Shawn Ryan, who is retiring at the end of the year after spending seven years with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Division of Communications and Marketing and around 40 years in journalism, searched through 850 stories to share his 15 personal favorites.
Crossing the finish line: UTC celebrates Class of 2023
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga hosted its 262nd commencement with three separate ceremonies Dec. 15-16.
Writing about Chattanooga native’s harrowing Vietnam War rescue earns national acclaim for UTC student
Senior Caroline Colvin, pursuing bachelor’s degrees in communication and Spanish, placed seventh in the highly competitive Hearst Journalism Awards Feature Writing Competition for her Rising Rock feature titled “The Road to the Medal.” Colvin, head editor of Rising Rock and editor-in-chief of the University Echo, is UTC’s first-ever winner in the Hearst Foundation writing competition.
Change of leadership in Office of Research and Graduate School
Dr. Joanne Romagni, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Vice Chancellor for Research and dean of the Graduate School, has decided to leave that position and return to the faculty as a professor in the Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science. This change will be effective Jan. 1, 2024, and Deputy Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mann will serve as UTC Vice Chancellor for Research for a period of two years starting Jan. 1.
Final act: Theater graduate finds ‘a sense of fulfillment’ from acting
Isaiah Mark Owens took acting classes in high school and, when all was said and done, the thrill of acting stuck. The end result is a degree in theater he will earn in December 2023 from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Shot at a goal: UTC soccer star wants to become seventh doctor in her family
UTC graduating senior Mackenzie Smith aims to become the seventh physician in her immediate family, but medical school will have to wait until after her soccer career ends. Smith has her eye on playing professional soccer overseas. Then, the two-time all-Southern Conference player and biochemistry major plans to join her five siblings and father and attend medical school.
It’s a celebration: UTC to host commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday
Fall commencement at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will be celebrated with three separate ceremonies taking place over two days starting Friday, Dec. 15.
UTC students win top roles in intercollegiate state legislature
Two students from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga won key positions at this year’s Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature. UTC criminal justice major Susanne Cooper was elected Speaker Pro Tem of the House, and graduate student Hunter Fowler, pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree, was appointed a Supreme Court justice.
UTC connected to EPB Quantum Network℠ powered by Qubitekk
UTC has become the first academic institution to be connected to EPB Quantum Network℠ powered by Qubitekk. In late 2022, EPB and Qubitekk jointly launched the nation’s first industry-led, commercially available quantum network for running equipment and applications in an established fiber optic environment. UTC is connected to the network via a node within a quantum technology laboratory on campus.
Noted achievement: Trio of UTC music therapy graduates ‘confirm they picked the right career’
Keely Phillips and Kyndall Blum are the first students to attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as music therapy majors for all four years they were enrolled. They are graduating as part of December commencement ceremonies. Joseph Taylor, who transferred from Belmont University in Nashville to UTC as a junior, also is graduating with a music therapy degree—the first transfer student to earn the degree.