University of Tennessee at Chattanooga alum Emma Sprayberry has been selected for the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship—a prestigious U.S. Department of State program that prepares individuals for careers in the U.S. Foreign Service. The May 2024 graduate is the first UTC student or alum to earn a Pickering Fellowship.
‘Chattanooga’s Forgotten’: UTC students call on City Hall for safer streets
After spending a year studying walkability in Chattanooga’s Oak Grove neighborhood, students in Dr. Chandra Ward’s class brought their findings to City Hall—asking officials to make the area’s streets safer and invest more fairly in underserved communities.
UTC sophomore heading to Taiwan after landing prestigious Critical Language Scholarship
UTC sophomore Vinny Nguyen is taking his passion for language, diplomacy and international engagement across the world. Nguyen, a double major in political science international/comparative studies and economics international public policy with a minor in Asian studies, has been selected for the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Mandarin in Taiwan this summer. He will spend two months at Tamkang University in New Taipei City—from June 17-Aug. 15—as part of the prestigious U.S. Department of State initiative.
An investment in Honors
“An honors education is a fantastic example of undergraduate education at its best,” UTC alum Richard Zhang said. “Small seminar classes, the reading of classics, the interdisciplinary studies and the hugely collaborative culture between the faculty and the students and among the students: these things helped transform me into who I am today.”
UTC Innovation Lab students hit the road with ideas to improve Chattanooga’s transit
Students in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Innovations in Honors program are changing the city’s transportation game. As part of Dr. Jordan King’s Innovation Lab, housed in the UTC Honors College, students have spent the 2024-25 academic year coming up with ideas and working with the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) to address issues in Chattanooga’s public transit system.
Calming effect: UTC Honors College students help to make a safer community
Each weekday around 3 p.m., parents and families from Chattanooga’s Oak Grove neighborhood gather outside East Side Elementary to pick up their children. What should be a safe and routine part of the day can actually be quite dangerous as cars speed through the residential area.
ChattState to UTC: A transfer student’s path to success
Joshua Clay didn’t choose a traditional route to college, but for him, that was part of the plan. Clay, a junior accounting major at UTC, started his academic journey at Chattanooga State Community College, where he received two free years of education and graduated with an associate degree in accounting.
The people of UTC: Get to know Jordan King
Dr. Jordan King, director of the Innovations in Honors program in the Honors College, answered some questions about his role and how students can get involved in the program.
Double the success: Hibbs twins’ journeys toward graduation
Twins Mitchell and Meaghan Hibbs, who hail from Chattanooga, have stuck together through the years. There was no exception when both chose the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for their undergraduate years, where they are both members of the Honors College.
Civic engagement: UTC Innovation Lab students work to tackle real-world challenges
Last August, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Innovations in Honors program and the Chattanooga Department of Innovation Delivery and Performance agreed to collaborate on developing solutions to citywide challenges involving public housing and health during the 2023-2024 academic year.