{"id":77485,"date":"2026-09-08T08:27:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T12:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=77485"},"modified":"2026-09-08T08:28:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T12:28:00","slug":"utc-to-celebrate-140-years-during-founders-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/utc-to-celebrate-140-years-during-founders-week\/","title":{"rendered":"UTC to celebrate 140 years during Founder\u2019s Week"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Historic

The original university structure, Old Main. Opening exercises for Chattanooga University (a former name for UTC), were held in the chapel of this building in September 1886. Old Main exterior view, undated. UA-00-03-01-05-001. Courtesy of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.<\/p><\/div>\n

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will celebrate its 140th anniversary during Founder\u2019s Week, Sept. 14-20, with events honoring the people, traditions and service that have shaped the University since its founding in 1886.<\/p>\n

The week will bring together students, faculty, staff, alumni, families and community partners for celebrations, recognition events, service opportunities and campus traditions.<\/p>\n

The centerpiece will be Founder\u2019s Day on Tuesday, Sept. 15, marking 140 years since the University\u2019s founding.<\/p>\n

Founder\u2019s Day will be highlighted by Chancellor Lori Bruce\u2019s State of the University Address at 2 p.m. in the University Center Auditorium. During the address, Bruce will reflect on UTC\u2019s accomplishments, celebrate recent successes and outline the University\u2019s vision and strategic priorities for the future.<\/p>\n

Immediately following the address, the UTC community is invited to celebrate the University\u2019s 140th birthday from 3\u20135 p.m. on Terrell Owens Way and Vine Street. The outdoor celebration will feature free food truck vouchers, birthday cake, popcorn, cotton candy, music from a DJ, yard games, giveaways and more. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are encouraged to join their fellow Mocs in commemorating 140 years of UTC history and looking ahead to its future.<\/p>\n

Additional highlights of Founder\u2019s Week include the annual Service Awards Luncheon, a Library Open House, Rollins Day, Mocs Marketplace, the Day of Caring with United Way and Fall Family Weekend activities. The week concludes with the Mocs football game against Wofford at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Finley Stadium.<\/p>\n

Founder\u2019s Week will launch a yearlong celebration of UTC\u2019s 140th anniversary. Throughout 2026-27, the University will highlight its Chattanooga roots and continued public impact through the 1886 Challenge, 140 Community Events for 140 Years and Gold Fridays.<\/p>\n

Through the 1886 Challenge, UTC faculty, staff and students are working toward a collective total of 18,860 hours of community service during the anniversary year. The 140 Community Events for 140 Years initiative recognizes campus and community programs that connect UTC with the people and organizations it serves. Gold Fridays encourage the UTC community to wear gold each Friday throughout the academic year and to show their Mocs pride across campus and in Chattanooga.<\/p>\n

A complete Founder\u2019s Week schedule is available at utc.edu\/chancellor\/events\/founders-week<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

#\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 #\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 #\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 #\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 #\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 #<\/span><\/p>\n

History of Founder’s Day<\/h4>\n

In his role as University archivist, UC Foundation Associate Professor Noah Lasley works to acquire, arrange and describe official University of Tennessee at Chattanooga records and other valuable materials that document the University\u2019s history and functions. His research interests include digital humanities, digital curation and archival instruction.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lasley received a bachelor\u2019s degree in history and a master\u2019s degree in information science from UT Knoxville. Before joining UTC Special Collections in July 2016, he worked for several library units at UT Knoxville, including Modern Political Archives, Great Smoky Mountains Regional Project and Digital Production Area.<\/em><\/p>\n

Founder\u2019s Week is a long-standing tradition that connects the University community with its origins. Originally known as Founder\u2019s Day, the occasion commemorates the institution\u2019s first day on Sept. 15, 1886. On that date, which\u00a0a\u00a0local newspaper reported\u00a0marked\u00a0\u201can epoch in the educational history, not only of Chattanooga, but of the surrounding country,\u201d Chattanooga University held its opening exercises in the original campus building\u00a0on McCallie Avenue\u00a0known as Old Main. Attendees included the 118-member student body, the faculty, and others affiliated with the University.<\/p>\n

In 1950, many of the individuals involved in establishing the University in 1886 were memorialized when a campus building was renamed. The structure known today as Founders Hall was completed in 1916 and was called the Administration Building until 1950, when the Board of Trustees approved a new name recommended by then-President David A. Lockmiller. Soon afterward, a plaque listing 36 of these early leaders, including University presidents, trustees, faculty, and benefactors, was installed in the eastern entrance.<\/p>\n

\"Typed

University of Chattanooga Board of Trustees meeting minutes, June 5, 1950. Courtesy of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Since the\u00a01950s, the\u00a0observation of\u00a0Founder\u2019s Day has varied in name and consistency but has always been recognized as an opportunity to celebrate the University and those who are part of it. A speech from the early 1960s explains, \u201cFounder\u2019s Day could be thought of as the University\u2019s birthday party, a ceremony celebrating the official opening of the institution. It could also be thought of as a day set aside to recognize the founding fathers of the University.\u201d Elsewhere, the purpose of Founder\u2019s Day is given as a time \u201cto recognize those who have labored to make the University what it is today.\u201d In 1999, University Relations news coordinator Barbara Kennedy\u00a0told the\u00a0University Echo<\/em><\/a>\u00a0that the objective of Founder\u2019s Day was \u201cto bring everyone together \u2014 faculty, students, the administration, staff, alumni, and friends of the University \u2026 to celebrate our common purposes and renew our sense of community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"Scanned

\u201cWhy Founders\u2019 Day, Anyway?\u201d, circa 1961, University of Chattanooga founding documents, administrative records, and other materials, UA-00-01-08. Courtesy of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.<\/p><\/div>\n

Beginning in the\u00a0mid-2010s, Founder\u2019s Day evolved into Founder\u2019s Week, a multi-day affair with programming celebrating the University and its engagement with the larger Chattanooga community. Events have included University participation in the United Way of Greater Chattanooga\u2019s Day of Caring, a campus-wide\u00a0food drive for\u00a0Scrappy\u2019s\u00a0Cupboard, the annual Service Awards Luncheon, and the Chancellor\u2019s State of the University Address.<\/p>\n

\"Bronze<\/p>\n

Founders Hall eastern entrance plaque, 2021.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

If These Walls Could Talk<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC Special Collections<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC Digital Collections<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Founder\u2019s Week is a long-standing tradition that connects the university community with its origins. Originally known as Founder\u2019s Day, the purpose of the occasion is to commemorate the institution\u2019s first day on September 15, 1886. On that date, which a local newspaper reported marked \u201can epoch in the educational history, not only of Chattanooga, but of the surrounding country,\u201d Chattanooga University (as the school was known at the time), held its opening exercises inside of the original campus building on McCallie Avenue known as Old Main. Attendees included the 118-member student body, the faculty, and others affiliated with the university.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1493,"featured_media":77492,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119405,70,123864,15,3,7712,58,64,48007],"tags":[320,126082,50326,126267,119399,4922,48462,83255],"class_list":{"0":"post-77485","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-advancement-and-alumni","9":"category-campus","10":"category-community","11":"category-faculty-and-staff","12":"category-feature-story","13":"category-library","14":"category-news","15":"category-research-academics","16":"tag-founders-day","17":"tag-founders-hall","18":"tag-founders-week","19":"tag-if-these-walls-could-talk","20":"tag-noah-lasley","21":"tag-special-collections","22":"tag-utc-library","23":"tag-utc-library-special-collections","24":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nUTC to celebrate 140 years during Founder\u2019s Week | UTC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Founder\u2019s Week is a long-standing tradition that connects the university community with its origins. 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Originally known as Founder\u2019s Day, the purpose of the occasion is to commemorate the institution\u2019s first day on September 15, 1886. On that date, which a local newspaper reported marked \u201can epoch in the educational history, not only of Chattanooga, but of the surrounding country,\u201d Chattanooga University (as the school was known at the time), held its opening exercises inside of the original campus building on McCallie Avenue known as Old Main. 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Opening exercises for Chattanooga University (a former name for UTC), were held in the chapel of this building in September 1886."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/utc-to-celebrate-140-years-during-founders-week\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"UTC to celebrate 140 years during Founder\u2019s Week"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/","name":"UTC News","description":"Official news releases of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/028a71bd6215de86078a717b45430622","name":"Chuck Wasserstrom","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/adff2964e628ba03f65fe21e0b0b94ca0667bdce5def0433d41884758501f284?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/adff2964e628ba03f65fe21e0b0b94ca0667bdce5def0433d41884758501f284?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/adff2964e628ba03f65fe21e0b0b94ca0667bdce5def0433d41884758501f284?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Chuck Wasserstrom"},"description":"Chuck Wasserstrom is the director of communications in the UTC Division of Communications and Marketing.","url":""}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/06\/old-main-UA-00-03-01-05-001-1024x694-600.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/06\/old-main-UA-00-03-01-05-001-1024x694-600.jpg?resize=600%2C407&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"Chuck Wasserstrom and Noah Lasley","author_link":""},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/06\/old-main-UA-00-03-01-05-001-1024x694-600.jpg?fit=600%2C407&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1493"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77485"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79146,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77485\/revisions\/79146"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}