The semester is flying by, with spring break coming up March 14-20. Have a terrific spring break! When classes resume on Monday, March 21, there will only be five more weeks until Reading Day and final exams.
March is Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate women’s contributions to history, culture and society. Campus programming has already begun, with special events scheduled throughout the month—including panel discussions, workshops, documentaries and a “March Through History” walking exhibit at Lupton Hall. You can read here about UTC Women’s History Month events.
We are fortunate to have many outstanding women student leaders motivating others to create positive change. The Inspiring Women in Lifelong Leadership Award (I WILL) recognizes UTC women students who “show exemplary leadership skills by incorporating social justice and gender equity in all they do.” Recommendations for the I WILL Award will be accepted through March 11.
Tuesday’s Scholarship Luncheon was highlighted by the announcement of a generous gift from the Frost Family Investment Fund supporting the Veterans Entrepreneurship Alumni Program, providing skills and funding for startup businesses in underserved areas, and creating undergraduate scholarships benefitting UTC students who are military veterans, currently engaged in ROTC or children of veterans or first responders.
On behalf of the entire campus, I would like to thank the Frost Family for their generosity. The family has demonstrated its genuine belief in the work we do at UTC. It is so meaningful that they worked together to establish a gift supporting our students and programs.
A big “GO MOCS” to our basketball and wrestling teams as they participate in their respective Southern Conference championships this weekend. The women’s basketball team begins tournament play at 5:45 p.m. today against Furman. The men’s team, the SoCon regular-season champs with a 14-4 conference record (24-7 overall), opens tournament play Saturday afternoon. The wrestling team, fresh off a recent Power-5 victory over Indiana University, participates in the SoCon Championships Saturday.
For just the eighth time ever, a Mocs football player has been invited to the NFL Combine, a prestigious event featuring talent evaluators from every NFL team. Offensive lineman Cole Strange is in Indianapolis through March 7, giving him a tremendous opportunity in his pursuit of a professional football career. Way to go, Cole!
Congratulations to softball pitcher Brooke Parrott on throwing a perfect game on February 19. Brooke retired all 21 Radford University batters she faced in recording just the fifth perfect game in Mocs history and the first since 2002.
The Mocs men’s and women’s cross country teams were named to the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Teams. The men posted a 3.687 team GPA during the fall semester to rank eighth in the nation. The women ranked 12th overall with a 3.802 GPA, and six of 16 team members recorded a perfect 4.0 in the fall. Go Mocs!
Kudos to Trevor Elliott, UC Foundation associate professor of mechanical engineering, for being selected as a recipient of a 2022 Society of Automotive Engineers’ Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award. The international award recognizes exemplary teaching by younger engineering educators worldwide.
Tim Gaudin, a UC Foundation professor in the Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science, is part of a research team that recently found a fossil of a new species of animal that lived approximately 2 million years ago. The fossil comes from a species of pangolin—or scaly armadillo—that lived in Romania. The discovery is receiving international attention thanks to research published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Bloodanooga, a UTC campus semiannual blood drive coordinated by Blood Assurance, occurs from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday in the University Center’s Tennessee Room. The need for blood donations is at an all-time high, and this event is crucial to the blood supply in the Chattanooga area. Please take the opportunity to contribute, as each donation can save three lives.
Recruitment of future UTC students is an essential function for everyone on campus. As the temperature warms up, we see more campus tours and parents walking around with their high school students. If you come across a student or a parent holding one of those iconic yellow bags, please be sure to say Hi and welcome them to UTC. We are all ambassadors of this University, and friendly actions go a long way.
A little reminder: Daylight saving time takes effect at 2 a.m. next Sunday, March 13. Clocks and watches will need to spring ahead one hour.