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Thank you to everyone for their patience and understanding with the weather decisions made earlier this week. The safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff are of the utmost importance, and we made decisions to ensure the safety of our entire UTC campus community.
The cancellation of classes served as a great reminder that updates and other information related to campus operations is shared via UTC-ALERT, as well as posted to www.utc.edu and on the University’s official social media accounts (@UTChattanooga): X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. If you do not already receive UTC-ALERT, sign up at getrave.com/login/utc.
Former UTC chancellor Bill Stacy passed away on January 4th at the age of 85 after a long illness. Dr. Stacy served as chancellor from 1997 to 2004 and continued to be an advocate for UTC after his retirement. Bill took me under his wing when I arrived at UTC in 2013 and helped build relationships with donors and community leaders. He had a positive attitude and a huge smile that everyone around him could feel. He was generous, amusing and dedicated to making the world a better place.
Working closely with Scotty Probasco and the UC Foundation, he oversaw the construction of South Campus housing, which converted UTC from a commuter campus to a residential one. More than 1,600 beds were built when he was chancellor, changing the trajectory of this institution. Just as significantly, he established UTC’s first Ph.D. programs, elevating the University’s academic standing. Dr. Stacy was a truly transformational leader. He will forever be in our thoughts and our hearts.
UTC will host our 11th annual MLK Day celebration on Friday (Jan. 19) at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium Walker Theatre—a discussion and Q&A with Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, and Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz, chairperson of the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center.
On Monday, Jan. 29, we will recognize the Chancellor’s Blue Ribbon Award recipients for the second half of 2023—Gassim Abazid (UTC Police Department), Stephanie Orr (Undergraduate Admissions), Shari Kappel (Administrative Specialist for Management, Gary W. Rollins College of Business), Brandalyn Shropshire (Undergraduate Admissions), Lili Reynolds (Registered Nurse, University Health Services) and Emma Sampson (MPH Program Manager, Health and Human Performance)—with a luncheon in the University Center. These individuals have gone above and beyond to display excellent job performance, dependability and innovation while promoting a positive working environment. They genuinely operate with excellence. Congratulations to all the recipients!
A big round of applause to two members of the UTC family, UC Foundation Associate Professor Liz Hathaway and Theresa Blackman, assistant director of pre-health student services and an advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences, on being named to the All-Southern Conference Faculty and Staff Team. Liz and Theresa were selected for their shared characteristics of dedicated service to our students and contributions to campus life and the local community. What a tremendous honor for both!
Kudos to Associate General Counsel Yousef Hamadeh, Deputy Athletic Director-External Operations Andrew Horton, Vice Provost for Academic Outreach and Professional Development Shewanee Howard-Baptiste, Associate Vice Chancellor of IT and Associate CIO Tony Parsley, and Senior Associate Vice Chancellor of Development Erica Siemers on being accepted into the fifth cohort of the UT System Executive Leadership Institute. ELI, operated by the UT Institute for Public Service’s Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership, develops executive leaders for the needs of the UT System.
The Math Plaza has moved from Maclellan Gym to Lupton Hall Room 114 over winter break. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard with this move. I stopped in last week and it is a welcoming space where students can get assistance in mastering mathematics.
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