With more than 370 stories published in the UTC Newsroom during the 2024 calendar year, it’s easy to say that a lot of good things happened for UTC students, faculty and staff this year. Picking out the top highlights—not so easy. Here are some of our favorites.
Turning tassels: Celebrating UTC’s class of 2024
More than 900 graduating University of Tennessee at Chattanooga students heard their names called and crossed the McKenzie Arena stage as part of commencement ceremonies Friday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 14.
From Marine to UTC grad: How Brad Crush turned military training into a degree
On Saturday, Dec. 14, Brad Crush crossed the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s graduation stage, a milestone made possible, in part, by turning his U.S. Marine Corps training into 50 college credits.
Caps, gowns and glory: Celebrating UTC’s fall 2024 commencement in photos
UTC fall commencement 2024 as captured through the lens of University photographer Angela Foster and the UTC video team.
On a mission: First DNP nurse anesthesia cohort prepares to graduate
On Friday, Dec. 13, the first cohort of UTC’s DNP Nurse Anesthesia program will graduate. Transitioning from a master’s-level degree to a DNP in 2022, the program prepares graduates to begin working immediately as Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs).
Milestones and memories: McKenzie Arena to host UTC commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will celebrate its 264th commencement this week, honoring the accomplishments of its graduates with two ceremonies at McKenzie Arena. Together, the ceremonies will recognize approximately 730 undergraduates and 130 graduate students earning their degrees this fall.
A graduate’s journey: How UTC shaped my path and prepared me for what’s next
Carter Graham spent the fall of 2024 as a student writer in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Division of Communications and Marketing, completing bachelor’s degrees in both communication and business administration: management. He is a 2019 graduate of Chattanooga Christian School.
Transfer student Jeremiah Taylor’s path to graduation: Leadership, growth and community at UTC
When Jeremiah Taylor was in high school at the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences, attending college at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wasn’t on his list of plans. “I really didn’t want to be across the street for another four years,” Taylor said. He chose the University of Memphis, but after two years of online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided to return home.
‘The best things that happened were accidents’: As commencement nears, Aria Beloate reflects on her UTC experience
Aria Beloate keeps a countdown on her phone to the very minute she will walk across the stage at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga undergraduate commencement ceremony. For Beloate, graduation on Saturday, Dec. 14, marks a culmination of accomplishments and opportunities. When she came to UTC in 2021 during “the COVID times,” she said she didn’t have any plans to get involved on campus.
Staying vigilant: Braden Stillwell’s road to success
Three and a half years since starting college at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, senior sociology major Braden Stillwell looks back on the wild ride his experience at UTC has been as he prepares to cross the finish line at graduation.