cunningham for her essay “Law and Society in Medieval Iceland: The Althing as the Athens of the Arctic.”
Additionally, in a year with numerous submissions of great quality, the jury decided to award an honorary mention to Jacob Whitehead for his essay, “Whales and Harpoons: How growing technology led to whale population decline in the late-19th century.” Jacob will receive an award of $500 in recognition of the merit of his essay.
I take the opportunity to invite all UTC undergraduates to send their essays in any discipline of the humanities to the North Callahan Undergraduate Essay Prize contest next year. You will see a notification early in Spring 2024.
This Week: Campus Events and Reminders
The Walker Center for Teaching and Learning will host the 2023 Instructional Excellence Conference from 8:30-11:30 a.m. today (May 9) in the University Center Tennessee Room. Come eat breakfast, hear a powerful address from our featured speaker and engage in a workshop that will give us some compelling ideas to consider as we decompress from the 2022-23 academic year and gear up for fall 2023. For more information and to register, click here.
The featured speaker will be Dr. Kevin Gannon, director of the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence and professor of history at Queens University of Charlotte (North Carolina). He is the author of “Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto,” part of the Teaching and Learning in Higher Education series from West Virginia University Press, and is a regular contributor to the Chronicle of Higher Education. To get a sense of Dr. Gannon’s passion for impactful teaching, check out his conversations on the Tea for Teaching and Teaching in Higher Ed podcasts.
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UTC is a co-sponsor and host of the CO.MOBILITY Summit taking place today through Thursday (May 9-11) in the University Center.
The summit, powered by CO.LAB—the Chattanooga-based nonprofit accelerating early-stage startups in the sustainable mobility space—will cover the latest advancements in electric and autonomous vehicles, Smart City innovations, freight technology and quantum tech. Our own Chancellor Steve Angle and Dr. Mina Sartipi, founding director of the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress and executive director of the UTC Research Institute, are speakers at the event, which is free to the UTC campus community. Register now and secure your free admission by clicking here, then click on “Get My Ticket” and enter promo code MOCS at checkout.
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Human Resources provided a series of upcoming staff development opportunities, including an event taking place from 9-11 a.m. on Wednesday (May 10) called “5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace.” The session will take place in the University Center Ocoee Room.
Appreciation is not one-size-fits-all. In fact, appreciation looks different to different people. This session will assist supervisors and managers in effectively communicating appreciation and encouragement to their employees, resulting in higher levels of job satisfaction, healthier relationships between managers and employees, and decreased cases of burnout for staff. Click here to register.
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This week, the Gary W. Rollins College of Business will hold virtual information sessions about UTC’s Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in Data Analytics graduate programs.
The Rollins College of Business graduate degree programs provide flexible course options such as 100% online courses taught asynchronously and in-person courses taught during the evening to help accommodate your lifestyle.
MBA (Master of Business Administration):
MAcc (Master of Accountancy):
MSDA (Master of Science in Data Analytics):
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The International Symposium on Digital Forensics and Security—ISDFS 2023—will be held both online and in person at UTC Thursday and Friday (May 11-12). This symposium has been supported by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers since 2016. All papers approved by the referees and presented at the symposium will be sent for publication in the IEEE Xplore library. For information or questions, email Asaf-Varol@utc.edu.
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The Harris Chair Commercialization Acceleration Mini-Grant Program, a new opportunity for researchers at UTC to accelerate their commercialization efforts, has been established for UTC faculty and graduate students from all colleges who are working on research with the potential for commercialization.
Interested researchers must submit an application on or before Monday (May 15) for up to $10,000 in internal grant funding. Although direct compensation to the awardee is not allowed, awardees will be able to use these funds for supplies, travel, student support, or other expenses that are reasonable and allowable under UT policy to accelerate the success of their ideas, innovations, and commercialization objectives. For additional information, contact Jennifer-Skjellum@utc.edu.
Coming Soon: Brown Bag Lunch
As part of the introduction of the UTC Research Institute, a brown bag lunch is taking place from noon-1:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 8, the UTC Library Southern Writers Room.
The brown bag lunch is designed to engage faculty and staff across campus in identifying opportunities for collaboration.
Bring the family for a night of summer fun
UTC Campus Recreation will be hosting a series of family nights at The ARC this summer open to all faculty and staff. Come on out for games in the gym and try out the pool and the rock climbing wall. Family nights will take place from 5-8 p.m. on May 19, June 16 and August 11.
- 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.
Sign Your Campers up for UTC Volleyball Camp
The UTC Volleyball program is offering a 10% discount to all faculty, staff and students for the following volleyball summer camps:
- Scrappy’s Boys and Girls Camp: June 14, June 15
- Father/Daughter Clinic: June 18
- Middle School Day Camp: June 14-15, July 19-20
- High School Advanced Camp: June 14, July 19
- Positional Camp: June 28, June 29
Click here to register online. For more information, contact julie-torbettthomas@utc.edu.
Registration and Wait List Information for Summer 2023
While many of us wrap up this spring semester, below are important dates related to fee payment, registration and waitlists for summer.
Please let the Office of the University Registrar know if you have any questions about this timeline.
Campus Updates
The Tony Award-winning best musical “Dear Evan Hansen” is coming to the Tivoli Theatre May 23-28, and UTC employees, students, their families and friends are being offered a 25% discount code for select performances.
Interested? Click here to go through the purchase process, and you’ll receive the 25% discount.
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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 June 8, 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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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 ahead
 Dorota Zalewska is representing the Mocs women’s golf team at the NCAA Tournament regionals in Raleigh, North Carolina (Photo Credit: Don Luzynski/GoMocs.com) This week’s Mocs Athletics calendar:
- Tuesday (May 9): Women’s Golf at NCAA Regionals (Raleigh, N.C.), all day
- Tuesday (May 9): Cross Country/Track and Field at Southern Conference Championships (Cullowhee, N.C.), all day
- Wednesday (May 10): Women’s Golf at NCAA Regionals (Raleigh, N.C.), all day
- Wednesday (May 10): Softball at Southern Conference Championships (Frost Stadium), all day
- Thursday (May 11): Softball at Southern Conference Championships (Frost Stadium), all day
- Friday (May 12): Softball at Southern Conference Championships (Frost Stadium), all day
- Saturday (May 13): Softball at Southern Conference Championships (Frost Stadium), all day
- Monday (May 15): Men’s Golf at NCAA Regionals (Auburn, Ala.), all day
Looking back
At a press conference last week, the University announced the creation of the UTC Research Institute, a strategic initiative launched to pursue increased research funding, interdisciplinary collaboration across campus, and support for community and local industry priorities. The Research Institute will be led by Dr. Mina Sartipi (pictured).
Here are some other recent UTC stories featured in the Newsroom:
- The Martina Leach who was a freshman at UTC four years ago is not the same Martina Leach who graduated on May 6. “I don’t know if this would make sense, but I saw personal growth in myself. I just feel like who I was coming into this is not the same person who’s leaving from here.”
- Julia Stranahan had numerous leadership opportunities at UTC, including being a member of the Freshman Senate, an orientation leader and the facilitator of the Feminist Action Movement. She also served in a statewide office as lobbying director of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature.
- Juan Carlos Aponte Ortiz’s experiences at UTC led him to become deeply involved with student-oriented, peer-mentoring programs on campus. He has worked with Student Support Services, Student Success Programs, the Office of Student and Family Engagement, the Center for Women and Gender Equity, and the Center for Wellbeing.
- “I realize this sounds strange,” recent graduate Keslin Moore penned, “but in a way I’m thankful for COVID. It was the wake-up call I needed.”
- Paul Zachos can thank COVID-19 for his horror novel, “The Dark South.” He can thank “The Dark South” for his master’s degree in creative writing.
WUTC Spotlight: The Dance of the Legacy Project
 Carolyn Dorfman (photo credit: Whitney Browne) Carolyn Dorfman is a choreographer and the child of Holocaust survivors. Her work, The Legacy Project, honors her Jewish heritage.
Carolyn Dorfman Dance, her contemporary company based in New York, has traveled to Chattanooga for a community residency at various locations. One of the stops takes place at the UTC Fine Arts Center on Thursday (May 11) for a 7 p.m. performance.
Dorfman was recently interviewed for a segment on WUTC’s Scenic Roots.
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