Collaboration is key to our success as a university, and this week’s ReSEARCH Dialogues is a testament to that. This two-day celebration of research, scholarship and creative activities featured 667 undergraduate and graduate students and faculty members giving presentations on their research projects. In live presentations, Cullen Harris won first place for the Undergraduate Lightning Round; Dr. Joyce McPherson was first in the Graduate Students 3-Minute Thesis; and Dr. Sean Richards won the Faculty Elevator Speeches. But congratulations are due to all involved, including event organizers who spent weeks making sure ReSEARCH Dialogues would be a rousing success. A special shout out to Vice Chancellor and Dean Joanne Romagni, Meredith Perry and all of the staff in research and sponsored programs.
Our new Master of Public Health program is officially taking applications with the Grand Opening and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony held Wednesday, April 4th. The program starts this fall and is the only MPH in Tennessee to focus on Chronic Disease Prevention and Treatment. It is not only an important addition to UTC’s health-care offerings, but it is an important addition to the health of our entire Chattanooga community.
College of Business students had a huge success in the recent Chartered Financial Analyst Investment Research Challenge, an international competition. The only all-undergraduate team in the regionals, the five UTC students—all members of the college’s SMILE Fund—made it to the Americas (CQ) Regional Finals for the first time in university history. Congratulations to the team members and coaches for all their hard work and success.
The Department of Psychology’s Industrial-Organizational master’s program has earned a Top 10 national ranking from the national Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology. The program also ranked No. 1 in Curriculum based on the society’s criteria and No. 2 in Overall Student Ratings. The high rankings for the Industrial-Organization master’s demonstrate the strength and quality of our faculty. Excellent work!
My wife and I are looking forward to the Theatre Department’s upcoming performances of the musical Chicago. Staged in the Fine Arts Center’s Dorothy Hackett Ward Theatre, the performances of this long-running Broadway musical are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, April 17-21, with a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Saturday, April 21. General admission tickets are $12-$15 and can be purchased here or at the door.
Our mock trial team is heading to the national championship for the American Mock Trial Association, set for April 20-22 in Minneapolis. They are the only team from a public university in Tennessee to make it to the finals, and this is the second year in a row that they have reached that goal. Good luck to them.
Although this semester is still in full swing, plans for Operation Move-In 2018 are already underway. Operation Move-In will take place on August 16, and I encourage you to volunteer. Volunteer assignments cover everything from working hospitality tents and checking in other volunteers to helping to unload cars. We need your help to make our new students and their families feel at home as they move in. Please make plans to join me in pitching in to make Operation Move-In 2018 a success. Sign up here to volunteer for a shift.