Mocs,
Happy New Year! I hope that the holidays gave you time to enjoy family and rejuvenate. I’m excited about where we are headed as a campus, and I want to share the thoughts and ideas that are developing as we work towards our best decade ever. To be connected, I will periodically communicate in a Chancellor’s Column to provide some context and connections for what we are doing.
A key to success is good communication and that goes both ways. We need your thoughts, ideas, and creativity. We must be nimble and responsive to the changing demands and needs of our UTC community, which is YOU! This means a broader, more reflective approach to our work as we consider which opportunities will position us to lead over the next decade.
This fall, we made several organizational adjustments that position us to be more efficient and effective as a university. Most importantly, these decisions start setting the table for the important work that lies ahead. As we head into the start of the spring semester, I am more convinced than ever that now is the time to be bold, ensuring that we create the Mocs Experience for our students, faculty, staff, and community. We finalized the EMSA search and will continue setting up an organizational foundation to propel us into the next decade. In the State of the University Address last year, I committed to taking bold leaps forward, not merely incremental steps, to shape our future. We have listened to your budget session(s) feedback and I am encouraged by the innovative ideas and approaches. More information will soon be shared that builds on your ideas.
To achieve our vision, we will set streamlined targets and outcomes (goals) that align with our strategic goals. A Strategic Planning steering committee will be formed in January. Our deans will assist in identifying potential members who will be charged to focus on four core areas:
- Creating the Mocs Experience
- Leveraging Our Special Place as Chattanooga’s University
- Cultivating a Culture of Innovation
- Operating with Excellence
Our campus goal is to have a strategic plan to the UT Board of Trustees for consideration in early 2025. We need your insights, ideas, and feedback to ensure our plan hits the mark and reflects our shared vision.
The fall semester set the stage for the future. For example, I had the honor of meeting with Pablo Di Si, President/CEO of VW North America. From our discussion, VW desires for Chattanooga to become “the new motor city.” They look to expand and require a very highly qualified workforce. Other key VW and TVA leaders met on campus over the last few weeks of the year working with our engineering leadership on partnership opportunities.
We have announced the launch of our Center of Excellence and Innovation in Education. This new center will only enhance and accelerate our work. I appreciate the leadership of Kim Wingate and Allen Pratt, who have co-led our School of Education in the interim. I also appreciate the faculty and staff in the school who have worked alongside them to continue to provide an exceptional experience for our students. We have launched the rural education vertical and look forward to engaging in the other areas of emphasis for the center: new school models, literacy programs and teacher/leader preparation. We look forward to solidifying leadership in both the Center and School. Our partnerships with local and regional school districts will make the difference in the ever-changing K-12 landscape.
There are unique, exciting opportunities for UTC in 2024. My commitment is that our steps won’t be incremental, and we will have a laser focus on excellence. Thank you for being key to the Mocs Experience and for being on this journey together!