The Greening of Chattanooga's University
“To our credit,” wrote Chattanooga newspaper columnist Barry Parker recently, “we’ve welcomed trees to the city. I, for one, celebrate the greening of downtown Chattanooga. Market and Broad streets are lined with trees that create shaded boulevards and soften the edges of the business district. And whenever downtown streets are reworked these days, plantings seem as essential as signals and signs.”
Transforming a Campus
The transformation of downtown Chattanooga with broad boulevards lined with trees and wide sidewalks is continuing to the campus of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Ross-Fowler Associates of Knoxville has completed a UTC campus landscape master plan that features large shade trees, expanses of grass, definitive entrances at the campus edges, and improved campus circulation.
We have identified three locations to begin UTC’s transformation into a beautiful place to learn, work, and visit. The main entrance to the campus at McKenzie Arena will have handsome brick and stone gates that mirror the gates in the older parts of campus.
Fifth Street along the historic cemeteries will become a tree-lined boulevard from McKenzie Arena to Palmetto Street. Vine Street at the Lupton Library and University Center, the heart of the campus, will welcome campus gatherings with large shade trees, grass, and brick benches.
Big Excitement
Plans are big. The excitement is even bigger that our campus will be much more beautiful. As Landscaping Committee chair and biology professor Linda Collins put it, “The campus will reflect the excellence of what goes on inside the classroom.”
Research shows that students’ first impression of a campus strongly influences their college choice. Sixty-two percent of high school seniors state that their first criterion in choosing a college is the appearance of the buildings and grounds. A beautiful campus landscape also is a significant factor in workplace satisfaction for faculty and staff. Just working in an attractive place adds to one’s sense that “this is a good place doing good things.”
UTC’s students have promised an annual and ongoing contribution from their student facilities fee to help fund campus improvements. Now they need your help and partnership.
Planting for the Future
One of these ways is to ask for your help.
For each contribution of $500, we will purchase a legacy tree and a permanent plaque that can bear your name. Or you can honor a favorite faculty member, friend, parent, or organization. You can pay this in two annual installments, if you prefer.
What a fabulous investment—a tree of your own at UTC! In the years to come, you will enjoy seeing your tree grow and flourish.
Your gift will go a long way to help accomplish our goal.
Be our partner in transforming The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus by contacting us at (423)425-4232.
