As I write this, the presidential election is still a nail-biter. It looks like final results will not be in until the end of the week. We have witnessed democracy in action as every legal ballot is counted.
The end of the semester is fast approaching, finally. We must all remain vigilant to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Please keep wearing a mask, washing your hands and following social distancing protocols.
Veterans Day (November 11) is a day for us to reflect on the sacrifices and service our veterans and their families have made for our country. U.S. Army Major Kevin Beavers is the keynote speaker for our virtual Veterans Day Tribute Ceremony, which can be found at utc.edu on November 11. Major Beavers came to UTC in 2017 to lead our ROTC program, and he is leaving active duty and moving to the private sector in Chattanooga. Thank you to Major Beavers for his contributions to this country and our university.
Our campus’ Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) reaffirmation efforts have begun. SACSCOC is the regional body for accrediting degree-granting higher education institutions in the southern states, and accreditation is required for us to offer degrees. The reaffirmation process is a huge amount of work and will require every unit on campus to actively participate.
The UTC Center for Global Education will celebrate International Education Week (IEW) November 16-20 with special events focused on international learning, leadership and exchange. A joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of State, IEW recognizes the benefits of international education.
Congratulations to Tony Skjellum (SimCenter), Craig Tanis (Engineering and Computer Science) and Abi Arabshahi (SimCenter) on a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. This award creates the Center for Understandable, Performant Exascale Communication Systems, a joint effort of UTC, the University of New Mexico and the University of Alabama at Birmingham in collaboration with the Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories.
UTC is one of seven universities participating in the Tennessee Department of Education’s Grow Your Own Program to increase the number and diversity of teachers in K-12 schools. As part of Grow Your Own, UTC will be given a $100,000 grant to pay the full tuition for a total of 12 current teaching assistants, paraprofessionals and other employees in the Hamilton County and Marion County school systems. Once the students earn their degrees, they will be eligible for a teaching license and hired in the county school systems. What a marvelous opportunity!
The fall 2020 edition of University of Tennessee Chattanooga Magazine is available online, and you can read about the flexibility, adaptability, creativity and resolve of the people who are UTC during this global pandemic. I am sure you will be as proud of our colleagues as I am.