Happy 138th Anniversary! UTC Founder’s Week festivities to include grand opening of Wolford Center

The 2024 State of the University will serve as the grand opening of the Wolford Family Athletic Center. Photo by Angela Foster.

Every September, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga commemorates its creation during Founder’s Week—a weeklong celebration of the first day in the University’s history.

On Sept. 15, 1886, Chattanooga University opened its doors with a teaching staff of seven and an enrollment of 118 students. The University became the Chattanooga campus of Grant Memorial University in 1889 and changed its name to the University of Chattanooga in 1907.

That name lasted until 1969, when the private University of Chattanooga merged with Chattanooga City College—then joined the University of Tennessee system of statewide campuses to become the public institution now known as UTC.

Founder’s Week 2024 is highlighted by the grand opening of the Wolford Family Athletic Center—the site of Chancellor Steven R. Angle’s annual State of the University address.

The address by the chancellor—who assumed his role as the 17th leader of the University on July 1, 2013—takes place at 4 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16; click here to RSVP. The State of the University address also can be viewed via livestream.

James “Bucky” Wolford

The Wolford Family Athletic Center is a $36-million project that includes a 37,500-square-foot addition to McKenzie Arena and 23,000 square feet of renovated space. The remodeled space houses a state-of-the-art sports medicine area, a hydrotherapy section and office space.

Arena renovations include new locker rooms and meeting rooms for the Mocs men’s and women’s basketball programs. Highlighted in the new addition are locker rooms, meeting rooms and offices for the football program.

The center, which features 6,000 square feet of dedicated event space for campus use, is named in honor and memory of UTC alumnus James “Bucky” Wolford, who died in September 2017.

Wolford, a businessman involved in the development of many retail properties throughout the country, including Chattanooga’s Hamilton Place, was a Mocs All-American defensive back from 1966-1969 and a 1989 UTC Athletics Hall of Fame inductee.

Each year, UTC honors staff and faculty who have reached significant service milestones.

A week of celebration and reflection

Another Founder’s Week celebration being held at the Wolford Family Athletic Center is the UTC Service Awards Luncheon. At the Tuesday, Sept. 17, luncheon, 242 members of the UTC family will be recognized for reaching important service milestones.

Service awards play a crucial role in rewarding employee contributions, enhancing UTC culture, and promoting retention and engagement. These awards are presented in five-year increments, beginning with the fifth year of regular service.

Honorees at this year’s event will include 34 individuals who have reached at least 25 years of service. Four of the honorees—Dr. Ahmed Eltom, Dr. Cherry Guinn, David King and Dr. Amye Warren—are celebrating their 40th anniversary at UTC.

The Founder’s Week calendar offers a distinct lineup of events designed to celebrate UTC’s past while looking forward to its future. Highlights include:

Scrappy’s Cupboard Founder’s Week Food Drive (Monday-Friday, all week): During Founder’s Week, donation bins can be found on the third floor of the University Center and in Founders Hall for the Scrappy’s Cupboard Founder’s Week food drive. Scrappy’s Cupboard was created to address food, clothing, personal care and household item insecurities and is available to all members of the UTC community.
Mocs Flock Finley (Saturday, Sept. 14): One of UTC’s great campus traditions is Mocs Flock Finley, an event welcoming new students to UTC football—with first-year students leading the team through the tunnel. The students are the guests of honor for food, fun, freebies and pregame tailgating outside the First Horizon Pavilion before they get to run across the football field. The football team begins its home campaign with a 6 p.m. kickoff against Mercer.
Leadership and Ethics Speaker Series (Tuesday, Sept. 17, 4 p.m., University Center Auditorium): UTC alum and former Green Bay Packer B.J. Coleman will present a talk to students—with a focus on student-athletes.
Coffee with the Chancellor (Wednesday, Sept. 18, 8:15-9:30 a.m., Wolford Family Athletic Center): Chancellor Angle will enjoy coffee and informal conversation with members of the UTC campus community.
Rollins Day (Thursday, Sept. 19, 2-5 p.m., Fletcher Hall lawn): Join the Gary W. Rollins College of Business for an afternoon of food, games and giveaways.
United Way Day of Caring (Friday, Sept. 20, 7:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.): UTC is participating in the United Way of Greater Chattanooga’s city-wide “Day of Caring” volunteer service initiative. Servant leadership hands are needed for efforts such as cleaning, sorting, painting, mowing, mulching, moving debris and writing cards. Click here to register and for additional details.

Honoring the University’s legacy

The history and significance of Founder’s Day—which evolved into a more extensive week of activities over the years—was best explored in a piece written by University Archivist and Associate Professor Noah Lasley for the UTC Library webpage.

“Founder’s Day is a tradition that has varied in name and consistency over the years but has always been recognized as an opportunity to celebrate the University and those who are a part of it,” Lasley wrote.

“A speech from the early 1960s explains, ‘Founder’s Day could be thought of as the University’s birthday party, a ceremony celebrating the official opening of the institution. It could also be thought of as a day set aside to recognize the founding fathers of the University.’”

As Lasley noted, many of the individuals involved in establishing the university in 1886 were memorialized on campus in a building name change in 1950, when the Administration Building—which was completed in 1916—was renamed Founders Hall.