University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chancellor Steven Angle and Robert Dooley, Dean of the College of Business, announce the College’s Student Success Center will be named in honor of Chattanooga entrepreneur Joseph F. Decosimo.
The Joseph F. Decosimo Student Success Center will provide the resources students need to plan their academic paths and tie those academic experiences to the business world. Through early engagement, individualized academic advising and career development, the Center provides a professional context that will reflect the quality of programs at the College, enrich student experience and enhance success for student and business partner recruitment. The Decosimo Success Center is led by Director Sue Culpepper, an alumna of the College and former bank president.
“Joe Decosimo has been engaged in virtually every aspect of operation of the UTC College of Business. He has taught classes, been a generous donor, was inducted into the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, and hired many of our graduates – just to name a few things,” said Chancellor Angle. “The Decosimo name is synonymous with success, integrity, and personal generosity. It is so fitting that our student success center be named in his honor.”
UTC has dedicated more than 8,000 square feet of space on the second floor of Fletcher Hall for the Joseph F. Decosimo Success Center. In May, work will begin on a renovation to transform the space and provide areas for advising, career development, team rooms, interview rooms and a student lounge.
Student success is a primary strategic initiative of the University, and under Dean Dooley’s leadership, the College of Business has pursued a mission of assisting students in their paths to graduation as well as guiding them in their preparations for rewarding careers.
“The Joseph F. Decosimo Student Success Center is an investment in our students, and reflects our commitment to ensuring that they are academically successful and prepared for professional careers and life-long personal growth and development,” Dooley said. “Joe Decosimo has had a profound impact on UTC, the College of Business and the Chattanooga business environment. He is a great example to our students and it is wonderful to have our Student Success Center named in his honor.”
Joseph F. Decosimo has been a force in shaping the Chattanooga business environment by providing guidance and financial assistance to some of the region’s most successful business leaders and entrepreneurs. He is the founder and senior Principal Emeritus CPA at the Decosimo Company. The company, which started in 1971, is one of the nation’s top 50 accounting firms with offices across the region.
Decosimo’s accomplishments are as diverse and numerous as his interests and abilities and he has been honored by many organizations. He has served in key board positions on several Fortune 500 companies, and financiers and industrialists from across the nation seek his wisdom and business acumen. Joe has long been an advocate and a supporter of higher education. He has a very close relationship to UTC and the College of Business, establishing two scholarships and a professorship in Accounting. He also was instrumental in the formation of the College’s Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, which honors Chattanooga’s entrepreneurial legacy. Decosimo has chaired the Chancellor’s Roundtable and the Business and Advisory Review Committee. He was an executive in residence at the College of Business, and has served as Trustee and Chair of the UC Foundation.
The naming of the center was a surprise to Decosimo. The campaign to name the center after Decosimo was led by UTC College of Business Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame member John Thornton.
“I was overwhelmed to be honored with the naming of the Joseph F. Decosimo Student Success Center,” Decosimo said. “I am grateful to John ‘Thunder’ Thornton and so many others who made the Student Success Center a reality.”
This naming is part of an overall campaign with a funding goal of $1.5 million. The total cost for construction, technology and furniture for the Joseph F. Decosimo Success Center is $1.5 million. Operating funds are already in place.
A public campaign is now underway to raise the additional $400,000, with room naming opportunities available.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga College of Business is committed to providing quality educational programs that produce academically prepared and business-world ready men and women for a competitive global environment. The College has been accredited by AACSB International since 1982. The Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Accountancy (MAcc) offer high quality graduate degree programs to those in search of professional advancement.
