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Alumni News
- Moc n’ Down Memory Lane - Homecoming 2010
- Founders' Day celebration
- Summer adventure: Alumnus Jimmy Moncrief cycles across the US
- Hire-A-Moc and Other Career Services
Moc n’ Down Memory Lane - Homecoming 2010
Running out the Patten Chapel doors, cheering on the Mocs at Chamberlain and Finley, late night studying for final exams, participating in Homecoming competitions, joining your college friends for a late night bite to eat and even searching for a parking spot are all common experiences our alumni share from their time at the University. This year’s Homecoming theme celebrates the traditions that comprise the campus experiences of yesterday and today’s students. Join us for Homecoming 2010 as we go Moc’n Down Memory Lane.
2010 Homecoming Activity highlights:
Thursday, October 14
- Homecoming Tap Party, 5:30 p.m., Big River Grille (downtown)
- UTC Step Down, 8 p.m., McKenzie Arena
Friday, October 15
- UTC Homecoming Golf Tournament
11 a.m. lunch, 12 noon shotgun start, The Bear Trace
(www.utcalumni.com/golf.php)
- Undergraduate Alumni Council/Student Alumni Council 35th Anniversary Reunion
5:30 p.m., Patten House
No charge, RSVP required to Christine-Lee@utc.edu
All former members of the Undergraduate Student Council, later known as Student Alumni Council are invited to attend.
(www.utcfam.com/2010/07/01/sac-reunion-oct-15/)
- Greek Reunions
- Comedy Show sponsored by the UTC Black Alumni Council
7:30 p.m., Holiday Inn Choo Choo, Imperial Ballroom
Featuring alumnae Karen Mills and Brandalyn Shropshire and comedian Doug Williams.
Saturday, October 16
- Pre-Game Tailgating
3 p.m., Alumni Tailgate Zone, Tennessee Pavilion
- Chattanooga Mocs vs. Georgia Southern Eagles Football Game
6 p.m. kickoff at Finley Stadium
For a complete list of activities, please visit www.utc.edu/homecoming or call the UTC Alumni Affairs Office at (423)425-4785 or (800)728-4882.
Founders' Day celebration
Alumni are invited to celebrate Founders' Day by attending Convocation 2010 on September 15 at noon in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall of the UTC Fine Arts Center. UTC alumnus Brad McAllister, partner and director of WAP Sustainability in Chattanooga, will offer thoughts on sustainability and what it means for UTC students and the campus. Chancellor Roger Brown will discuss our campus’s historical commitment to sustainability and steps being taken to make UTC a leading campus in the sustainability movement.
On the same day, celebrate the University’s 124th birthday and enjoy Founders' Day activities from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in Heritage Plaza. The UTC Student Alumni Council will provide birthday cake, and alumni will showcase yearbooks from the past.
Celebrate UTC’s rich tradition and history with current students and other alumni.Summer adventure: Alumnus Jimmy Moncrief cycles across the US
Alumnus Jimmy Moncrief (’03) celebrated summer with a cross country adventure: he and a friend took a cycling trip from Tybee Island, Georgia, to San Diego, California, in 29 days. His plan relied on Facebook and Twitter to give a social media shout-out each day of his trip to entrepreneurs in Chattanooga. Though cell phone coverage was spotty, his intention was clear.
“I simply used all of the attention I got to promote all of the amazing entrepreneurs we have in Chattanooga. My hope was that this would help their business out. I coined the term ‘reverse-sponsorship’ for it,” said Moncrief, who holds the B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance.
As a professional photographer, Moncrief likes to “live a life of adventure - to me this was just another adventure, not just a vacation.” By camping out or staying in churches, his expenses were minimal. “I cycled through hundreds of small towns meeting all kinds of people I would have never encountered touring the country any other way,” Moncrief said.
One of the most memorable days of the trip was the dissent from the Rocky Mountains into the desert valley in Arizona. He also enjoyed the reactions he got along the way.
“We were mostly in rural areas so telling someone in rural south Georgia that we were riding our bike to San Diego, California, definitely got a reaction. One of the oddest people we met was a guy on a beach cruiser bike carrying a 1980's style boom box playing at full blast while his dog was running beside him on a leash. He also had a lawn trailer attached to the bike. He said he was cycling from Florida to Ohio because he lost everything in a fire,” Moncrief said.
Moncrief welcomed his wife Brittany, also a professional photographer, and his young daughter in West Texas. They stayed with him all the way to California. “We got to do some things most people don't experience like camping out on the Continental Divide,” Moncrief said.
If there’s another alumnus out there willing to see the country from two wheels, the question may arise: what kind of training does it take? Since Moncrief is an avid cyclist, he stays in good shape, but he did do a little something extra.
“The toughest workouts I did specifically for the trip: I would load down my panniers with about 30 pounds of books and climb the W road on Signal Mountain a couple of times and then ride for about 30 more miles. I think this was enough. Even though we didn't have any rest days and averaged over 90 miles a day, it wasn't as tough physically as it was mentally,” said Moncrief.
Hire-A-Moc and Other Career Services
UTC alumni looking for resume critiques, interview advice and strategies, online resources, job/career fairs and job database technology—many career services are available thanks to a partnership with the UTC Career Placement Office.
Job Databases
UTC alumni have two job database systems for assistance with job searching. The Experience eRecruiting system is the online career portal linking to UTC’s job database and on-campus interviews. This system may contain listings for experienced candidates, but is primarily suited to those candidates with one year or less of work experience. To register for Experience eRecruiting system, visit http://utc.experience.com/er/security/login.jsp
Alumni with more experience may be interested in the Hire-A-Moc alumni system. The Hire-A-Moc job search tool uses sophisticated web crawling technology to search thousands of different job boards, corporate sites, and other venues across the web to find suitable positions. To register for Hire-A-Moc, visit the UTC’s Placement Office website at www.utc.edu/PlacementAndStudentEmployment.
Career Networking
Alumni who graduated in the last ten years are invited to a monthly event geared toward them: the UTC GOLD’s Mocs Connections. Sponsored by the GOLD Council, UTC’s volunteer leadership council for graduates of the last decade, Mocs Connections offer an opportunity to network. Connections occur on the last Tuesday of the month and are held at various locations throughout town. To learn more, please visit www.utcgold.com.
Career and Life Mentoring for Students
For those interested in helping current UTC students with their career choices and to prepare them for life beyond college, here are a few volunteer opportunities:
The UTC Student Alumni Council facilitates a program called Dinner with 12 Strangers. An alumnus/a hosts a dinner for eight to ten students who are studying the same field as the alumni host. Along with a faculty member and alumni office staff person, the students attend a dinner where advice and ideas can be shared in a more casual way. What begins as 12 strangers coming together for dinner evolves into a great evening of friendly discussion under a shared UTC bond.
The Alumni Career Mentoring Program, offered by the UTC Placement Office, is a great way for UTC students and alumni to get in touch with other UTC graduates who can provide information or direction about career choices. The program consists of a database of alumni who have volunteered to share their career experiences and advice with students and other alumni. Alumni will email, talk and/or meet with students as often as both parties agree. Alumni outside of the greater Chattanooga area may participate online.
The FAM is UTC’s free and open student alumni association that helps current students to prepare for their role as future alumni. One aspect of this organization is the Life Beyond College (LBC) program. Based on their career interest, FAM members are placed in an LBC group which meets periodically throughout the year, many times with alumni in the same career field. Students learn more about what they can do now to help prepare them for their career. The FAM’s Life Beyond College also helps them to understand other aspects of life after UTC, including paying off student loans, buying their first house, relocating to a new city and preparing for a family. Alumni are asked to volunteer to assist in these efforts.
To take advantage of these career services or volunteer for the student mentoring programs, please contact the alumni office at letusknow@utc.edu or call 423-425-4785.
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