We are halfway through the semester, and spring officially arrives this weekend. As an institution, we continue to do a great job staring down COVID-19, but we cannot let our guard down. Mocs, we all must continue to cover our beaks indoors and outside!
Exciting news: UTC has been approved as a COVID-19 vaccine distribution site for UTC students, faculty and staff. We will follow Tennessee Department of Health vaccine phases and guidelines. Stay tuned for details as they become available.
The finalists for Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Engagement continue to make their virtual campus visits, with candidate presentations and campus open forums taking place through March 23. I invite all of you to participate and provide feedback on each of the finalists.
I Love UTC Week 2021 takes place next week (March 22- 27). It is an excellent opportunity for our campus to share why we are all proud to be Mocs. The events calendar is loaded with a blend of virtual and on-campus activities. Throughout the week, I Love UTC Week buttons will be available in the UTC Library, while I Love UTC selfie stations will be located around campus to share on social media. Iconic downtown buildings, including the Tennessee Aquarium, will shine blue-and-gold lights to show school spirit.
For anyone interested in postgraduate offerings at UTC, a virtual Graduate School Fair is taking place on March 24. Program coordinators and directors will hold sessions to discuss application processes and answer questions. Registration is encouraged, so please make sure to sign up via MocSync.
Recruitment of future UTC students is an essential function for everyone on campus. As we head into spring, we see more campus tours and more parents walking around with their high school students. If you have questions or know of prospective students interested in UTC, please refer to the UTC undergraduate admissions web page for information about tours and application information.
The UTC Geology and Early Childhood Education programs have been ranked as the best in the state of Tennessee by Plexuss.com, a college-focused website that offers counseling, tutoring and research for current and future college students. The Fine Arts, Interior Design and Secondary Education programs were each rated as second-best in the state.
What an exciting St. Patrick’s Day for sophomore Delali Gadzekpo! Delali, a Brock Scholar and vocal music education major, officially learned she will be traveling to Ireland this summer as part of the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship. As part of Wednesday’s announcement, Delali and her cohort participated in a congratulatory Zoom with Vice President Kamala Harris and Ireland Prime Minister Michael Martin. Congratulations Delali, on a life-changing study abroad experience!
What an exciting time for the UTC football team! The Mocs have won both of their spring contests and are ranked 11th in this week’s Stats Perform FCS Top 25, their highest ranking in the national FCS poll since the 2016 season. UTC has a big Southern Conference contest this Saturday against #13 Furman. Go Mocs!
Good luck to Mocs wrestlers Drew Nicholson, Matthew Waddell, Fabian Gutierrez and Logan Andrew, who will be participating in this weekend’s NCAA Division I wrestling championships in St. Louis. Drew was named the Southern Conference tournament’s most outstanding wrestler after winning the 165-pound crown. Matthew, the runner-up at 184 pounds, earned a bid to the NCAA tourney for the second year in a row. Fabian (125 pounds) and Logan (197) were at-large bids. The Mocs are sending four to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years!
The Mocs men’s and women’s basketball teams scored victories in the end-of-season Southern Conference awards. Guards Malachi Smith and David Jean-Baptiste became the first Mocs guard tandem to earn all-conference honors since 1994. Forwards Eboni Williams and Abbey Cornelius were named to the all-conference second team and the league’s all-defensive team by the SoCon coaches.