A lot of great things happened at UTC during the 2025 calendar year. We celebrated student and faculty research, welcomed new faces (including Chancellor Lori Bruce), broke ground on new buildings and commemorated big wins. With so many stories to tell, the UTC newsroom published more than 420 stories. Here are our top 20 personal favorites in chronological order of website publication.
Dr. Mina Sartipi named interim vice chancellor for research at UTC
Dr. Mina Sartipi has been appointed interim vice chancellor for research, effective January 2026. Sartipi currently serves as the executive director of the UTC Research Institute and as the founding director of the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP). She is a Guerry Professor and UC Foundation Professor in UTC’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering and holds a joint faculty appointment with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Ask, observe, connect: Finding answers that make an impact
“When a faculty member is actively practicing their discipline through research, the classroom benefits. Students benefit,” Chancellor Lori Bruce said. “When a student is getting to participate in the research and be at the cutting edge of their discipline, it’s even more powerful.”
John “Art” Phillips Sales Institute established at UTC with gift from Phillips family
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has announced that its sales institute in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business will be named the John “Art” Phillips Sales Institute, honoring the late entrepreneur, extraordinary salesman and business leader.
Inventanooga showcases student pitches from future innovators
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga hosted its fourth annual Inventanooga competition on Thursday, Dec. 11, where middle and high school students pitched ideas to innovation leaders from the Chattanooga area.
UTC Vice Chancellor for Research Reinhold Mann announces retirement
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Vice Chancellor for Research Reinhold Mann has announced his retirement, effective at the end of December. Since joining UTC in 2015, Mann has helped shape a new era for the University’s research enterprise, building faculty capacity, deepening community partnerships, and advancing major strategic initiatives that have elevated UTC’s role in regional innovation and discovery.
UTC researchers and Hamilton County educators turn NSF project into hydrogen energy publication
Two University of Tennessee at Chattanooga chemical engineering professors—Dr. Rahul Bhosale and Dr. Bradley Harris—and a pair of Hamilton County educators have co-authored a research paper published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, one of the field’s leading academic journals.
Golden girls of nursing: UTC legends reflect on a legacy
Prior to NightinGala 2025, Dr. Cherry Guinn, Professor Emeritus Martha Butterfield and Professor Emeritus Barbara Norwood sat down with the UTC video team to reminisce about the founding of the University’s School of Nursing.
A decade, four sisters and one University at fall 2025 commencement
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s fall commencement ceremonies were a time for families to celebrate their students’ hard work and accomplishments. Natale Mertens graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the fall 2025 commencement, joining her three sisters as UTC alumni.
UTC students learn the language of cybersecurity at Unum
Three recent graduates of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s accelerated BAS-IT CyS program spent the past year inside Unum, seeing how cybersecurity functions at one of the city’s largest employers and a Fortune 500 insurance company.