We are very excited about the keynote speaker for UTC’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Event, which takes place at 10:30 AM this Friday, January 24, in the University Center Auditorium. Dr. Steve Perry is a respected educator, social worker, and public speaker, and he is one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in America. The MLK Day celebration, presented by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Office of Equity and Inclusion, and the Department of Communication, is open to all students, faculty, and staff.
The Blue and Gold Memorial will take place at 6 PM on Tuesday, January 28, at Patten Chapel. The Blue and Gold Memorial is our campus’ annual event to honor members of the UTC family whom we lost during the past year. The names of students, staff, faculty, and alumni who are no longer with us will be read in a ceremony signifying that they will always be a Moc. I hope you can attend to pay tribute.
UTC senior Kaylin Underwood’s idea for a food allergy app was the winner of the Gary W. Rollins College of Business’ HatchIt competition. Kaylin pitched AllerX, an app that scans product information on grocery store packaging and alerts the user of specific ingredients based on the settings. The app is much needed for people with food allergies, gluten intolerance, and other dietary restrictions. What a great concept! We wish her the best of luck as she works on developing and building this app.
For the first time in our University’s history, UTC photojournalism students achieved a collective ranking in the prestigious Hearst Journalism Awards Photojournalism News and Features Competition. UTC placed seventh overall among the 75 universities nationwide that participated in the competition. Senior Troy Stolt was 10th overall in individual scoring, and senior Elian Richter finished in 17th place. Congratulations to Troy, Elian, and UTC Communication Department faculty member Billy Weeks for the great showing.
A central measure of the excellence of our curricula is the accomplishments of our students after graduation. Nikki Russell, who earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education at UTC, was named the state’s Outstanding Technology Teacher of the Year by the Tennessee Educational Technology Association. Nikki is a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) teacher at Orchard Knob Elementary School in Chattanooga. This is a tremendous honor for Nikki!
Congratulations to bursar Nancy Neal and the members of the Bursar’s Office staff on receiving the 2019 Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence’s Commitment Award. TNCPE is Tennessee’s only statewide quality program and recognizes high-performing organizations that demonstrate continuous improvement and role model processes.