UTC’s commitment to diversity and inclusion as a path to excellence is part of our core values and a foundational part of our strategic plan. We are committed to providing an environment where difficult issues can be discussed and debated without hostility and intimidation. We prepare our students to encounter different viewpoints and perspectives with respect. Goal 4 of our strategic plan reads: “Embrace diversity and inclusion as a path to excellence and societal change.” Learn more at the new GOAL4US website: https://www.utc.edu/goal-4-us/index.php.
The newly created UTC Advisory Board held its inaugural meeting on January 7 and elected Fred Decosimo as its chairman. Other board members are: William “Muecke” Barker, Serina Desai, Carole Hoffman, Scott LeRoy, Gretchen Potts (faculty representative), and Jujuan Lewis (student representative). The Board’s meetings are open to the public. More information about the UTC Advisory Board is available at https://www.utc.edu/advisory-board/index.php.
Congratulations to our student-athletes who have posted a school-record 3.137 grade point average in the fall 2018 semester. The accomplishment marks the ninth time student-athletes have hit a 3.0 GPA in a semester, all within the last five years. In the fall semester, they also set new records with 166 students on the Dean’s List and 201 on the Athletic Department Honor Roll. Being a student-athlete is not an easy task. They must balance schoolwork and athletics, and the 3.137 GPA is a testament to their dedication. They will be honored tonight at halftime during the men’s basketball game in McKenzie Arena. The women’s basketball team opens the evening with a 5:30 p.m. tipoff, while the men’s game starts at 8 p.m.
Our School of Nursing students have achieved a 98.72 percent first-time pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination, which must be taken to earn a nursing license. UTC leads the state in the first-time pass rate! The average pass rate for all higher-education nursing programs in Tennessee is only 92 percent. Our School of Nursing’s 12-year pass rate is an amazing 96 percent. Please congratulate the faculty, students and staff in our School of Nursing who worked so hard to achieve these amazing results for the past decade.
To recognize the national holiday honoring the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 21, the City of Chattanooga Office of Multicultural Affairs is holding its sixth annual Day of Service. It is an amazing opportunity to connect with our larger community. We are one of the partners in the event, and the day starts with a breakfast and pep rally in Maclellan Gym at 8 a.m. If you would like to volunteer for one of the service projects that will take place that day around the city, you can visit https://connect.chattanooga.gov/mlkdos/ to sign up.
As part of the events honoring Dr. King, this year’s MLK Day Keynote Speaker is Symone D. Sanders, a CNN political commentator and former national press secretary for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ 2016 campaign. She will offer her thoughts at 10:30 a.m. Friday, January 25, in the University Center Auditorium. The free event is sponsored by UTC’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, Office of Equity and Inclusion and the Department of Communication.
Our annual Blue and Gold Memorial Service will take on January 29 in Patten Chapel. The ceremony is held to remember the members of our UTC family who passed away in 2018. The names of students, faculty, staff and alumni will be read to honor their memory and recognize that they will always be a Moc. The ceremony takes place at 6 p.m. To view the names of the individuals to be remembered and to leave a memory or tribute for any of the individuals, visit https://Blog.utc.edu/blue-gold.