Fall 2020 final exams are underway, and the end of the semester is finally in sight. I know everyone is looking forward to the change of pace the holidays will bring.
This is a time of year to step back and appreciate what we have accomplished as a campus despite the global pandemic. Last April, we began planning for a semester like no other in the history of higher education. Our success this semester has been due to the hard work of our campus community. COVID taught us to believe in ourselves and to believe in each other. UTC is an incredible team of people working together, addressing our challenges and putting forth our very best effort. Thank you to our students, faculty and staff who make UTC an outstanding university. I am so proud to be part of this outstanding institution.
Finals are not yet over but commencement is already finished. We held five outdoor commencement ceremonies November 18-21 on Chamberlain Field. Over 830 students will be receiving their graduate and undergraduate degrees at the end of the semester. In spite of the social distancing and no in-person audience, the ceremonies were among the most memorable of my time at UTC. Congratulations to our new alumni. We are proud of you!
This is a final reminder to schedule your deferred Labor Day holiday before it expires December 31. This year, to support the academic calendar modification, Labor Day was not a typical holiday day off; faculty and staff members worked on this day. If you have not used the deferred holiday yet, make sure you use it before you lose it.
For the first time in school history, Mocs athletics programs achieved a 90% graduation rate! Men’s cross country, women’s cross country/track & field, men’s golf, soccer, volleyball and both tennis teams had 100% graduation rates. Football, softball and both basketball teams equaled or surpassed the national averages in their respective sports. What a marvelous achievement! Go Mocs!
Good luck to the UTC men’s and women’s basketball teams as their seasons get underway. Although fans will not be allowed in McKenzie Arena for home games at the beginning of the year due to COVID-19, all games are broadcast on the Mocs Sports Network and online at GoMocs.com.
Thank you to the late Fontaine Patten Moore, who passed away in August. She left approximately $1.7 million of her estate to UTC to benefit the University in several areas, including a $1 million gift to create the Z. Lupton Patten Chair in Business Ethics in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business, scholarships to support the music program, and funds for the renovation of WUTC Radio’s new space as well as for the upkeep of Patten Chapel and Patten House. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Chattanooga in 1965 and was a longtime supporter of our university. We are privileged to have been able to call her a friend, and she will be greatly missed.
Spring semester classes begin Tuesday, January 19. Please be sure to check your UTC email and the UTC Newsroom for campus updates.
This is the final C-Note of the year. My family and I wish you a safe holiday season and a Happy New Year!