Go Mocs!  A big “GO MOCS” to our basketball and wrestling teams as they participate in their respective Southern Conference championships this weekend. The SoCon regular-season champion women’s basketball team begins tournament play at 11 a.m. today (March 7) after going 13-1 in conference play (25-4 overall).  The men’s team (12-6 in league play, 20-11 overall) opens tournament play Saturday (March 9) as the No. 3 seed. The wrestling team heads to Boone, North Carolina, for the SoCon Championships on Saturday (March 9).

Creating the First-Year Mocs Experience.  Kudos to Assistant Provost for Student Success Delight Yokley for her work in launching new first-year experience courses for incoming UTC freshmen.  Dr. Yokley came to UTC last fall to direct “A Moc’s First Year,” the Quality Enhancement Plan created as part of the University’s SACSCOC reaffirmation.  This new program aims to increase first-time, full-time freshman students’ retention and graduation rates.

Cast your vote for UTC!  UTC’s Quantum Initiative and the UTC Research Institute have been named finalists in the IDC Government Insights seventh annual Smart Cities North America Awards.  The awards were designed to recognize the progress North American municipalities have made in executing Smart Cities projects and provide a forum for sharing best practices to help accelerate Smart City development in the region. As the next step in the nomination process, IDC invites the public to vote on the finalists, and voting is open through tomorrow (March 8).

Capitol Research.  Seven UTC undergraduate students recently had the opportunity to present their research at the Tennessee State Capitol.  Posters at the Capitol featured research conducted by sophomore Meredith Grant (pre-professional biology), senior Christina Harris (general biology), senior Amanda Lesswing (psychology), senior Ward Metcalfe (mechanical engineering), senior Nathanael Moore (mechanical engineering), sophomore Gillian Morton (pre-professional biology) and senior Juan Peña (mechatronics engineering technology).  Congratulations to the students, faculty mentors David Giles, Kristen Black, Mohammad Mahtabi and Erkan Kaplanoglu, and the Office for Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor.

VW Day. UTC recently hosted its first VW Drive Your Career Day, an event for students who registered to explore internship and career opportunities while networking with VW personnel.  VW staff members talked with students about positions in numerous disciplines, including innovation, finance, engineering, computer science, business and human resources.  Several members of the VW contingent were alumni of UTC, including Senior Director of Culture and Organizational Development Mario Duarte, who was recently appointed to the UTC Advisory Board by Gov. Bill Lee.  Thank you to everyone involved in this special day.

March is Women’s History Month. Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate women’s contributions to history, culture and society and to recognize the invaluable contributions women have made to our university.  You can read here about UTC Women’s History Month events.  A big shout-out to Dr. Tara Mathis, associate dean of students and director of the Multicultural Center, and Sara Peters, director of the Center for Women and Gender Equity, on their respective center’s 15th anniversaries.

Power C Tour: Chattanooga State.  UTC faculty and staff are hitting the road on Tuesday, March 19, making the six-mile trek to Chattanooga State Community College for our latest Power C Tour event.  Chatt State students will get the opportunity to network with faculty, advisors, financial aid experts and current students and learn about the seamless transition to pursuing a bachelor’s degree at UTC.  Thank you to our Admissions Team and campus partners who have made the Power C Tour a tremendous success.

Spring Commencement. For the first time since December 2019, we will finally be able to host commencement ceremonies without restrictions.  Gate 1 of McKenzie Arena will be reopened, so tickets will not be required to attend the ceremonies.  Graduate School commencement will occur at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, May 3.  Two undergraduate ceremonies will take place on Saturday, May 4 — at 9 a.m. (College of Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering and Computer Science) and at 1 p.m. (Gary W. Rollins College of Business and College of Health, Education and Professional Studies).

Spring Ahead.  It is hard to believe that spring break is next week.  When classes resume on Monday, March 18, there will be only five more weeks until Reading Day (April 23) and final exams.  Don’t forget: Daylight saving time takes effect at 2 a.m. on Sunday (March 10).  Have a wonderful and relaxing spring break!