Welcome back! The campus was alive with activity over winter break and I want to make special note of new people and new campus initiatives.
I am excited to welcome very recent additions to our campus: Dr. Daniel Pack and Mr. Kirk Englehardt both began their careers at UTC earlier this month. Dr. Pack is UTC’s new Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science and was most recently the Mary Lou Clarke Professor and Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio. For more information about our new dean, please see his hiring announcement. Mr. Kirk Englehardt is UTC’s new Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communications. Prior to joining UTC, he was the Director of Research Communications at Georgia Tech. Learn more about Kirk. If you see Kirk or Daniel on campus, please welcome them to our team.
You may have noticed that parking continues to be a challenge on our campus. Our new Value Lot, Lot 45, located at Engel Stadium offers a reliable alternative. A Value Lot decal is half the cost of a General Lot decal: $68 per year for students and $81 per year for faculty and staff. A shuttle runs from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you already have a UTC parking decal and would like to trade it for a Value Lot decal (and receive a prorated refund), please visit the Bursar’s Office in the University Center.
UTC’s new Mocs One Center is open and ready to answer students’ questions about the Financial Aid, Bursar, Scholarship, and Records Offices. It is located on the first floor of the University Center in room 124 and provides a one-stop shop for students. The Center will be the location of the next Coffee with the Chancellor on February 3rd from 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Please join me for informal, open discussion in this new environment.
The Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy programs moved to their new home in the Mapp Building during the break. This new site provides much-needed space for both programs to grow and expand. Renovations in the Mapp Building will continue, and I’m excited about UTC’s new facility and the opportunities that it brings.
Finally, I’m proud to share that our University Center is now home to a New Mothers Room. Located in UC 117, it’s a safe and well equipped space where parents – particularly nursing mothers – can attend to the needs of small children. This is one more way in which we’re trying to meet the needs of the UTC community.
Have a great rest of the week and, again, welcome back and Go Mocs!