Dr. Jamie Harvey’s UTC journey began in 1975 as a 17-year-old college freshman. For the last 35 years, she has been a full-time member of the UTC faculty. Photo by Angela Foster.
Dr. Jamie Harvey never set out to leave a legacy.
Yet, after five decades at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, that’s precisely what she has done.
An associate professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance (HHP), Harvey is stepping down at the end of the semester after 35 years as a full-time faculty member—not to retire, but to “repurpose” her time and energy.
“I still have more to give, just in a different way,” she said.
Harvey’s UTC journey began in 1975 as a wide-eyed 17-year-old student—eager to earn her degree and teach elementary school children the importance of staying active. Returning as a faculty member was never part of the plan. She certainly never expected to shape the future of HHP, mentor generations of students and colleagues, or become so deeply involved in campus life that students affectionately call her “Momma Moc.”
Her ties to the University run deep—not just professionally, but personally. Her son, Kell, attended the UTC Children’s Center as a toddler, and now her grandsons—Thomas Mark and Banks—are spending their early years there as well.
Over the years, Harvey’s influence has extended far beyond the classroom. She served as Faculty Senate president during the pivotal 2019-2020 academic year, was selected to the 2018-2019 All-Southern Conference Faculty and Staff Team, and has most recently chaired the Faculty Awards Committee for three years—ensuring faculty recognition remained a priority.
As Faculty Senate president, Dr. Jamie Harvey served as macebearer during December 2019 commencement ceremonies.
After earning her bachelor’s degree from UTC and her master’s from Eastern Kentucky University, the Red Bank, Tennessee, native returned home with plans to teach elementary physical education.
Instead, in 1982, she was offered a chance to teach one-hour activity courses at UTC—tennis, racquetball, bowling and swimming. She accepted, thinking it would be temporary.
“I thought, ‘Yeah, I could do that,’ not ever realizing it would morph into a gradual progression of 40 years of teaching higher education,” Harvey said. “Paths open the door—and it just depends on what steps you take and the changes that you can make.”
Not long after that, she and her husband, Mark—who received his business degree from UTC in 1979—became parents.
“There was a child care center here on campus,” she explained, “and once Kell turned 2, I thought, ‘I can come to campus and he’ll be across the parking lot. I can teach three or four classes—and he’s had lunch and taken a nap. That culture was available.”
The short-term gig evolved into a lifelong career.
In 1990, Harvey became a full-time faculty member at UTC. From there, her influence only grew as she developed courses, mentored students and younger faculty members, and ultimately shaped the Health and Physical Education (HPE) K-12 program.
Over the last 35 years, Harvey has “nurtured, inspired and built a legacy of mentorship,” said Associate Professor and HHP Department Head Eric Hungenberg.
“Jamie Harvey has been instrumental in establishing a culture within the department that is one of respect and support and encouragement,” he said. “She is at the forefront of establishing a culture of selflessness and optimism. You can’t walk past her and not smile and feel better about your day.
“Her positivity has permeated through this department in ways that cannot be quantified.”
Harvey has taken her commitment to connection seriously. For years, she has invited department heads to visit her classes so that students could see a broader picture of the academic world they were entering.
Professor Marisa Colston, a former longtime HHP department head who has worked with Harvey for 25 years, saw firsthand how much her colleague valued relationships.
“She has that unique ability to demonstrate how much she cares,” Colston said, “and I think she wants people to know that before they know what she knows.”
Both Colston and Hungenberg praised the manner in which Harvey has helped welcome new faculty members into the program—especially those starting their higher ed careers.
Associate Lecturer Bailey Payne, who began working at UTC in 2021, was one of those mentees.
“Jamie is absolutely amazing. She is supportive. She is kind. She loves her students. She treats her students like she would treat her own son,” said Payne, who spent nine years working for Hamilton County Schools as a K-12 physical education content lead before coming to UTC.
“She is always excited, passionate and open to change because the education landscape changes a lot. We have to update our curriculum pretty regularly, and she’s always open to doing that and researching new opportunities for our students.”
To Payne, Harvey represents more than just a faculty member: she embodies the institution itself.
“She is UTC,” Payne said. “She brings that maternal energy to our program that I know our students are going to miss.”
Jamie Harvey (first row, second from right) and the Health, Physical Education and Recreation department’s 1983 Moccasin Yearbook photo. Photo courtesy of UTC Digital Collections.
Beyond teaching, Harvey has documented the history of her department—a project that became personal.
In 2018, she compiled and published a book tracing UTC’s Health and Human Performance program from its origins in 1918 to its present form.
“The thought at the time was, ‘How long have we been a department?’ I started in 1975 as part of this department, but it existed before I came along,” Harvey said.
The book, which turned out to be a 100-year celebration of the program, became a significant resource for faculty and alums alike.
“We were having conversations about all the various program name changes over the years,” Colston recalled, “and that kind of sparked in her mind, ‘Wow, we really need to look into this history.’ She asked if I would support it and I said, ‘Absolutely.’ Then she started the research.”
Through yearbooks, archived faculty records and interviews, Harvey chronicled the program’s transformations—“I’ve been around long enough that it’s been HPER, which is Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and EHLS, which is Exercise, Health and Leisure Studies”—to today’s HHP structure.
She described the research as a deep dive into the institution’s past, uncovering the names and contributions of those who came before her.
“I’ve been through seven department heads since I’ve been a part of this department,” she said. “Eight if I count in my undergrad years.”
In the process of compiling the book, she discovered something even more meaningful: seeing her father, 1957 University of Chattanooga alumnus James Fairbanks, featured in old yearbooks.
“It was a real joy going to the library, looking through yearbooks and seeing my dad in them,” she said. “Our University was near and dear to his heart.”
Jamie Harvey’s first known appearance in a University publication: Page 24 of the October 1958 University of Chattanooga alumni news magazine. Photo courtesy of UTC Digital Collections.
When asked to share some of the highlights of her time at UTC, Harvey shifted the conversation to include former students like Rusty Wright, Rodney Stoker and Tim Starkey—who have gone on to successful coaching careers.
Harvey was right there with them to celebrate their successes.
“I’ll say this: it excites me when I can write a (congratulatory) note,” she said. “I did that after Rodney Stoker was named (cross country and track) coach at McCallie School. Tim Starkey at Marion County—his team won the state football championship last year and I sent him a note of congratulations.
“It’s those outreaches that speak heavily to me. It’s the relationships.”
Wright, UTC’s head football coach since December 2018, was one of her students during his undergraduate days. Decades later, he still credits Harvey with shaping his University experience.
“When I started school at Chattanooga over 30 years ago, one of the first interactions I had with a professor was with Mrs. Harvey. I enjoyed her class and had her for a couple of others during my time in school. She took a keen interest in her students and followed us closely being student-athletes,” Wright recalled. “Over the years, I would run into her—no matter where I was coaching at the time—and she always had that great smile and warm welcome.
“When I came back as an assistant coach in 2013, she was one of the first on campus to reach out welcoming me back to the University. When I became the head coach in 2018, she reached out as well. I truly can say that she was my professor at one time—but I am so glad to call Mrs. Harvey a friend. She will always be Mrs. Harvey to me.”
Harvey’s time as Faculty Senate president turned out to be among the defining moments of her UTC career.
Just months before assuming the role in 2019, she suffered an immense personal loss after her husband passed away from cancer.
“That year gave me a continuation of staying focused—even though the grief was still there and still is—to have that blessing of being elected and being able to serve,” she said.
She barely had time to process that grief before facing another challenge—guiding the faculty through COVID-19. Working closely with Provost Jerold Hale, she helped launch virtual Q&A sessions to support instructors and ensure a smooth transition to online learning.
“That was the first time I went to Asheville (North Carolina) and the Southern Conference basketball tournament without Mark—and COVID was starting,” Harvey recalled. “(College of Health, Education and Professional Studies) Valerie Rutledge and I were sitting at a table saying, ‘What are we going to do? How are we going to maneuver this?’ Dr. Hale was over there, too, and he and I began a conversation about having a Q&A on Zoom with the faculty.
“I’d call that a highlight, organizing that and having him as an administrator be present for faculty—to have those touch points with an administrator—when everybody’s world was swirling.”
In 2020 during the early months of COVID, Dr. Jamie Harvey led weekly driveway sessions at her home in Red Bank, Tennessee, to help neighbors and UTC coworkers relieve stress.
Though stepping away from full-time status, Harvey isn’t stepping away from teaching. This fall, she’ll continue at UTC part-time while also working with elementary school students—balancing her love for education with time spent on her grandchildren, travel and community service.
Retirement? Not in her vocabulary.
“I can’t see her completely breaking away. She loves it too much,” Colston said.
“I won’t let her,” Hungenberg said, laughing.
“I’m not done teaching; I’m just shifting my focus,” Harvey explained, saying that she’ll be teaching two UTC classes while assisting in elementary schools. “Maybe I’ll get some jump ropes out of the closet and encourage a little kindergartener to jump over the rope.
“I’m repurposing my time, my energy and my passion for education. There’s still work to be done.”
For Harvey, that work has always focused on ensuring K-12 students have access to quality physical education. Movement isn’t just exercise, she said; it’s a fundamental part of a child’s development, shaping confidence, teamwork and lifelong wellness habits.
“We are here to educate in health and physical education, and what that means is that it needs to carry on,” she said.
Though she is lightening her workload, Harvey’s presence at UTC will remain strong.
“I could stay here until I’m 75 years old, but I don’t need to,” she said. “It’s time to step aside and let someone else begin their career here—and I truly hope they find as much joy in this as I have.”
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