Undergraduate students participate in a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga commencement ceremony Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in McKenzie Arena. Photo by Angela Foster.
The University of Tennessee System Board of Trustees has officially approved the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, establishing a bold, metric-driven roadmap to guide UTC’s continued growth and impact through the end of the decade.
The plan reflects nearly two years of campus collaboration, data analysis and community engagement. Initiated in spring 2024 under Chancellor Emeritus Steven Angle and advanced by Interim Chancellor Robert Dooley, the effort included more than 2,000 data points and campus-wide roadshows and surveys to ensure broad input and measurable outcomes.
“This Strategic Plan is more than a document—it is a shared, metric-driven roadmap designed to guide our University toward our aspirations for 2030,” said UTC Chancellor Lori Bruce. “Together, we will build on our momentum, expand our impact and continue preparing students for success in a rapidly evolving world.”
Anchored by UTC’s vision to be “a model metropolitan university that unites learner success, innovative research, and community partnerships to spark transformative growth and prosperity,” the plan outlines clear aspirations for 2030, including achieving Carnegie R2 status as a high research activity institution and strategically expanding enrollment to 15,000 students.
The Strategic Plan is organized around five pillars:
Academic Excellence and Student Outcomes—Expanding UTC’s educational footprint while improving retention, graduation and career placement outcomes. By 2030, the University aims to grow to 15,000 students, increase first-year retention to 80%, raise graduation rates, and ensure every undergraduate completes a high-impact practice course.
Developing and Supporting Our People—Investing in faculty and staff through competitive compensation, professional development, improved evaluation processes and enhanced recognition programs to strengthen retention and workplace satisfaction.
Innovative and Impactful Research—Elevating UTC’s research profile through expanded doctoral programs, increased research expenditures, new research centers and stronger support for translational research, commercialization and intellectual property development.
Operational Excellence—Strengthening fiscal stewardship, improving business processes, investing strategically in facilities and growing philanthropy to at least $40 million annually while increasing the University’s endowment to $260 million.
Community Engagement and Impact—Deepening partnerships across Chattanooga and beyond, earning the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, expanding advisory boards and increasing measurable regional economic impact by 15%.
Designed with accountability at its core, the plan includes 65 trackable metrics across the five pillars, ensuring progress is transparent and measurable over time.
“Strategic plans only succeed when they are lived daily—in our classrooms, our laboratories, our offices, our performances, our practices and throughout our community,” said Bruce.
With Board approval now secured, UTC will move into full implementation of the 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, advancing its mission to enrich lives through accessible and innovative education, impactful research and dynamic community partnerships across Tennessee and beyond.
For more information and to view the full Strategic Plan, click here.
