Chancellor's 2021 Annual Report to the UC Foundation

CHANCELLOR'S

2021 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE UC FOUNDATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY 4

MESSAGE FROM THE CHANCELLOR

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LUPTON HALL/ CAMPUS RENOVATIONS

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WOLFORD FAMILY ATHLETICS CENTER UPDATE

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SMILE FUND: A VICTORY FOR UTC

Over the last two years, renovations have reintroduced Lupton Hall and Guerry Center to campus

UC FOUNDATION LIFE TRUSTEE FEATURES 10

ZAN GUERRY: COACHING SUCCESS

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JOHN THORNTON: ROARING THUNDER

COLLEGES, DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS 14

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

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GARY W. ROLLINS COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

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COLLEGE OF HEALTH, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

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HONORS COLLEGE

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GRADUATE SCHOOL AND RESEARCH

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ATHLETICS

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DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI AFFAIRS

THE UC FOUNDATION 34

ENDOWMENT BALANCE

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2020-2021 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

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CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

On the Cover

The stunning makeover of Lupton Hall was completed in fall 2020. A $6.75-million contribution from the UC Foundation went toward the renovation of the 116,000-squarefoot former Lupton Library. The facelift included replacing all the building systems and rearranging its layout for general classrooms, offices and other spaces. © Copyright 2021 by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

UTC EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM CHANCELLOR Steven R. Angle VICE CHANCELLOR, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND CIO Victoria Farnsworth VICE CHANCELLOR, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION Tyler Forrest VICE CHANCELLOR, ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT AND STUDENT AFFAIRS Yancy Freeman PROVOST AND SENIOR VICE CHANCELLOR, ACADEMIC AFFAIRS Jerold Hale VICE CHANCELLOR, COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING George Heddleston VICE CHANCELLOR, RESEARCH AND DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL Joanne Romagni CHIEF OF STAFF David Steele INTERIM VICE CHANCELLOR, DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI AFFAIRS Lofton Stuart VICE CHANCELLOR AND DIRECTOR, ATHLETICS Mark Wharton THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA

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MESSAGE FROM THE

CHANCELLOR WHAT A YEAR! WITH A GLOBAL PANDEMIC AND AN EASTER WEEKEND TORNADO, 2020 WAS A YEAR FOR THE RECORD BOOKS. The University of Tennessee

at Chattanooga and the University of Chattanooga Foundation faced incredible challenges and great opportunities. We came together as a team, protected the health and safety of our campus community and provided an outstanding education focused on student success.

We lived our values and together came through one of the most challenging times in our history.

Our entire curriculum went online in one week. Our faculty pivoted from in-person instruction to classes over the internet.

Students who had never taken an online course worked to adapt. UTC Information Technology, the Library and our team across campus plugged the learning gaps.

In addition to online courses, the 20202021 academic year was one of social distancing, wearing a mask and limiting the size of gatherings to manage COVID-19.

We persevered. Our faculty excelled. Our students succeeded. For fall semester 2020, a record 54% of our residence hall students made the Dean’s List, including 38% of our on-campus first-year students.

Retention increased from 74% to 78% for first-time, full-time freshmen students returning for their sophomore year.

The 2021 Chancellor’s Annual Report to the UC Foundation features narratives on new Foundation Life Trustees Zan Guerry and John “Thunder” Thornton. They are being honored for their unwavering and continuing active membership on the UC Foundation board.

Zan Guerry and his family foundation, Hamico, Inc., have a storied history of working and supporting this institution. They made the inaugural gift for our Honors College, which is a huge success. Zan’s support and service to UTC have been phenomenal; he has played an extraordinary role in the University’s growth.

Thunder Thornton has been an energetic partner to work with in helping us accomplish our goals. He helped us raise money for the Decosimo Student Success Center, which paved the way for naming the College of Business. He also stepped up to help raise funds for the Wolford addition to McKenzie Arena, a transformative project for our student-athletes.

The annual report also pays tribute to the newly renovated Lupton Hall and the Fine Arts Center, two highlights of the past year. Lupton Hall is in the heart of campus and has re-energized the former Lupton Library. The UC Foundation provided the required match of $6.75 million so we could receive over $38 million in state funding for these renovations. The impact of these two projects on our students and campus cannot be overstated. Thank you to the UC Foundation board members.

I want to thank Lofton Stuart for coming out of retirement to serve as interim vice chancellor for development and alumni affairs and executive director of the UC Foundation. When Lofton came to campus, he thought it would be for a short time; little did we know that the pandemic was on its way. Lofton stepped in during a difficult time and made some tough decisions that have positioned UTC and the UC Foundation for success. We cannot thank him enough.

We anticipate a return to normal operations—pre-COVID conditions—for fall 2021. The University is ready for this positive shift, and the future looks bright. UTC is so fortunate to have a Foundation that shares and supports our vision and puts students first. The UC Foundation is critical to the success of our University. Together with our students, faculty, staff, alumni and community supporters, we are the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Go MOCS!

WE PERSEVERED. OUR FA 4 4

CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

CAMPUS UPDATE

Chancellor

ACULTY EXCELLED. OUR STUDENTS SUCCEEDED. THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA

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T Lupton’s

NEW LOOK first floor interior of the renovated Lupton Hall Lupton Hall and Cardiac Hill were reopened at the beginning of the academic year

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he dramatic makeover of Lupton Hall was unveiled in fall 2020. A $6.75-million contribution from the UC Foundation went toward the renovation of the 116,000-square-foot former Lupton Library to ensure the building would be open at the beginning of the academic year.

The gutting and renovations, which took nearly two years to complete, included rearranging Lupton’s layout for general classrooms, offices and other spaces and replacing all the building systems— electrical, heating and air conditioning and lighting.

The old library opened on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus in 1974. Plans for converting the building into a multi-use structure moved forward after the opening of the five-story UTC Library in 2015.

“The former Lupton Library served its purpose well for many years, but it had grown to be dated. If you’ve been to Lupton Hall, you know that it’s a phenomenal facility. Just walking in the first floor is somewhat breathtaking,” said Tyler Forrest, UTC vice chancellor for finance and administration.

“I have been in Lupton Hall with a number of people over the past few months, and everyone says something along the lines of, ‘It’s hard to remember the library being in this building because it looks so different.’ I consider Lupton to be a real showcase on campus now.”

The first floor of Lupton Hall was reimagined to serve as a central hub for students, with spaces created for student organizations to reserve offices and meeting rooms. An open concourse allows for informal meetings

CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

and can easily be converted into event space for movie nights and concerts.

Also located on the first floor are the Center for Women and Gender Equity, the Multicultural Center, the Center for Global Education, Study Abroad programs, offices for international students, an IT student solutions center/help desk and Freshens—a healthy options quick-serve restaurant.

The second and third floors now house multiple College of Arts and Sciences departments.

The second floor includes the departments of Communication, Philosophy and Religion, and Modern and Classical Language and Literature—along with the college’s Student Success Center.

Students also have access to computer labs and photo and video/audio studios.

The Mathematics and English departments and the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies program can be found on Lupton Hall’s third floor—along with the office of College of Arts and Sciences Dean Pam Riggs-Gelasco.

Technology-enhanced active learning classes, known as TEAL, can be found throughout the building. Lupton’s TEAL classrooms were designed to allow students to interact with the professor, their workgroup and the class through shared screens—replacing traditional lecture room facilities.

“I think it’s a great example of transforming a building that needed some repairs into a modern functioning building to serve the students, faculty and staff on campus,” Forrest said.

Shortly after the project’s completion, Cardiac Hill—located next to Lupton Hall— reopened to pedestrian traffic.

CAMPUS UPDATE

CAMPUS RENOVATIONS

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upton Hall wasn’t the only building on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus to introduce a modern look in fall 2020.

Several facilities were reintroduced to the campus community: • The first phases of renovations to Fletcher Hall, home to the Gary W. Rollins College of Business, included new interior finishes and furnishings and improvements to lighting, restrooms and facilities for students with disabilities. Elevators and stairwells were renovated, and the first, third and fourth floors were reconfigured for better efficiency and functionality.

• Upgrades to the Fine Arts Center included improvements to the Roland B. Hayes Concert Hall, Dorothy Hackett Ward Theater, George Ayers Cress Gallery of Art, general classrooms, offices and band space.

• The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) can now be found on the James R. Mapp Building’s second floor. CIE has a large area known as “The Nest,” which is primarily designed for students to work and collaborate on their business ideas. The center also has a communal “makerspace” workshop area that supplies equipment and technology for creative projects.

Projects that are currently underway or scheduled to begin later in 2021 include: • Hunter Hall is undergoing a complete overhaul as a result of a fully funded capital maintenance project. As part of the

renovations, the pedestrian way along the road adjacent to Hunter the renovated Hall—Campus Drive—will be improved to comply with Americans Roland B. Hayes with Disabilities Act access. The Hunter Hall project is expected to Concert Hall in the be completed in fall 2022.

Fine Arts Center • Renovations continue at the 540 McCallie Building, also known as the State Office Building, to accommodate the Information Technology department. Work will include new interior finishes and furnishings and upgrades to audiovisual equipment and overall technology. Improvements will involve lighting, restrooms and facilities for students with disabilities.

The 540 McCallie Building will also be the new home of WUTC, the University-owned public radio station.

• The Wolford Family Athletics I THINK WHERE WE ARE TODAY Center is tentatively planned for IS A MUCH BETTER PLACE groundbreaking this fall. The project will include a 35,000-square-foot addition THAN WHERE WE COULD HAVE and 30,000-square-foot renovation to CONCEIVABLY IMAGINED McKenzie Arena.

WE WOULD HAVE BEEN Other future projects on the UTC horizon 10 YEARS AGO. that are in the planning stages, but have not yet been funded, include a new Health Science Center and renovations to the University Center and MacLellan Gymnasium, according to Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Tyler Forrest.

“We always have capital maintenance issues to address with older facilities,” Forrest said, “but I think where we are today is a much better place than where we could have conceivably imagined we would have been 10 years ago.

“If you look back at what’s been done on this campus over the past decade, it is an entirely different place. I think it’s a testament to campus planning, great donor relations and a very strong state appropriations capital process. We’ve had a lot of good advocates in the legislature and the UT System help us get to where we are right now.”

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THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA

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WOLFORD FAMILY ATHLETICS CENTER UPDATE

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artist renderings of the Wolford Family Athletics Center include views of the addition from across the street and of the facility’s thirdfloor concourse

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fter more than a year of planning, followed by the project being placed on hold due to COVID-19, groundbreaking ceremonies for the Wolford Family Athletics Center on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus are tentatively slated to begin in fall 2021. The construction project should take approximately 18 months to complete.

The Wolford Family Athletics Center will include a 35,000-square-foot addition and 30,000-square-foot renovation to McKenzie Arena. Construction will begin with the addition that will connect to McKenzie Arena between Gate 1 and the main loading ramp at the corner of Fifth and Mabel streets.

The project includes new locker rooms, meeting spaces, offices and a greatly enhanced athletic training area. The building also features sizeable multi-use team meeting rooms, video rooms and dedicated spaces for student-athletes to focus on their academics.

“McKenzie Arena has not had any major renovations since it was built almost 40 years ago, so this is going to be transformational for our student-athletes,” said Mark Wharton, UTC vice chancellor and director of athletics. “It will also be a huge recruiting tool for our program moving forward. This will show parents that we have a commitment to our student-athletes’ space and their time demands. We will have a players’ lounge that they can use when they get done with workouts, or pre-practice, or post-practice, and it will be right next to our Academic Center. It will be a one-stop shop for our student-athletes that I think parents will really like.

“This facility will also be great for the campus because team meeting rooms can be used for classrooms. The multipurpose room will be an addition to the University Center; we can have up to 350 people at a banquet and showcase our campus. We’ll look over to the ARC (Aquatic and Recreation Center) and toward the river. It will be a beautiful component.”

The facility is named in honor and memory of James “Bucky” Wolford, who died in September 2017. An ardent supporter of his alma mater, Wolford dedicated many years of service to the University of Chattanooga Foundation Board, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Athletics Board and the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees.

A member of the final University of Chattanooga graduating class in 1969—prior to affiliation with the University of Tennessee system in the same year, Wolford was an All-American defensive back from 1966 to 1969 and a 1989 UTC Athletics Hall of Fame inductee. More than 50 years after completing his playing days, his 13 career interceptions remain tied for the school record. He also led the Mocs with 852 rushing yards in 1968, a year when the team was 9-1.

John Thornton spearheaded philanthropic efforts for the creation of the Wolford Family Athletics Center. Lead donors include the Wolford family, Charles and Bernita Cofield, the Hamico Foundation, John Murphy and Renee Haugerud and the UC Foundation.

CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

CAMPUS UPDATE

A VICTORY FOR UTC

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or the fifth consecutive year, a team of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga SMILE Fund students has won the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute Greater Tennessee Research Challenge to advance to the Americas Regional semifinals.

And this time, the word “smile” really came into play.

Although they work together in the SMILE Fund—an acronym for Student Managed Investment Learning Experience—this group of students come from different majors around campus.

SMILE Fund president Jacob Snook, the captain of this year’s team, and Daniel Trentham are finance students.

Reedhi Bamnelkar (accounting), Leenah Chestnut (entrepreneur major and a creative writing minor) and Drew Reynolds (engineering) are also members of the CFA competition crew.

The five chose to analyze SmileDirectClub (ticker symbol SDC), a Nashville-based direct-to-consumer medical technology company that provides at-home, clear dental aligner therapy.

“This was my most diverse group of students yet. This is a victory for not only the Gary W. Rollins College of Business but for UTC,” said Hunter Holzhauer, a Robert L.

Maclellan and UC Foundation associate professor of finance and the director of the SMILE Fund. The students also were guided by industry mentor Ray Ryan, president, CEO and portfolio manager at Patten and Patten, Inc. During the annual CFA competition, college groups—mostly comprised of graduate school students, unlike UTC’s all-undergrad squad—analyze a company’s financial strength, document it in a professional research report and present their research to a panel of judges.

Holzhauer talked up the role Chestnut played in the process.

“She is a lead analyst for the health care sector in the SMILE Fund. Since the stock they chose to analyze was SmileDirectClub, I brought her onto the team to help us write the report,” Holzhauer said. “She was doing a good job as an analyst and asking really good questions.”

This year’s competition could have been especially challenging due to its virtual format, but Holzhauer said his group was ready.

“They won both the report part of the competition and the presentation Q&A part of the competition and did a fantastic job at both parts,” Holzhauer said. “The competition itself was held via Zoom. They had their Q&A, where they were grilled by the judges on Zoom, and our students did it flawlessly. They all participated in the Q&A and it all went well.

“Each one of them put in hundreds of hours of work and they did the vast majority of that work with each other via Zoom, and this team was never intimidated by this new situation. They decided from the get-go that they were going to make the best of it. They not only survived it during COVID, I think they thrived. They found a way to make this a more efficient learning experience, and I was very impressed.”

from left, Drew Reynolds, Daniel Trentham, Leanah Chestnut, Hunter Holzhauer, Jacob Snook, Reedhi Bamnelkar

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THEY NOT ONLY SURVIVED IT DURING COVID, I THINK THEY THRIVED.

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA

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Coaching SUCC ZAN GUERRY HAS A HISTORY OF CREATING A WINNING CULTURE

Zan Guerry was a four-time All-America tennis player at Rice University photo courtesy of the Rice University Fondren Library Woodson Research Center

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I LIKE WORKING WHERE EVERYBODY COLLABORATES AS A TEAM. MAYBE THAT’S BECAUSE I WAS OUT ON THE COURT PRETTY MUCH BY MYSELF.

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CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

Z

an Guerry likes being part of a winning team. As a former professional athlete, he knows a thing or two about winning.

Before his days with his family’s philanthropic foundation, Hamico, Inc., and prior to his time sitting atop the boardroom at Chattem, Guerry traveled the world as a professional tennis player. He made the main draws of the singles at the French Open in 1969 and Wimbledon in 1973 and made five appearances at the U.S. Open— reaching the third round in 1977.

He calls tennis a “you’re on your own” kind of sport. It made him appreciate the cooperation that occurs in being part of a team.

“At Chattem, I used the quote, ‘An individual can make a difference. The team can create a miracle,’” said Guerry, who was recently named a life trustee of the University of Chattanooga Foundation. “I like working in a group of people and I like working where everybody collaborates as a team. Maybe that’s because I was out on the court pretty much by myself, but I enjoy working with people.”

During his long tenure as Chattem’s CEO, Guerry said he preferred to look at himself in the sports vernacular.

In his mind, he wasn’t the CEO; he was a coach. It was his job to make those around him better.

“I have always been impressed with coaches—and how they create winning cultures,” he explained. “So at certain events where I speak, I like to talk about how you win with culture.”

His daughter, Alexis Guerry Bogo, recalled how her father blended that line of thinking into the family’s philosophy.

“Growing up, my dad loved to show us either inspirational videos or he’d give us books. He was a big fan of Bobby Knight and Lou Holtz,” said Bogo—a fifth-generation Guerry supporter of the University who currently serves on the UC Foundation’s board.

“That theme, and sort of what our family motto is boiled down to, is doing what’s right, treating others like you would want to be treated and then doing your best. My dad found that if you do those three things, you’re going to be successful.

CESS

UC Foundation Life Trustee Zan Guerry

As the leader of Hamico, Inc., the family’s charitable foundation, Zan Guerry spearheaded the renovation of Guerry Center—the site of Chancellor Steven R. Angle’s 2019 State of the University address

“Success isn’t always in the form of winning, although he likes to win more than anybody. It’s very simple but grounded; you will find success along the way if you concentrate on those three things. And it’s worked for all of us. Certainly, it has worked for him because he’s successful in pretty much everything he tries to do.”

While known for his philanthropic efforts and his business acumen, Guerry has also spent considerable time as an actual coach—even serving at one point as a volunteer assistant tennis coach at UTC. “I enjoy coaching and I enjoy reading books about it,” said Guerry, who then rattled off some of the great coaching

names in sports like Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University basketball), Dean Smith (University of North Carolina basketball), Nick Saban (University of Alabama football) and legendary NBA coach Phil Jackson. “I mean, they all created different cultures, but great cultures. They might do things differently than I would, but they created winning cultures, and I enjoy watching that.”

As the leader of Hamico, Guerry and his family spearheaded the start of the UTC Honors College. He has been a longtime contributor to and supporter of UTC athletics, providing philanthropic support to the Chattem Basketball Practice Facility and being instrumental in creating the soon-to-

be-built Wolford Family Athletics Center.

“I’ve mentioned many times to people in the past that UTC is probably the most underappreciated, fabulous success story that I’ve been associated with,” he said.

“If you go back and look at the amount of money that’s been invested, the upgrade in the academic arenas and the physical growth of the campus … it is fantastic.

When you have momentum, it’s an amazing feeling, and UTC has momentum.

“They’re continuing to want to be better.

That makes you more inclined to say, ‘Hey, I want to help. I want to be involved in this great transformation.’”

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA

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ROARING THU H

e is known for his philanthropy and his entrepreneurial spirit. His boisterous personality perfectly matches his nickname, “Thunder.”

A great friend of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and an advocate of higher education, John “Thunder” Thornton recently joined Zan Guerry in being named a life trustee of the University of Chattanooga Foundation.

“Heck, I feel mighty thrilled and honored to be in the same breath as anything that honors Zan Guerry,” Thornton said. “You think about what the Guerry family has done for UTC and the many projects they have initiated on campus. It’s incredible.

“Now, Zan’s in a lot better shape than me, so he’ll probably get longer tenure out of this life trustee than I will. But I’m going to try to continue to stay in decent shape and take my medicine.”

Thornton’s self-deprecating sense of humor immediately jumps to the forefront the moment you talk to him, along with his penchant for storytelling.

He’s had his “Thunder” moniker since ninth grade. He was sitting in the back of a history class taught

by Gary Dutton, the school’s football IT ALLOWED coach, and Thornton wasn’t paying ME TO SING A attention during roll call.

Dutton called, ‘Thornton,’ LOUD VOICE and“Coach I didn’t respond because I was ... TO MAKE busy talking to my buddies,” he SURE THAT said. “Then he called ‘Thornton’ WE AT UTC once again. No response. Then he screams out, ‘Thornton!’ Everybody DIDN’T GET in the classroom perked up, waiting SLIGHTED. on the paddle to come out.

“I said, ‘I’m here. Right back here.’

So he said, ‘Thornton, I need you to pay attention and not make so much noise.’”

Dutton then told the class that there had been a standout football player at Nebraska known as Thunder Thornton.

“Then he looked right at me and said, ‘You make about as much noise as that fullback from Nebraska did, but you do it with a lot less noble part of your body. You do it all with your mouth,’” Thornton said before laughing. “I got pegged from that minute forward as Thunder Thornton— known for making a lot of noise with my mouth.

“That’s the true story. I tell some better

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CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

stories on how I got my nickname, but they’re not true.”

Thornton has put the “Thunder” roar into his tireless behind-the-scenes work supporting UC Foundation fundraisers and UTC campus leadership. But jokes get pushed to the side when you ask him what being involved with the University has meant to him.

“I’ve spent 50 years here in Chattanooga, and one of the great things that happened in my lifetime was coming here and embracing UTC,” said Thornton, who grew up in Maryville, Tennessee, and attended Tennessee Wesleyan University.

A crucial moment in his UTC relationship occurred in 2000 when Gov. Don Sundquist named Thornton a UT System trustee. “It allowed me to sing a loud voice to all of the trustees of the system in Knoxville and Memphis and Martin to make sure that we at UTC didn’t get slighted,” he said.

Two years later, Bucky Wolford joined him as a trustee.

“Man, it was a great day when Gov. Sundquist named Bucky as a trustee,” Thornton said. “I had great respect for Bucky and I really got closer to the University through him. He loved UTC more than anybody I’ve ever met, and he encouraged my support of the UC Foundation. He was a dear friend of mine, one I miss greatly today.”

When you think of Thornton and Wolford, a star football player during his University days who passed away in 2017, it’s hard not to envision their contributions to the athletics department—like the soon-tobe-built Wolford Family Athletics Center, a 65,000-square-foot addition/renovation to the McKenzie Arena named in Wolford’s honor.

Yet, what Thornton considers their crowning achievements have nothing to do with athletics.

“I remember the trustees meeting where we got the first doctorate-level degree approved at UTC,” Thornton recalled. “The other trustees didn’t want that to happen; they wanted Knoxville to have it. And I remember other hard discussions about UTC getting the SimCenter and the Ph.D. degrees that they could confer.

“We got all of that going under my and Bucky’s watch. We worked very hard for UTC, and I’m proud of the work that we did.”

UNDER

JOHN THORNTON HAS USED HIS VOICE TO SUPPORT UTC THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA

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ARTS AND SCIENCES

Russell Linnemann, who taught at UTC from 1970-2006, was affectionately known as “the Blues Doctor”

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Fulfilling a Vow

ill Epstein and Russell Linnemann came from different parts of the country, growing up with different backgrounds.

But when their paths first crossed in the 1960s at Grinnell College, a small liberal arts institution in Iowa, they hit it off.

Although they were both history majors—Epstein majoring in American history and Linnemann initially concentrating on British history—working together at a restaurant washing dishes junior year brought them together. They became fast friends, relishing in philosophical exchanges on history and politics.

“We laughed a lot,” Epstein recalled. “I think Russell liked to hear me talk and I think I expanded his horizons.

“I remember one night when I brought a couple of blues records over to his house, and that might have been his introduction to blues. I think it was John Lee Hooker, a really interesting introspective sort of stream-of-consciousness blues singer.”

Following their graduations, Linnemann pursued master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Michigan before arriving at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1970. He spent 36 years as a professor in the Department of History.

Epstein went overseas, obtaining a master’s from the University of Sussex in England, before settling in the St. Louis area as a building products company executive.

They remained in touch and, during a gettogether with spouses in New Orleans around 40 years ago, they made a vow.

“Russell had become interested in African History and African-American History,” Epstein said, “so we made a vow that when we both retired, we would

CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

spend time together and travel. The idea was to go tour Africa together.”

That plan never came to fruition, as Linnemann died unexpectedly in 2006.

For years, Epstein thought about the best way to pay homage to his friend. Then the idea hit: Create an endowment at UTC to ensure that Linnemann’s legacy lives on.

Epstein has established the Dr. Russell Linnemann Memorial Endowment in History to support Africana Studies in the Department of History. The endowment gives $500,000 for the study of African and African-American history and the history of the blues. The money, given in perpetuity, is divided into $450,000 to fund ongoing programs and $50,000 to create an account to honor the career of Linnemann and his academic contributions.

Linnemann taught African and British Empire History and was a scholar in concentrations like Western Civilization, African History and Modern European History, but he was celebrated for his courses on the blues—for which he was affectionately known as “the Blues Doctor.”

Along with his teaching duties, he was the longtime host of “Blues and More,” a show on WUTC-FM 88.1 that gained national notoriety for the NPR affiliate.

Thanks to Epstein’s generosity, Linnemann’s story will continue to be told.

“UTC provided academic and cultural support for 36 years to my friend, Russell,” Epstein said.

“That support means a lot to me, and I wanted to acknowledge it with a contribution in memory of my friend.”

COLLEGES, DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS

A NEW DEAN ARRIVES

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am Riggs-Gelasco, an accomplished scholar, awardwinning educator and leader at the College of Charleston, joined the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences on July 1, 2020.

She arrived at UTC as dean of the largest college on campus, overseeing 13 different academic departments.

“There is a broad range of disciplines here, and that is one of the things that appealed to me about the position,” said Riggs-Gelasco, who had most recently served as a professor and chair of the College of Charleston’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “I have a lot of other interests besides science— particularly music, writing and social justice issues—and this allows me to delve into some of those interests in a professional way.”

Other College of Arts and Sciences highlights over the last year include: • A collaboration between the Department of History and RISE Chattanooga, a community-based nonprofit organization, created a partnership aimed at gathering and sharing the stories of Chattanooga’s historic neighborhoods and churches and preserving past and present African-American culture.

• A group of UTC student members took home top honors in an annual statewide mock legislative forum, the Tennessee Intercollegiate State

Pam Riggs-Gelasco, dean of the UTC College of Arts and Sciences

Legislature. More than 20 colleges from across the state participated in the 2020 mock legislature and—for the first time—the UTC delegation was honored as best overall. Five UTC students also won individual awards (Amanda Forbes, Miles Mosby, Evelina Kertay, Dae Alexander and Devin Joiner), while four were elected to serve in statewide offices in 2021 (Jannat Saeed, Maya Keith, Julia Stranahan and Rohan Thompson).

• Senior Laurel Pelren, an environmental science: biodiversity, conservation and natural resources major, moved forward through the national screening committee and became a semifinalist for the U.S. Fulbright Student Program.

• The Master of Public Administration program was accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration for six years with no monitoring—the best possible outcome in the accreditation process. The UTC MPA program is the only one in East Tennessee to receive accreditation.

• The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree program in the Department of Social, Cultural and Justice Studies was rated third-best in the nation among probation officer degree programs by Intelligent.com—a website that publishes college program information of interest to university students.

• Animation Career Review, an online resource for people seeking careers in animation, game design, graphic design, digital art and related fields, selected the UTC Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design program as the best in Tennessee.

• The UTC chapter of Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, was designated a Model Chapter. Of more than 1,180 Psi Chi chapters worldwide, the UTC unit is one of just 23 to attain Model Chapter status.

• Michelle Deardorff, the Adolph S. Ochs professor of government and department head of Political Science and Public Service, was elected vice president of the American Political Science Association.

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BUSINESS

BLAZING NEW TRAILS C

“

THE OTHER MEMBERS OF MY COMMITTEE IN GRAD SCHOOL WERE ALL MALE, BUT I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT BECAUSE I WAS LEARNING FROM THE BEST.

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”

laudia Williamson understands that people might consider her a trailblazer, but she has never seen herself that way.

In the 43-year history of the Scott L. Probasco Jr. Distinguished Chair of Free Enterprise at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Williamson is the fourth person awarded the prestigious designation and the first woman.

“Maybe it’s motivating to younger females that wouldn’t have considered majoring in economics. Perhaps they feel inspired,” Williamson said. “If that’s the case, that’s fantastic, but I still just never think of it in those terms because it wasn’t ever my personal experience.

“My experience has been fantastic in terms of the profession and having the support of my advisors. For example, the other members of my committee in grad school were all male, but I never thought about it because I was learning from the best. I have never felt discriminated against or that there were biases because of my gender or my being younger.”

Truth be told, where Williamson has blazed trails has been overcoming a different obstacle: The invisible line separating the haves from the have-nots.

Growing up in rural West Virginia, she recalled gazing into the distance across the Ohio River and seeing the economic disparity.

“You could see where prosperity would stop between the borders of Ohio and West Virginia. I think that planted the seed of curiosity as to trying to understand the wealth creation process,” said Williamson, a first-generation college graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Marshall University in 2004 and a Ph.D. in economics from West Virginia

CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

University in 2008. “I was always very curious about the policies and barriers that can impede that process.

“When I went to college and took my first economics class, that’s when I decided that I wanted to spend the rest of my life studying those questions that had been bouncing around in my head as a kid growing up in a poor part of the country.”

That thirst for knowledge led her to UTC, where the Probasco Chair’s mission is to study the American free enterprise system and the conditions under which it operates most efficiently, engage in high-level scholarly research and contribute to the public knowledge and understanding of economic theory and practice. Williamson was appointed to her position in mid-2020 following a national search to replace the retiring J.R. Clark.

The Probasco Chair of Free Enterprise was established in 1977

COLLEGES, DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS

new seating area in the renovated Fletcher Hall

ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER TITLE

F

Claudia Williamson

by an initial bequest from the estate of Burkett Miller and is among the largest endowed chairs of free enterprise in the nation. The Chair also directs the Center for Economic Education and serves as a tenured faculty member in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business Department of Finance and Economics.

Before coming to UTC, Williamson spent eight years as associate professor of economics and the Drew Allen Endowed Fellow at Mississippi State University, where she created and ran the university’s Institute for Market Studies.

or the second consecutive year, a pair of Gary W. Rollins College of Business and SMILE Fund students took home top honors in a national competition.

Melissa Mueller and Ben Trussel won the Second Annual Equity Research Report Challenge. Their award-winning research report focused on CanWel (CWX), a smallcap Canadian basic materials company. The national competition was sponsored by Channelchek, Noble Capital Markets, NASDAQ and several other organizations. In the twoyear history of the competition, SMILE Fund students have won both times.

Hunter Holzhauer, Robert L. Maclellan and UC Foundation associate professor of finance and the SMILE Fund director, credited the UC Foundation for its continued support of the undergraduate student-managed fund.

“The latest round of $250,000 assets under management in 2018 from the UC Foundation that focuses on less-covered stocks like small-cap stocks has paid dividends,” Holzhauer said. “This competition that we won focuses exclusively on small-cap stocks, which are often more difficult to analyze than large-cap stocks. I don’t think the students would have had the confidence or gumption to enter and win this competition the last two years without the additional $250,000 support from the UC Foundation.”

Mueller, president of the SMILE Fund in 2020, and Trussel, vice president of macro analysis in 2019, were both members of the 2020 Chartered Financial Analyst Investment Research Challenge Team that won the Greater Tennessee Competition. It marked the fourth straight year that the SMILE Fund team won the CFA regional level competition and advanced to the Americas Regional and the finals.

Other Gary W. Rollins College of Business highlights over the last year include: • During fall 2020, students, faculty and staff in the College of Business returned to a newly renovated Fletcher Hall. The changes made to the building were significant and included demolition and rebuilding of the first, third and fourth floors. The renovation included new computer labs, updated classrooms and new collision spaces for students, faculty and staff to meet and collaborate. An instructional design studio was added on the fourth floor to allow faculty and staff to record virtual instruction, create video content and conduct video interviews. The studio also includes a light board for online instruction.

• Gary W. Rollins, chairman and CEO of Rollins, Inc. and naming donor of the college, was honored as one of 2020’s Most Admired CEOs by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

• Christopher R. Plouffe was appointed the first Gary W. Rollins Endowed Chair in Sales.

The position was established as part of the historic $40-million gift made by Gary W. and Kathleen Rollins to the College in 2018. Plouffe will engage with the business sales community and develop the college’s sales program and its sales curriculum and courses.

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA

17

ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

Bell’s Ringing Endorsement T Julian Bell ’86 is the chief risk and business officer for Signal Energy

18

he College of Engineering and Computer Science has had special meaning to Julian Bell since his University of Tennessee at Chattanooga undergraduate days.

Bell is chief risk and business officer for Signal Energy, a Chattanooga-based engineering procurement construction contractor that designs and builds utility scale solar farms all over the United States and Australia.

“We are hired by companies, utilities or power production companies that have land they want to place a solar power plant on,” said Bell, a 1986 mechanical engineering graduate. “We’re given the basics like, ‘Here is the land, here is the amount of power we want to produce, and here are the requirements for interconnecting with the utility or with the grid,’ and we design a solar facility within those parameters.”

In his role, Bell said he qualifies the risks the company is taking, recalling the traits he learned as a UTC student—and a scholarship he benefited from.

“As a mechanical engineering student, I had the technical training and the problemsolving ability,” he said. “I had a really good sense of not only how to solve problems and how things are built, but how the physical world operates.

“I was able to get into the University of Cincinnati Law School on a scholarship for UTC students that no longer exists called the Chapin-Thomas Scholarship. From there, I received training in dealing with people, dealing with resolving issues and understanding a different type of risk.”

Signal Energy has shown that it

CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

is not risk-averse to bringing aboard UTC graduates. Of the company’s 450 employees, more than 30 are alumni of the University—mainly from the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Numerous UTC engineering students have participated in the company’s growing internship program.

“We have found that the UTC program really prepares its graduates,” Bell said.

“College of Engineering graduates and those coming out of the master’s of construction management program are good at not staying siloed and having blinders on. They look at the situation and come up with really creative solutions that work.

“We love UTC graduates. They’re excited about what we do. They offer excellent creative solutions, and from a technical standpoint, we have found they’re second to none.”

Recently, Bell established the Julian B. Bell Family Scholarship as a way to show thanks to his alma mater.

“There comes a point in everyone’s life where you look back as much as you look forward, and then you think, ‘Okay, where do I owe some gratitude … to what people and to what institutions?’” Bell said. “UTC played a huge role in helping me develop as a person but also as a thoughtful member of the workforce.

“There’s so much that I learned in engineering school. It prepared me for a broader spectrum of career opportunities. I had a wonderful time at UTC and really loved the institution. Having seen it grow and seeing how much it’s changed since I was there, I wanted to give something back.”

“

WE LOVE UTC GRADUATES. THEY’RE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WE DO. THEY OFFER EXCELLENT CREATIVE SOLUTIONS, AND FROM A TECHNICAL STANDPOINT, WE HAVE FOUND THEY’RE SECOND TO NONE.

”

COLLEGES, DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS

ENGINEERING A BETTER FUTURE

F

or many years, Daniel Batkin thought about the proper way to show appreciation for the education he received at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

When Batkin—a 1972 graduate of the College of Engineering and Computer Science—attended UTC, there was no engineering building. In fact, the University had yet to cross McCallie Avenue. But the New Jersey native, who had come to Chattanooga because he wanted to go to school away from home, immediately fell in love with the institution.

After graduation, he moved to California and had a long and distinguished career at Pfizer—eventually landing in the environmental safety and health space in the biotech industry. He stayed in touch with the happenings of his alma mater and became enthralled with the brick-and-mortar progress of UTC. He long thought about leaving a gift that would benefit engineering students for generations to come. Eighteen months before his passing, he created a planned gift—the Daniel S. Batkin Endowed Engineering Scholarship Fund—naming the UC Foundation as a 50% beneficiary of his estate.

On June 6, 2020, Batkin died, bequeathing $635,000 to the University for merit-based scholarships for undergraduate engineering students. His love for UTC will live on.

Other College of Engineering and Computer Science highlights over the last year include:

• A paper written by mechanical engineering students Cannon DeBardelaben and Aaron Crawford placed third in the Graduate Category of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Region II Student Conference.

• UTC was chosen as the Missile Defense Agency’s newest partner in a national network to help students pursue a microelectronics career. The Scalable Asymmetric Life Cycle Engagement Consortium is a nationwide network of private and public agencies and universities focused on increasing the talent pipeline in that profession.

• Michael Danquah, associate dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, was selected as a fellow for the Royal Society of Chemistry. Founded in 1980, the Londonbased Royal Society of Chemistry is a governing body that acts as a global network to promote cooperation, mentorship and the advancement of chemistry.

• In collaboration with Purdue University Northwest, associate professor Mengjun Xie and CECS Dean Daniel Pack received a $608,908 grant from the National Security Agency for their project entitled, “Establishing a Workforce Development Consortium for a Pilot AICybersecurity Certification based National Training Program.”

Daniel Batkin ’72, photo courtesy of the 1971 Moccasin yearbook

• Trevor Elliott, UC Foundation assistant professor in mechanical engineering, was selected as one of 132 people nationwide to be 2021 Associate Fellows in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

• The engineering management program was ranked as the nation’s secondbest by Intelligent. com—while also placing sixth overall for Best Construction Management degree. That same website ranked the online program No. 3 in the country.

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA

19

HEALTH, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

Anniversary of a Partnership T

Chris Smith ’97 is chief health affairs officer at UTC and former holder of the Kay Chitty professorship

“

THIS AFFORDED ME THE OPPORTUNITY NOT ONLY TO TEACH AND EDUCATE NURSES, BUT IT ALSO ALLOWED ME TO CONTINUE TO WORK IN MY ROLE AS A NURSE PRACTITIONER. IT ALSO ALLOWED ME TO TAKE STUDENTS WITH ME AND HELP THEM DEVELOP AS NURSE PRACTITIONERS.

”

20

he University of Tennessee at Chattanooga School of Nursing has long had a working relationship with CHI Memorial Hospital, and one of those partnerships is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2021.

The Memorial Health Care System established the Kay Kittrell Chitty Professorship in Nursing in 1996 to honor Chitty, a nurse and nursing educator for more than 40 years. She directed the UTC School of Nursing from 1988 to 1993 and is the former chair of Memorial’s board of directors.

This professorship is a one-year appointment with tenure track potential at UTC—with a concurrent joint appointment as a nurse practitioner within the CHI Memorial Health Care System.

Responsibilities include classroom and outpatient clinical teaching, student advisement, research and scholarly activity, and service to the University and community—including seeing patients two days each week in CHI Memorial’s nurse practitioner-managed clinic at Memorial Hixson.

“This allows us to have a nurse practitioner faculty member in our program that interacts with our nurse practitioner students in the clinical setting,” said Chris Smith, UTC chief health affairs officer and director of the School of Nursing—and the second holder of the Chitty professorship.

“He or she can see what the students have learned in the classroom and how they can apply that in their clinical decision-making.

It’s an intensive preceptorship.

“From our standpoint, it not only supports our faculty needs for clinical and classroom lectures, but it also allows us to

CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

really see each of our students and how they’re growing in their role.”

Smith received a master of science degree in nursing from UTC in 1997 and began working for the University fulltime in 2001. She said being selected as a Kay Chitty professor afforded her the opportunity to be associated with an institution of higher education and a faculty member.

“I had been a nurse and an advanced practice nurse since 1976 and never really had an academic role,” she explained.

“This afforded me the opportunity not only to teach and educate nurses, but it also allowed me to continue to work in my role as a nurse practitioner. It also allowed me to take students with me and help them develop as nurse practitioners. It was a three for one.”

The current Kay Chitty professor is Leslie Moro, who teaches in the MSN nurse practitioner program.

“I consider it an honor to represent CHI Memorial, which really serves an underserved population,” said Moro, who received a bachelor of science in nursing from UTC in 2010 and a doctor of nursing practice degree (family nurse practitioner concentration) from East Tennessee State in 2017. “The appointment provides me an opportunity as faculty to provide a consistent presence in the clinic while also allowing me to precept our MSN family nurse practitioner students and provide evidence-based practice.

“This is a wonderful partnership between the community and the University, just giving back to the community and contributing to the development of future providers—since we’re in such need.”

COLLEGES, DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS

EXTREME MAKEOVER

A

t long last, the renovation of Hunter Hall has begun.

Hunter Hall, a circa 1950s building in need of a major renovation, was largely vacated in the days after Thanksgiving 2020. To prepare for the project, most of the building’s occupants moved to the UTC-owned State Office Building on McCallie Avenue, while the Interior Architecture and Design, Counselor Education and Integrated Studies moved to Davenport Hall.

Renovations will include new classrooms, new restroom facilities and a retooled infrastructure of new electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems. The much-needed facelift is expected to take approximately 18 months to complete.

Other College of Health, Education and Professional Studies highlights over the last year include: • Valerie Rutledge, dean of the College of Health, Education and Professional Studies, was selected for a national leadership fellowship committed to improving educator preparation. Deans for Impact, a national nonprofit organization, named Rutledge as one of 17 fellows for the Impact Academy fellowship’s fifth cohort.

• All UTC School of Nursing programs earned a 10-year accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The accreditation—which includes bachelor’s, master’s and Doctor of Nursing practice degree programs—was granted by the national CCNE Board of Commissioners in May 2020 and is effective through June 30, 2030.

• Cindy Poole, assistant professor of Occupational Therapy, was selected for the 2020 Educator of the Year Award by the Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association—the first UTC occupational therapy professor to be chosen for the award.

• Chris Smith, the University’s chief health affairs officer, director of the School of Nursing and a UC Foundation professor, was selected to the 2020-2021 All-Southern Conference team of distinguished faculty and staff.

• Marisa Colston, head of the Health and Human Performance department and professor of graduate athletic training, was announced as the 2021 inductee into the Tennessee Athletic Trainers Society Hall of Fame.

• Senior Morgan Williams, a social work major and Spanish minor, was selected as a semifinalist for the U.S. Fulbright Student Program.

• The initial group of students in the UTC Master of Public Health program received their diplomas—in the heart of the pandemic. The 21 pioneering students began the MPH program when it launched in fall 2018.

• UTC is one of seven universities participating in the Tennessee Department of Education’s Grow Your Own Program to increase the number and diversity of teachers in K-12 schools. As part of Grow Your Own, UTC received a $100,000 grant to pay the full tuition for a total of 12 current teaching assistants, paraprofessionals and other employees in the Hamilton County and Marion County school systems. Once the students earn their degrees, they will be eligible for a teaching license and hired in the county school systems.

• Kristina Wick, Vicky B. Gregg Chair of Gerontology and an assistant professor in the School of Nursing, was appointed to serve on the Tennessee COVID-19 Long-Term Care Task Force.

renovations to Hunter Hall began in late 2020

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA

21

HONORS COLLEGE

Delali Gadzekpo

D

elali Gadzekpo wants to use her voice for social activism.

During her freshman year in 2019-2020, Gadzekpo—a vocal music education major and a Brock Scholar in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Honors College—helped organize a “Dear White People” event that brought together more than 100 students, staff, faculty and community members.

This year, as chair of the UTC Student Government Association’s Social Issues, Equity and Diversity Committee, she created the “U SEE Me?” campaign.

An acronym for Understand, Support, Empower, Embrace, “U SEE Me?” was a powerful student-focused platform built around the concepts of race and people who look different than themselves.

“Last summer, with the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, a lot of conversations were started. We wanted to continue that conversation here on campus, but with a focus on educating our students on how to actively be anti-racist,” Gadzekpo said.

“I wanted to create a meaningful event that would be beneficial over the long run, so I went to my committee and told them, ‘Let’s come up with something that we can do every year.’ The conversation gravitated toward social justice, more specifically racism, and how we can best impact that within our community.”

Those conversations turned from conceptualization to a fourevent series.

“Social activism is one of those things that I had to come to grips with,” she said. “I will never truly be able to fix what is wrong, and that was a down moment for me—as well as empowering—in knowing that not everything I do and not everything I say is going to reach everyone.

“My favorite quote that I’ve ever heard was, ‘We’re not making the world a better place, but making better people for the world.’ You have to focus your efforts toward smaller communities and seeing the ways you can impact those around you.”

Others have taken notice of her work, too. Gadzekpo was selected to represent SGA on the UTC Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Engagement search committee. She was appointed to the Maryville (Tennessee) City Schools Diversity Task Force. And she is heading to Ireland this summer as the recipient of a Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship.

A recipient of the Roland Carter Endowed Scholarship, given to a music major who has demonstrated academic achievement, Gadzekpo said choral and gospel singing are her focus—and jazz and the blues are of interest, too.

But she also will continue to use her voice to educate.

“What I love about Delali is that her focus is really positive,” said Honors College Dean Linda Frost. “Social justice work is hard work; you’re fighting against ugly things and your attention is necessarily focused on the negative. But Delali’s mentality is that she’s always trying to put forward a positive energy and force.

“The word I would use to describe Delali is ‘empowering.’ It just seems like her work is about empowering other people. She’s going to be a real powerhouse, whatever she decides to do in her life.”

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CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

COLLEGES, DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS

GROWING HONORS

F

or more than a century, the Guerry family and its foundation— Hamico, Inc.—have been committed to the growth and excellence of UTC and Chattanooga.

And the Guerrys and the UTC Honors College are inextricably linked. An initial $1-million contribution from the family started the Honors College.

A generous Hamico gift has made it possible for the Honors College to grow its freshman class from 50 Brock Scholars to 80.

Linda Frost, dean of the Honors College, appreciated the Guerry family’s continued backing.

“I’m always endlessly grateful to the Guerry family and the folks at Hamico for their support of the college—and for the relationship that I have with them,” Frost said. “The gift increases our overall population of four-year students, which will increase participation in the college over time.

“When excellent students are looking at universities, they look to see if there’s an honors program or college on campus.

By increasing the number of students in the Honors College, we increase our ability to recruit as a campus as well.”

The Guerry Center, home of the Honors College, has been on campus since 1955. It is named for Alexander Guerry, the University’s seventh president from 1928-1938, who played a pivotal role in keeping the institution financially afloat during the Great Depression.

“The scholarship component is always something we’ve been a big fan of giving to because it’s all about the kids—whether it’s elementary school or high school or college. The reason we all do what we do is for the students,” said Hamico executive director Alexis Guerry Bogo, a fifth generation Guerry supporter of the University. “We want to affect as many people as possible, so we’ll give the gift based on the number of people that we’re going to impact.”

Other Honors College highlights over the last year include: • The UTC Honors College was selected as one of the Top 40 in the country in the book Inside Honors 2020-2021: Ratings and Reviews of 40 Public University Honors Programs. “Our excellent ranking is a testament to the truly astounding opportunities we offer UTC students and the campus at large through the Honors College,” Frost said.

• Sophomore Lola Oke, a Brock Scholar and political science major, was selected to participate in the Fulbright Canada Mitacs Globalink Program and the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program.

• The Honors College added its first Innovations in Honors director and professor of practice, Owen Foster, who—before coming to UTC—served as department head at Savannah College of Art and Design.

• The Honors College also added its first full-time faculty member in Jayda Coons, who teaches in the Brock Scholars’ humanities sequence.

• A lending library was created to honor the retiring Debbie Bell, who had spent 23 years with the Honors College. Books were and are donated to the college by graduating seniors and alumni, with notes of appreciation left inside for the reader.

first-year Honors College students during a fall 2020 class in the Guerry Center Reading Room

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA

23

GRADUATE SCHOOL

Research student Jalela Bahar works in Jose Barbosa's Holt Hall lab

ReSEARCH in a Virtual World

I

t is a recruiting tool, helping the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga entice local high school and community college students to continue their education at the institution.

It is a recruiting tool for the UTC Graduate School, inviting current students to stay on this campus and continue their academic journeys.

After a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the largest academic conference at UTC returned in April 2021—but in a virtual format. ReSEARCH Dialogues, the annual campus-wide celebration of research endeavors at UTC and in the Chattanooga community, moved to an online format this academic year as part of the first-ever UTC Research and Creative Activities Week.

Participants from across all UTC disciplines, centers and programs made virtual presentations via the ForagerOne online conference platform and daily live Zoom sessions.

Along with UTC undergraduates, graduate students and faculty, students from Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences and STEM School Chattanooga made presentations. In addition, other local high school students were invited to attend the virtual sessions and learn about UTC. “We can say, ‘Oh, we do a lot of great

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CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

research here,’ but they can actually see that in context,” said Lisa Piazza, UTC director of undergraduate research and creative endeavor. “It’s a nice introduction to what they can continue to do if they come to UTC.” Research and Creative Activities Week blended hallmarks of past ReSEARCH Dialogues—such as panel discussions, demonstrations and oral presentations—with creative elements.

Piazza said a big lure in putting together the event in a virtual setting was its online capabilities, extolling the ForagerOne platform’s functionality.

“ForagerOne is a professional way to get the research out there, and there are lots of different ways for people to present their work, including screencasts. The way it’s set up, you can include a link to your presentation on a CV or a resume,” she said.

“Instead of saying ‘I presented at this particular conference’ on a resume, the presenter will be able to point to a video of themselves describing their work and their project.”

Piazza was excited that students were once again able to show off their research and accomplishments. Before its 2020 pandemic-related cancellation, nearly 700 projects were accepted for ReSEARCH Dialogues—with 52% of the primary presenters indicating it would be their first time presenting at any conference.

“For many of our students, this might be their only opportunity to present, so it’s essential that we provide that venue for our students,” Piazza said. “By participating in ReSEARCH Dialogues, students gain communication skills. They gain the ability to put together an engaging visual presentation of their work.

“And this is something that can make them competitive as they enter the job market. They’ll be able to say, ‘Here’s what I did. I completed this project and then I presented at this conference.’

This adds value to their degree in a lot of different ways.”

COLLEGES, DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS

Grad School Endeavors

T

he Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga oversees the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, the Office of Research Integrity, the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor, the Graduate School and several research centers and laboratories—including the SimCenter, the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP) and the Interdisciplinary Geospatial Technology Lab. During the fall 2020 semester, UTC offered 22 master’s degrees (52 concentrations) and six doctoral degrees (six concentrations)—along with 24 certificate programs and one education specialist program. Graduate student enrollment at the beginning of the semester was 1,387.

Thomas Wiegand ’20 is the second UTC student in three years to win the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Highlights from Research and Graduate School programs over the last year include: • Thomas Wiegand, a graduate student in the Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science, was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship.

The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines pursuing researchbased master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions.

• During the second half of 2020, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs attracted nearly $10 million in external grant and contract awards.

• Faculty members Tony Skjellum (SimCenter), Craig Tanis (CECS) and Abi Arabshahi (SimCenter) were recipients of a $1.1-million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

This award creates the Center for Understandable, Performant Exascale Communication Systems—a joint effort of UTC, the University of New Mexico and the University of Alabama at Birmingham in collaboration with the Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories. Researchers will be working on making high-speed computer-to-computer communication more efficient. SimCenter personnel will design and develop new ways to enhance communication performance between computer systems. The innovations will then help the National Nuclear Security Administration understand why larger computers aren’t running as efficiently as smaller ones.

• Mina Sartipi, director of the UTC Center for Urban Informatics and Progress, secured a $2.1-million grant from the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. In collaboration with Yu Liang, Osama Osman and Dalei Wu in CECS and Austin Harris in CUIP, they will examine ways to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

• The UTC Learning and Leadership doctoral programs earned a score of Excellent in all categories of the Academic Program Review report rubric.

• Multiple UTC master’s degree programs were ranked among the nation’s best by Intelligent.com, a website that publishes information helpful to university students. The Master of Science in Engineering Management program was ranked as the nation’s second-best while also placing sixth overall for Best Construction Management degree.

The Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program was rated fifth-best.

• Gradreports.com ranked UTC at No. 25 on the list of Master of Science in Nursing. The ranking is based on graduates’ entry-level salaries and uses U.S. Department of Education data from more than five million graduates.

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA

25

ATHLETICS

A Commitment to Student-Athletes

T

he creator of the Porky’s Open Golf Tournament passed away, but his name and signature event will live on.

Frank “Porky” Kinser, a 1963 graduate of the University of Chattanooga, died on Dec. 4, 2020. Kinser was one of the most loyal and dedicated supporters of UTC athletics, and that showed itself in numerous ways, but the legacy he created with the Porky’s Open brought him the most renown.

Kinser poured his heart and soul into Porky’s Open for 22 years. After starting it on a limited budget and raising nearly $50,000 the first year of the event, he annually brought together community members to pitch it—whether it was prizes or money or participation—doing whatever he could to make it a special day. He was a relationship builder, creating support and belief in the mission of UTC athletics.

At the forefront was his commitment to student-athlete scholarships. He wanted to give student-athletes the opportunity to come to UTC, get a degree and compete in their sports.

The Porky’s Open has raised more than $1 million for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Athletics Scholarship Fund. Kinser’s event, the one constant fundraiser for the athletics department, will continue to grow.

In spring 2020, the Frank Kinser Porky’s Open Endowed Scholarship was created to ensure his legacy will forever support scholarships for UTC athletics. Moving forward, a portion of the proceeds every year will go toward the endowment. Individuals can also contribute directly through the UC Foundation and the Mocs Club.

Longtime partner BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is the title sponsor of the event.

Kinser’s many career accolades include receiving the 2005 Gordon Davenport Award in 2005, given annually at the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame dinner to the individual who has shown outstanding commitment to the Mocs athletics program, and the 2011 UTC Outstanding Service Award—the highest honor bestowed upon a volunteer working on behalf of the institution. His father, Paul Kinser, was the first recipient of the Outstanding Service Award in 1985.

He served on the UTC Alumni Council and the Athletics Advisory Board and was chairman of the season football ticket drive. He was a past member of the Stadium Board, the entity responsible for building Finley Stadium; he also was chairman of the facility’s construction committee and later served two terms as president and chairman of the Stadium Board.

Along with devoting his time and energy to elevate the athletics program, Kinser was a longtime supporter of other UTC and UT System areas. He had stints as a member of the national University of Tennessee Alumni Association Board of Governors, the University of Tennessee System Board of Trustees and the University of Tennessee Development Council. He also served as chairman of the UTC Chancellor’s Roundtable.

UTC Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Mark Wharton summed up Kinser’s impact this way: “Frank Kinser was a Moc through and through. He was a tremendous supporter of our University, a great friend to athletics.”

Frank Kinser ’63, creator of the Porky’s Open

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CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

COLLEGES, DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS

Mocs Making the Grade OTHER ATHLETICS HIGHLIGHTS:

3.42

SPRING 2020 CUMULATIVE GPA

MORE THAN

71%

NAMED TO DEAN’S LIST

3.31

FALL 2020 CUMULATIVE GPA, DESPITE COVID-19 UNCERTAINTY

3.87

FALL 2020 WOMEN’S GOLF GPA—THE HIGHEST MARK ON RECORD FOR ANY PROGRAM AT UTC

4

WOMEN’S GOLF STUDENT-ATHLETES WITH A 4.0 GPA—TIED PROGRAM RECORD

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TEAMS WITH A 3.0 GPA OR HIGHER— TIED SCHOOL RECORD

F

or the first time in school history, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga athletics programs achieved an overall 90% Graduation Success Rate (GSR).

The GSR plays a critical role in supporting the NCAA’s collegiate model of amateur college athletics. The NCAA annually releases a report, with a defined cohort of students over a specified period, which measures students’ graduation success at each of its member institutions.

For the most recent cohort, the Mocs’ GSR climbed three points—the eighth consecutive year of growth. Since 2012, the UTC GSR has increased by 40 points from 50%.

Leading the way were men’s cross country, women’s cross country/track and field, men’s golf, soccer, volleyball and both tennis teams with perfect 100% graduation rates. Football, softball and both basketball teams equaled or surpassed the national averages in their respective sports.

“Our No.1 goal is to make sure our student-athletes have the support to graduate with a degree from UTC,” said Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Mark Wharton. “They put in a tremendous amount of work to be successful in the classroom and in competition, and our coaches and academic support staff continue to do outstanding work in support of these efforts.”

• The men’s basketball team began the year by going 9-0 in non-conference play. The Mocs’ nine straight wins to start the season established a school record, while a seven-game road winning streak tied a school mark set in 1992.

• The Mocs football team played four spring games, rising to #9 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 following a 20-18 victory over #13 Furman on March 20. It was their highest ranking in the national FCS poll since the 2016 season.

• The UTC soccer team finished third in the Southern Conference regularseason standings, the club’s highest finish ever. In 10 regular-season games, the team recorded six shutouts and surrendered only five goals.

• Mocs softball junior infielder Emily Coltharp was selected as the 2021 SoCon Preseason Player of the Year, as voted on by league coaches.

• UTC men’s basketball coach Lamont Paris and Ken Jones, the University’s assistant athletic director for compliance, were named to the Southern Conference’s 15-member Racial Equity and Justice Task Force, a conference-wide panel composed of a racially diverse group of student-athletes, coaches, campus administrators and athletics staff members.

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA

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DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI AFFAIRS clockwise from left, Akbar Rahmani, Clarissa Miller, Delali Gadzekpo, Erin Watson, Jerrell Lawson and Timothy Stone

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2021 VIRTUAL Scholarship Recognition Event 28

CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

ix student speakers representing each of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga colleges highlighted the 2021 Virtual Scholarship Recognition Event.

The 5th annual event, which took place on March 23, brought together students, donors, faculty and staff via Zoom to honor the generosity of donors and celebrate students’ academic achievement as scholarship recipients.

The group of student speakers was led by senior Akbar Rahmani, who represented the Honors College. After thanking the donor families for two of the scholarships he has benefited from, the Dr. Robert H. Swansbrough Endowed Scholarship and the Suzanne and Charles Forlidas Endowed Scholarship, he was effusive in praising numerous faculty and staff within the Honors College and the Department of Political Science and Public Service.

“To all faculty and donors who have invested so heavily in my success, I promise your efforts will not be wasted,” Rahmani said.

“I will strive every day to mirror the kindness and gratitude that you have shown me from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.”

Erin Watson, a College of Engineering and Computer Science senior majoring in mechatronics engineering technology, said she wouldn’t have the ability to participate in outreach events that encourage young students to pursue their STEM interests without the assistance she has received—which includes the John Germ Engineering Scholarship.

Senior Clarissa Miller, an interior architecture and design student in the College of Health, Education and Professional Studies, gave thanks for being the recipient of both the River Street Architecture Portfolio Scholarship and the James Avery Scholarship.

Sophomore vocal music education major Delali Gadzekpo, representing the College of Arts and Sciences, said she was blessed to be a recipient of the Roland Carter Music Scholarship.

Rollins Scholar Tim Stone, a junior entrepreneurship major, admitted that he initially didn’t want to go to college, “but the decision was so much easier after being accepted for the scholarship program. UTC and its faculty have played an important role in the advancement of my career.”

Jerrell Lawson, the Woodrow Wolford Sr. Scholarship recipient, will be receiving a master’s degree in business administration in May. The four-year starter at defensive back on the UTC football team represented both athletics and graduate school students.

“Being from a small, country town in South Alabama, being raised by a single mother of three, battling stereotypes and tons of adversity, one would think that this journey has been just a dream,” Lawson said. “However, I can personally assure you that with the right support system and superiors that care so deeply for not only themselves but the entire culture, almost any obstacle in this world can be conquered.”

Gary W. Rollins College of Business Dean Robert Dooley and his wife, Kim, spoke on behalf of the donors. In 2019, the Dooleys—who met at UTC as undergraduates—created an endowed scholarship for international study.

DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI AFFAIRS

Jayne Holder ‘74, left, and Terry Denniston have a shared bond that started in the UTC alumni affairs division

N

ot long after arriving at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as director of alumni affairs in 1986, Terry Denniston first met Jayne Holder—an alumni volunteer.

What started as a professional connection blossomed into a friendship. Denniston and Holder were both Alpha Delta Pi sorority members and had mutual contacts.

Through the years, Holder continued to take on volunteer positions of increasing prominence, eventually becoming the alumni board president. In August 2000, she officially joined Denniston’s division.

When Denniston was named chief of staff to Chancellor Roger Brown in 2006, Holder took over the alumni affairs departmental reins—a role she held until retiring in June 2020.

Fittingly, Denniston and Holder retired within months of each other in 2020.

“Between the two of us, we spent almost 35 years as the leaders of alumni affairs—which is virtually unheard of,” stated Denniston, who said goodbye to UTC on December 31. “It will be our shared legacy and something that we were proud to do together.”

As chief of staff and a member of the Executive Leadership Team under Brown, interim Chancellor Grady Bogue and Chancellor Steven Angle, Denniston provided counsel and input for nearly every major issue facing UTC. And one of Denniston’s duties as chief of staff was serving as the commencement coordinator. During Fall 2020 graduation ceremonies, her last for the University, she was publicly thanked

by Angle for the 36 different commencements she directed, which saw 26,882 students receive their degrees from UTC.

“

BETWEEN THE TWO OF US, WE SPENT ALMOST 35 YEARS AS THE LEADERS OF ALUMNI AFFAIRS ...

IT WILL BE OUR SHARED LEGACY AND SOMETHING THAT WE WERE PROUD TO DO TOGETHER.

”

Denniston often spoke about the culture alumni affairs can create in welcoming students and reconnecting alumni with their university.

“I’ve always said being the alumni director is the best job at a university because you work with students, you work with faculty, you work with staff. You get a feel for all the different parts of the university and how the university works,” Denniston said. “In alumni affairs, you get to work with students when they first come to campus and talk to them about the importance of being involved with the university, the history of the university, learning the importance of traditions and learning how to carry on those traditions so that their degrees continue to connect them with the community.”

Holder carried on that torch.

Lofton Stuart, interim vice chancellor for development and alumni affairs and executive director of the UC Foundation, said that Holder—a 1974 graduate of UTC— was truly a perfect match to be the alumni director of her alma mater.

“She was a graduate, she was actively involved when she was in school, and she was actively involved as an alumni leader before being hired by UTC,” Stuart said. “Jayne is recognized within the community as one of this University’s biggest promoters. Her enthusiasm and dedication to UTC are rivaled only by the true enjoyment of what she has done in support of this University.”

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA

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A GOLDen OPPORTUNITY

T Abigail Chiaravalle ’06, left, and A.J. Davis ’05, below, are UTC graduates of the last decade

“ ”

THIS PROGRAM IS ABOUT CHANGING THE CONVERSATION AROUND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN ENGAGED ALUMNUS.

30

CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

he GOLD Leadership Academy, a program designed to keep University of Tennessee at Chattanooga graduates of the last decade involved with their alma mater while reconnecting with other recent alumni, was launched during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Modeled after the Young Alumni Academy at the University of Nebraska Omaha and other effective initiatives, including Leadership Chattanooga, the GOLD Leadership Academy had a strong freshman campaign.

“We really weren’t sure what to expect coming out of the gate,” said A.J. Davis, assistant director of development in the UTC Office of Development and Alumni Affairs. Davis is a UTC graduate of the last decade himself, having earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and entrepreneurship in 2015. “We knew we wanted to do something to re-engage with recent graduates, and this has turned out really well.”

Davis and fellow assistant director of development Abigail Chiaravalle, a 2016 UTC alumna with a degree in business management, helped create the new initiative. As part of the firstyear campaign, participants were divided into groups and tasked with developing capstone projects focusing on different University factions.

“One of the things that we felt was going to be helpful was for them to pick an area of campus and essentially do an in-depth dive,” Davis said. “We wanted them to look at different areas and say, ‘Here’s where we can either innovate or help problem solve.’”

Group members formulated plans centered on diversity in the Honors College, Scrappy’s Cupboard and first-generation student programming.

“We wanted to hit on three overarching areas that would create impact,” Davis said. “The thought was, ‘How is it that we can leverage this group of people to make the most significant impact with this program?’

“We wanted them to identify a problem, give analysis, give recommendations and give implementation strategy.”

Chiaravalle said an impetus for the program’s creation stems from her own college experiences. “When you’re a student or fresh out of college,” she recalled, “you don’t think about how an institution works as a whole or your role as an alumni member.”

The academy allowed recent graduates to modify that line of thinking.

“We wanted to reach out to those graduates that have been gone for a few years, recapture them, re-engage them and get them up-to-speed with what’s going on around the University,” Chiaravalle said. “Some of it is updating them on what’s going on, but most of it were items they likely were never educated on in the first place—especially when it comes to the funding of the University and other kinds of community engagement.

“I know for a lot of young alumni, it’s viewed as, ‘Many years down the road I’ll come back and it will be my alma mater.’ This program is about changing the conversation around what it means to be an engaged alumnus.”

DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI AFFAIRS

S

ince the beginning of his blossoming film career, Ryan Gentle has had a special place in his heart for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus.

Perhaps his own story is one he will choose to profile someday.

Gentle, a 2015 graduate of the UTC Integrated Studies program, originally came to the University to play for the Mocs basketball team. On top of that, he was a biology pre-med major, but everything didn’t click the way he thought it would.

“I was struggling in class because I had no time, and I took probably the hardest major to do while being a studentathlete,” Gentle explained. “A year and a half in, I ended up having three hip surgeries, so that put my competitive basketball career to the side. I remember asking myself, ‘What do I want to do? Who do I want to be?’”

He decided to pursue a degree in integrated studies. It allowed Gentle to blend several of his interests, including business and communication, with a passion of his since childhood.

“When my brother (Chris) and I were kids, we got out our family vacation camera during the summers. We had these little Hot Wheels cars and we drew a street intersection on a piece of paper and would record in one frame, move the car, record another frame, move it,” Gentle said. “By the time I was done with basketball, I had a lot more time to look at that. It was really fun to do as a kid and I thought, ‘What does that look like now?’”

Lecturer Karen Henderson (theater) and associate professor Elizabeth Gailey (communication) were huge supporters in helping Gentle study film. He also had the backing of his roommate, Austin Quarles, who shared the creativity bug. They began making films.

“Our first short was terrible, but we used UTC’s canvas and learned so much from it,” said Gentle of “Limerence,” a 2013 film.

“It was terrible production value, but it was a great learning experience. We filmed a lot of it in South Campus dorm rooms and around some of the buildings around campus.”

It was the start of a venture. Gentle and Quarles are now business partners with Physically Awkward Films, an indie awardwinning production company in Nashville.

Their film “Galileo,” which used the UTC Library’s exterior and its fourth-floor Roth Reading Room, has been invited to numerous 2021 film festivals around the

USING CAMPUS AS A CANVAS Filmmaker Ryan Gentle ’15 showcased UTC Library in “Galileo,” which has been invited to numerous 2021 film festivals

country.

They also do promotional, commercial and narrative work for local companies around Chattanooga. UTC has never been too far away.

“I’ve always wanted to be honest with my story, and it hasn’t been easy or linear getting here. The basketball surgeries were a huge shift in figuring out who I was,” Gentle said. “It has taken several years to get on my feet, but perseverance, continual experiential learning and a belief in myself—and a strong circle around me—helped me get to where I am today.”

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA

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Gifts from the Heart Fontaine Patten Moore’s Alpha Society portrait photo courtesy of the family of Fontaine Patten Moore

F

ontaine Patten Moore’s passion for the University of Chattanooga and UTC was inextricably entwined with her deep devotion to her family and its tradition of supporting the institution.

Before her death in August 2020, she was recognized as a tireless steward working to ensure that the University took care of Patten Chapel. Formally named the John A. Patten Chapel, it was dedicated to her grandfather’s memory in 1919 through a gift from his widow, Edith Manker Patten.

For “Taine,” as she was called by friends and family members, Patten Chapel was a sacred place on every level.

Her father, Z. Lupton Patten, graduated magna cum laude from the University of Chattanooga in 1927. He taught at the University before joining the Chattanooga Medicine Company, eventually becoming president and CEO. He was chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees when he died at the untimely age of 51.

Fontaine Patten Moore ‘65 and her son, Doug, following his Baylor School graduation photo courtesy of the family of Fontaine Patten Moore

32

CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

Moore also enrolled at the University, graduating magna cum laude in 1965. Like her father, she was a member of the Alpha Scholastic Honor Society—one of the University’s oldest and most prestigious honor societies.

She was a devoted mother to her only child, Doug Moore Jr., a music lover and talented musician who died unexpectedly in 2004 at the age of 35.

Her family recalled that she was devastated by the loss of her son. She resolved to turn her loss into lasting benefits to honor and perpetuate the memory of her father, grandfather and son. So she asked her sisters—the late Peggy Patten Winningham, Charlotte Patten Gauss and Phyllis Patten Hardin—if they and their children would agree to disclaim their future interest in her share of a family trust so that the funds could be used as gifts to the University. The family wholeheartedly agreed.

At the time, her trust was not very large, but she lived frugally to increase its value to the University. The realized gift is more than $1.7 million, which includes the proceeds from the sale of her residence. Her philanthropic gifts will impact three essential areas for the University: faculty, students and facilities.

A $1-million gift honoring her father will create the Z. Lupton Patten Chair in Business Ethics in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business. The Patten Chair’s goal is to guide students toward ethical management and leadership and to encourage administrators and faculty to explore ways to incorporate and strengthen ethics education in the curriculum.

To commemorate her son’s memory, $400,000 will be used as the Douglas Beal Moore Jr. Music Fund to provide endowed scholarships in music and a memorialized capital contribution to the renovation of WUTC, the University’s Public Radio station.

The remaining funds will be used to establish an endowment for the maintenance and upkeep of the John A. Patten Chapel.

If members of the public would like to make a contribution to any of these endowments, please contact the UC Foundation’s Marty Smith at marty-smith@utc.edu or 423-425-4061.

DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI AFFAIRS

Corinne ALLEN Kelvin Taylor, former assistant director of development in the UTC Office of Development and Alumni Affairs

Kelvin TAYLOR K

elvin Taylor loved the idea of moving from Northern California to Chattanooga. It would give his wife, Kristy Mobus, a chance to be near her family.

Taylor was a people person. He enjoyed meeting new people, making connections and networking. He had a personality that endeared him to everyone he came across.

Taylor, who worked in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Office of Development and Alumni Affairs as assistant director of development for the College of Engineering and Computer Science, passed away unexpectedly on Nov. 14, 2020. He died just one year after joining the University.

He was quickly making a name for himself within the College of Engineering and Computer Science. He worked in close coordination and collaboration with faculty members and Dean Daniel Pack to broaden the base of prospects and address key fundraising priorities.

He came to UTC after working in the renewable energy field for the previous 11 years. He was a research analyst for ECOS in San Francisco; business development manager for Blymyer Engineers in Alameda, California; business intelligence analyst for Complete Solar in Foster City, California; and most recently a customer experience specialist for Tesla in Atlanta.

Prior to his work in renewable energy, Taylor spent 16 years as sales director for Key Curriculum Press in Emeryville, California.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies/geology from California State University, East Bay, and an MBA in sustainability management from Presidio Graduate School.

Corinne Allen, former trustee of the UC Foundation

C

orinne Allen, a longtime member of the UC Foundation Board of Trustees, passed away on Nov. 9, 2020. Due to COVID-19 health restrictions, a celebration of her life is planned for summer 2021.

She was known as a leader and confidant, and she lived a life of respect, high integrity and trustworthiness. She will be remembered as someone always willing to give of herself for the benefit of others.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in education, she began her career as a social worker— which was foundational to her future passion for family services and public education. As executive director of Kinder-Mourn, Inc. and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg (North Carolina) Education Foundation, she demonstrated her transformational leadership, significantly advancing both organizations’ reputation and impact.

In 1999, she embarked on a new personal and professional chapter when she was recruited to Chattanooga’s Benwood Foundation as executive director. Under her leadership, the Benwood Foundation shifted its approach to focus on proactive change in Chattanooga with a strategic plan focusing on education, arts and culture, the environment and community development. She retired from Benwood in 2012.

She joined the UC Foundation board for the 2013-2014 term and twice served as secretary. She also served on various committees, including audit, grants and nominating.

Among her many accolades, she was recognized by the Tennessee Network of Community Organizations as Community Leader of the Year and as a Chattanooga Woman of Distinction.

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA

33

FY 2020 ENDOWMENT BALANCE ACADEMIC SUPPORT 35%

SCHOLARSHIPS 22%

SCHOLARSHIPS

$32,444,821

PROFESSORSHIPS $15,891,705 PROFESSORSHIPS 11%

UNRESTRICTED/INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT $46,081,231 FACULTY DEVELOPMENT $825,298

UNRESTRICTED/ INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT 31%

ACADEMIC SUPPORT $51,854,083 TOTAL $147,097,138

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT 1%

UC FOUNDATION ENDOWMENT VALUE ENDOWMENTS PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS TO 1,550 STUDENTS

$147.1M

FY 2020

$141.9M

FY 2019

$131.8M

FY 2018

NEW GIFTS TO ENDOWMENTS TOTAL MORE THAN

$124.1M

FY 2017

9.9

$

$113.1M

FY 2016

$119.8M

FY 2015 FY 2014

MILLION

$115.5M $101.2M

FY 2013

$90.2M

FY 2012 $0

34

253

$50

CHANCELLOR’S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

$100

$150

42

ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPS $200M SUPPORT UTC FACULTY

THE UC FOUNDATION

2020-2021 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

CHAIR

D. Michael Costello ’75 ’96 CPA and Shareholder

Corinne A. Allen * Executive Director (ret.)

Vicky B. Gregg Co-Founder and Partner

BettyeLynn Smith ’74 Management Consultant

Benwood Foundation

Guidon Partners

Thornhill-Smith LLC

Elliott Davis

Steven R. Angle ex officio

Dr. Keith Helton ’87 Physician, CEO

Roger P. Smith ’73 Vice President (ret.)

Chancellor, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

One to One Health

BB&T Huffaker Insurance

Richard A. Johnson ’81 President & CEO

Edna E. Varner, Ed.D. ’71 ’82 Senior Advisor, Leading & Learning

VICE CHAIR

Douglas A. Brown ‘85 Senior Vice President UBS Financial Services

TREASURER Mike Kramer Chairman

Southeastern Trust Co.

SECRETARY

Fred Decosimo CPA and Shareholder Elliott Davis

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR Kim H. White ‘82 Former President/ CEO

River City Company

Alexis Guerry Bogo Executive Director Hamico, Inc.

Randy Boyd ex officio President, University of Tennessee

Betsy Blunt Brown CEO Pendleton Square Trust Company

Charles D. Cofield ’15 (HON) COO ArrowStar & StarChem LLC

Nancy J. Collum ’78 Underwriter BrightBridge Capital, Inc.

Jay Dale ’94 ’01 Market President First Horizon Bank

LIFE TRUSTEES

David DeVaney President NAI Charter

T. Maxfield Bahner

Gregory S. Eaves ’86 Executive Vice President and CFO

Joseph F. Decosimo

EPB

John P. Guerry

John N. Foy Chairman

Zan Guerry John C. Thornton

Noon Management, LLC

Steven L. Frost ’75 President * Deceased

Tuftco Corp.

RichNet Consulting, Inc.

William B. Kilbride Member TVA Board of Directors

Donna Lawrence ’81 Partner

Public Education Foundation

Roy D. Vaughn Senior Vice President and CCO BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

Deal Properties, LLC

Greg A. Vital President and CEO

F. Scott LeRoy ’79 Vice President and COO

Independent Healthcare Properties, LLC

Southeastern Salvage/ Home Emporium

Ladell McCullough Partner (ret.)

Henderson, Hutcherson & McCullough, PLLC

Ben Miller ’87 Vice President and Senior Managing Director Unum

Ashley Nichols ’09 Senior Investment Officer Unum

Ashlee Patten President and CEO, Portfolio Manager

Dr. Andy Walker, III ’81 Emergency Physician Marie Webb Sr. Vice President, Human Resources and Chief Talent and Inclusion Officer EPB

Miller Welborn Chairman SmartBank SmartFinancial, Inc.

Frank Williamson Founder/CEO Oaklyn Consulting

Clint Wolford President

The Patten Group, Inc.

Wolford Development, Inc.

Scott L. Probasco III Chairman and CEO (ret.)

Todd Womack ’95 President and CEO

Livingston Company

Bridge Public Affairs

Brett W. Rousch COO

Jo Ann Yates Community Volunteer

ELD Associates, LLC

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA

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utc.edu | 423-425-4111 | Publication Director Marty Smith

Editors George Heddleston Gina Stafford

Writer Chuck Wasserstrom

Creative Director Stephen Rumbaugh

Graphic Designer Courtney Muller

Photographer Angela Foster Special thanks to the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, the Office of Communications and Marketing, the Office of Finance and Administration, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Digital Collections and the University of Chattanooga Foundation, Inc. for their contributions toward this publication.

Chamberlain Pavilion at dusk.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is a comprehensive, community-engaged campus of the University of Tennessee System. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA institution.