The original university structure, Old Main. Opening exercises for Chattanooga University (a former name for UTC), were held in the chapel of this building in September 1886. Old Main exterior view, undated. UA-00-03-01-05-001. Courtesy of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will celebrate its 140th anniversary during Founder’s Week, Sept. 14-20, with events honoring the people, traditions and service that have shaped the University since its founding in 1886.
The week will bring together students, faculty, staff, alumni, families and community partners for celebrations, recognition events, service opportunities and campus traditions.
The centerpiece will be Founder’s Day on Tuesday, Sept. 15, marking 140 years since the University’s founding.
Founder’s Day will be highlighted by Chancellor Lori Bruce’s State of the University Address at 2 p.m. in the University Center Auditorium. During the address, Bruce will reflect on UTC’s accomplishments, celebrate recent successes and outline the University’s vision and strategic priorities for the future.
Immediately following the address, the UTC community is invited to celebrate the University’s 140th birthday from 3–5 p.m. on Terrell Owens Way and Vine Street. The outdoor celebration will feature free food truck vouchers, birthday cake, popcorn, cotton candy, music from a DJ, yard games, giveaways and more. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are encouraged to join their fellow Mocs in commemorating 140 years of UTC history and looking ahead to its future.
Additional highlights of Founder’s Week include the annual Service Awards Luncheon, a Library Open House, Rollins Day, Mocs Marketplace, the Day of Caring with United Way and Fall Family Weekend activities. The week concludes with the Mocs football game against Wofford at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Finley Stadium.
Founder’s Week will launch a yearlong celebration of UTC’s 140th anniversary. Throughout 2026-27, the University will highlight its Chattanooga roots and continued public impact through the 1886 Challenge, 140 Community Events for 140 Years and Gold Fridays.
Through the 1886 Challenge, UTC faculty, staff and students are working toward a collective total of 18,860 hours of community service during the anniversary year. The 140 Community Events for 140 Years initiative recognizes campus and community programs that connect UTC with the people and organizations it serves. Gold Fridays encourage the UTC community to wear gold each Friday throughout the academic year and to show their Mocs pride across campus and in Chattanooga.
A complete Founder’s Week schedule is available at utc.edu/chancellor/events/founders-week.
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History of Founder’s Day
In his role as University archivist, UC Foundation Associate Professor Noah Lasley works to acquire, arrange and describe official University of Tennessee at Chattanooga records and other valuable materials that document the University’s history and functions. His research interests include digital humanities, digital curation and archival instruction.
Lasley received a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in information science from UT Knoxville. Before joining UTC Special Collections in July 2016, he worked for several library units at UT Knoxville, including Modern Political Archives, Great Smoky Mountains Regional Project and Digital Production Area.
Founder’s Week is a long-standing tradition that connects the University community with its origins. Originally known as Founder’s Day, the occasion commemorates the institution’s first day on Sept. 15, 1886. On that date, which a local newspaper reported marked “an epoch in the educational history, not only of Chattanooga, but of the surrounding country,” Chattanooga University held its opening exercises in the original campus building on McCallie Avenue known as Old Main. Attendees included the 118-member student body, the faculty, and others affiliated with the University.
In 1950, many of the individuals involved in establishing the University in 1886 were memorialized when a campus building was renamed. The structure known today as Founders Hall was completed in 1916 and was called the Administration Building until 1950, when the Board of Trustees approved a new name recommended by then-President David A. Lockmiller. Soon afterward, a plaque listing 36 of these early leaders, including University presidents, trustees, faculty, and benefactors, was installed in the eastern entrance.
University of Chattanooga Board of Trustees meeting minutes, June 5, 1950. Courtesy of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.
Since the 1950s, the observation of Founder’s Day has varied in name and consistency but has always been recognized as an opportunity to celebrate the University and those who are part of it. 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.” Elsewhere, the purpose of Founder’s Day is given as a time “to recognize those who have labored to make the University what it is today.” In 1999, University Relations news coordinator Barbara Kennedy told the University Echo that the objective of Founder’s Day was “to bring everyone together — faculty, students, the administration, staff, alumni, and friends of the University … to celebrate our common purposes and renew our sense of community.”
“Why Founders’ Day, Anyway?”, circa 1961, University of Chattanooga founding documents, administrative records, and other materials, UA-00-01-08. Courtesy of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.
Beginning in the mid-2010s, Founder’s Day evolved into Founder’s Week, a multi-day affair with programming celebrating the University and its engagement with the larger Chattanooga community. Events have included University participation in the United Way of Greater Chattanooga’s Day of Caring, a campus-wide food drive for Scrappy’s Cupboard, the annual Service Awards Luncheon, and the Chancellor’s State of the University Address.
Founders Hall eastern entrance plaque, 2021.
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