Growing Business: Monday’s ceremonial groundbreaking for the Gary W. Rollins College of Business expansion was phenomenal! A big round of applause goes out to everyone involved in putting the ceremony together. An even bigger thank you to all the people who are making this possible, starting with Gary and Kathleen Rollins, Gov. Bill Lee, Tennessee lawmakers and the Hamilton County delegation. 

Building for the Future: With progress comes construction, and portions of Douglas and Oak Streets will be affected by the expansion project. Stay tuned for updates as construction moves forward.

Let’s Go Mocs! A big “Go Mocs” shoutout to our basketball and wrestling teams as they participate in their respective Southern Conference championships this weekend in Asheville, North Carolina. The women, the No. 2 seed in the SoCon Tournament, play today at 1:30 p.m. against Mercer, while the men—who won the regular season title last week—are set to begin their run at noon on Saturday (March 8) against either The Citadel or Western Carolina. Wrestling is Friday-Saturday at UNC Asheville.

Public Policy Pro: Congratulations to senior AJ Galluzzi, who has received a prestigious Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute Fellowship—securing a spot in the highly competitive program at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. Galluzzi, a double major in economics and finance and a member of the Innovations in Honors program, is one of only 24 students nationwide selected for the Michigan cohort.

Recipe for Success: What a fun read! Last semester, UTC Master of Public Health students Erica Carr and Brittany Rogers partnered with the Chattanooga Food Center’s annual Good Food Fair—an event aimed at introducing families to healthy foods through engaging, hands-on activities—and ended up writing a cookbook. Nice job, Erica and Brittany, on creating a digital cookbook designed specifically for children who are picky eaters or have sensory-related food issues.

Leading With Excellence: UC Foundation Professor of Physics Tatiana Allen has been named the 2023–24 Society of Physics Students (SPS) Outstanding Chapter Advisor in recognition of her leadership and guidance of UTC’s SPS chapter. This prestigious honor—the highest awarded annually by SPS—goes to one advisor among approximately 850 chapters nationwide, celebrating exceptional leadership, student leadership development, and the support and encouragement an advisor provides to their chapter. 

Big Impact in “Small” Journal: A research study featuring UTC Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Murat Barisik was the cover story of a recent issue of “Small,” a prestigious journal dedicated to nanoscience and nanotechnology. Congratulations to Dr. Barisik on his international collaboration with researchers from the University of Ulsan in South Korea and the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.

Raising the Bar: Congratulations to Senior Associate Athletics Director for Advancement Ryan Jones on being named the 2025 College Division Fundraiser of the Year by the National Association of Athletic Directors of Development. Now in his fourth year with the Mocs, Ryan has led UTC’s fundraising efforts to unprecedented success, with three consecutive years surpassing $3.3 million—the first time in program history. Under his leadership, UTC Athletics set a record for gifts and commitments in 2023-24, raising more than $4.7 million.

Leading the Way: UTC was well represented at the recent UT Leadership Institute, which took place on the UTC campus Feb. 16-21. Nine UTC faculty and staff members—Dr. Frank Butler, John Freeze, Aaron Grisham, Erica Holmes-Trujillo, Nora Ketron, Tara Mathis, Dr. Marcus Mauldin, Laura Petrus and Kimberly Thomas—were selected for this year’s cohort.

Documenting the Past: UTC Library Special Collections has published a new digital collection documenting the early history of the Chattanooga Lookouts minor league baseball team. The collection, titled “Sandy Sandlin Chattanooga Lookouts Photographs,” contains photographs, memorabilia, papers, newspaper clippings and other materials documenting the Lookouts from 1912 to 1987—with the bulk dating from the 1930s to the 1960s. The collection was gathered by Sandlin, who served as the athletic trainer for the University of Chattanooga/UTC for nearly 40 years.

Lights, Camera, Award: Congratulations to the Division of Communications and Marketing for earning a Bronze Honorable Mention at the 2024-25 American Advertising Awards. UTC’s award-winning video, a recap of the fall 2024 commencement ceremony, was produced by videographer Sam Blevins and student videographer Charles Kemp.

Science on Tap: Robert Lake Wilson Professor of Geology Amy Brock-Hon is the featured presenter at the next Science on Tap, which will take place from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, at the Tap House in St. Elmo. Dr. Brock-Hon will discuss how Raccoon Mountain Caverns—newly gifted to UTC—will serve as a valuable resource for research and teaching. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the exciting ways UTC is venturing underground.

Clocking Out for Spring Break: Spring break is just about here! When classes resume on Monday, March 17, only five full weeks remain until Reading Day (April 22) and the start of final exams. Don’t forget: daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. this Sunday (March 9). Wishing everyone a relaxing and refreshing spring break!