Welcome to Lofton Stuart, who joined UTC this week as Interim Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Affairs and Executive Director of the UC Foundation. Prior to his retirement from the University of Tennessee, he served for over 43 years in various UT alumni and development roles. Lofton has been an advocate and supporter of UTC staff and programs throughout his career, and we welcome him to this important leadership role on campus.
The UTC School of Nursing has been named a Top 25 MSN program by GradReports.com. This is a tremendous achievement! The data-driven college rankings are based on median early-career salary statistics, tuition and median debt. A big round of applause goes out to Dr. Chris Smith and the outstanding students, faculty and staff in our Nursing Program.
Congratulations to Dr. Arben Asllani in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business on receiving a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to Albania in Information Systems and Data Analytics. Dr. Asllani will teach data analytics courses at Epoka University during the Spring 2020 semester and explore research and collaboration opportunities between Epoka and UTC. What a great honor!
For the seventh year in a row, the Arbor Day Foundation has chosen UTC as a Tree Campus USA. Our green campus is a never-ending point of pride; keeping it beautiful is just one way we continue to be a working partner in the national recognition of Chattanooga as an environmental and outdoor-activity leader. Campus construction and renovation continue to incorporate native vegetation, green spaces and walkways laid with, when possible, pavers that allow water to pass through. Two recently completed projects — the beautifications of Vine and Oak streets — include those elements.
The registration deadline for the annual ReSEARCH Dialogues conference is Sunday, February 16. The event is the largest academic conference on the UTC campus. Please visit the ReSEARCH Dialogues site for more information.
It is time to call for nominations for the 2020 THEC Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award Program. In 1971 the Tennessee legislature created this program that recognizes higher education faculty, staff and students demonstrating exemplary public service. Each year, five students and five faculty/staff members from public and private two- and four-year institutions across the state of Tennessee are selected by a representative task force to receive a $1,000 award check in honor of their service. UTC nomination forms can be obtained by emailing Teresa-McKinney@utc.edu in the Chancellor’s Office. Completed forms and supporting materials must be submitted by Wednesday, February 19.