“I Love UTC Week.”  A big “GO MOCS” to all our students, staff and faculty during “I Love UTC Week.”  What a great way to celebrate how much you love UTC!  The week’s activities include a special spring family day on Saturday (April 6) for parents and family members of our current students.  A special thank you to staff and faculty participating in the Employee Giving Campaign.

Annual Scholarship Luncheon.  It is always a memorable time when scholarship benefactors meet their UTC student beneficiaries.  Tomorrow (April 5), the Division of Advancement will hold its annual Scholarship Luncheon, bringing donors and student recipients together to honor the generosity of donors and celebrate students’ academic achievement as scholarship recipients. The event allows students to say “thank you” and discuss educational and career aspirations with their benefactors.

A Celebration of Research.  The UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference, the largest academic conference on campus, will take place on Wednesday, April 10.  The event showcases the research and creative works of UTC undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff.  In addition, the conference will include a panel discussion on how AI is being applied in the classroom, the workplace and in research.  Special thanks to Lisa Piazza and the Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor (URaCE) staff for all the hard work in organizing this conference.

SMART Grant.  A big round of applause to Dr. Mina Sartipi and the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress team!  Pedestrian safety in Chattanooga is set to advance significantly thanks to a $2 million Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.  The City of Chattanooga and CUIP are among the 34 recipients of a SMART “Planning and Prototyping Grant” from a pool of 321 applicants nationwide.

Military-Friendly Institution.  Congratulations to Sylvana Matthews and the staff and students in Veteran and Military Affairs on UTC being designated a military-friendly and military spouse-friendly school by Military Friendly, a national veterans organization.  UTC received gold-level 2024-2025 Military Friendly designation for the University’s efforts in creating sustainable and meaningful education paths for the military community.

Career Achievement.  Congratulations to UC Foundation Professor Joey Shaw on being honored by the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society with the Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award at the Association of Southeastern Biologists conference.  What a tremendous honor!  The career award, presented to Shaw in front of a number of his students, is given “to individuals who have also distinguished themselves in professional and public service that advances our knowledge and appreciation of the world of plants and their scientific, cultural, and aesthetic values, and/or exceptional service to the society.”

Hall of Famer.  Kudos to Chris Dortch, an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Communication and longtime sportswriter, on his induction into the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Hall of Fame.  Dortch will be honored at a Hall of Fame ceremony on Monday (April 8) in Glendale, Arizona, as part of the NCAA’s Final Four weekend.

Future Ready Partnership. Yesterday morning, we had a great opportunity to highlight a partnership between Hamilton County Schools and UTC.  The School of Education hosted HCS leadership for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to extend the sponsorship of UTC’s Future Ready Institute in Teaching and Learning at Tyner Academy, which initially started in 2018.  Future Ready Institutes have a direct impact on students to engage them in the excitement of learning, doing, and training them to be leaders.  Congratulations to the UTC School of Education leadership, faculty, and staff for their hard work in this partnership. 

Spring Is In The Air.  Spring is one of the best times of year in Chattanooga.  Thank you to our incredible grounds crew who work so hard to make our campus look beautiful.  When you have a spare moment, I encourage you to take time to walk across campus and enjoy the blooming flowers and blossoming trees – but you may need to take allergy medication first!