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Alumni News

Super Homecoming

A super homecoming September 21-26 promises an opportunity to see former classmates, make new friends, and re-connect with your alma mater!

It begins in the heart of campus on Monday, September 21, when the annual pep rally unites city and county officials, alumni, and students with the UTC band, cheerleaders, and Sugar Mocs at 11:50 a.m. in Heritage Plaza, adjacent to the University Center. Homecoming Queen and Top Moc court will be announced!

Come to McKenzie Arena on Tuesday, September 22, for the annual student step down. Thursday evening check out Lip Sync at Maclellan Gym.

Sample the traditional homecoming brew at Big River Grille downtown on Thursday, September 24, 5:30-7 p.m. Wear your blue and gold!

Win door prizes and gifts at Friday’s annual Homecoming Golf Tournament at Valleybrook Golf & Country Club, sponsored by the UTC Alumni Board. Enjoy lunch at 11:30 a.m., then a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. The $125 registration fee includes cart and greens fee, mulligan, lunch, golf shirt and other goodies. For reservations, call the UTC alumni office at 423/425-4785.

See the annual student golf cart parade on campus Friday. On Friday evening, The University of Chattanooga Class of 1959 will gather for their 50th reunion dinner. Class members will receive more details in the mail.

The Mocs Club will host Breakfast with the Coach Saturday, 8 a.m., in the University Center. Join the Class of 1959 at 10 a.m. as the Chattanooga Singers serenade their induction into the Fifty Plus Club. At 3 p.m. tailgate at the First Tennessee Pavilion. Enjoy music, food, student entertainment, and children’s activities. Call the alumni office to reserve space for your group. Our Mocs kick off against the Wofford Terriers at 6 p.m.

Updates on homecoming, reunions, and student activities are available at www.utcalumni.com.

Alumni enjoy “Mocs and Mochas” coffee mixer in Atlanta

The Coffee Loft in the historic Castleberry Hill district of Atlanta provided the setting for a unique gathering of UTC alumni living in the Atlanta area. “Mocs and Mochas” was hosted by alumnus Conrad Woods (UTC ’87), who owns the establishment.

More than 40 alumni representing classes from the 1970’s to the 2009 graduating class gathered to meet with former classmates and network with new friends. UTC Provost Phil Oldham, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Development Pat Branum, Sam Gratti from the UT system office, and staff members from the UTC alumni and development offices shared the latest UTC news and accomplishments.

“This enthusiastic group of alumni enjoyed the blue and gold event. Upon departing, they made plans to get together again soon,” said Patrick Miles, Assistant Director of Alumni Affairs.

(l-r) Conrad Woods, '87, host for the event, with Jayne Holder, Director of
Alumni Affairs, and Provost Phil Oldham

(l-r) Dee Pearson and Conrad Woods

(l-r) Beryl Marsh, Anna Pearson, Dee Pearson

Meet the UTC GOLD Council Officers

A group of young alumni decided to reach out to students who graduated in the last ten years with a new program called GOLD Alumni, or Graduates Of the Last Decade. To help the Alumni Office lead the charge in implementing this new program, a special group of alumni were selected to form the inaugural GOLD Council. Recently, the GOLD Council selected its executive officers.

Each of them recently discussed the GOLD Council and how young alumni can get more involved with the University:

Jason Demastus, ’00
President – 2009-2011
Major/area of study: History: Pre-Law
Current position: Attorney at Law
Current Employer: Kennedy, Koontz & Farinash

Q: How did your UTC experience help you with your career?

A: My experience at UTC taught me how to venture out and be part of a larger world that I hadn’t seen before. My professors taught me to take risks, but also helped me learn my strengths and weaknesses in that process. Outside of my normal studies, there is no doubt that interaction with my fraternity brothers, friends in school clubs, and fellow student government participants taught me how to communicate more effectively and take full advantage of all that our University had to offer. In the end, I think that all of these things taught me how to think and communicate more effectively as an attorney. There is no doubt in my mind that my experience at UTC formed the foundation for what I am today and gave me the building blocks I needed to achieve my goals.

What do you hope to accomplish as part of the GOLD Council?

I hope that the GOLD Council is able to reach out to those graduates who have yet to realize all of the benefits that we enjoy as alumni and to provide them with some personal resources to assist in their transition to the workplace or post-graduate work. Likewise, I hope that we are able to organize and mobilize our most recent UTC graduates to foster and expand upon the growth that our University has enjoyed in recent years.

Andrea Irvin, ’96 & ‘99
President-Elect
Major/Area of Study: Master of Arts, English Language and Literature (1999)
Bachelor of Arts: English Language and Literature, Cum Laude (1996)
Bachelor of Science: Political Science, Cum Laude (1996).
Student Government Association (SGA) Senator; chaired Academic Affairs Committee in senior year
Current Position: Manager, Marketing Communications
Current Employer: Chattanooga Group, a division of DJO

How did your experience at UTC help with your career?

My internship my senior year helped me realize that I did not want to go on to law school and become an attorney (sorry Jason D!).

I ended up with a career change post – undergrad…. I hear rumblings that “Liberal Arts” degrees are not as valued now as a degree that directly relates to training to do an entry level job, such as accounting or engineering. However I feel my education at UTC taught me critical thinking, it taught me how to speak up as a leader, to be proud to know the answer to a question or to intelligently argue with a professor…some of whom were judges in my case.

Education is about learning to think, question and problem solve. As Dr. Eileen Meagher (retired) told us, "Education and learning to be a good writer are not about me unscrewing the top of your head and me pouring in everything I know or everything that you are expected to know and learn. Education is a process where students learn how to think critically, ask probing questions and interact with the word around them. Her description applies to my experience at UTC."

What do you hope to accomplish as part of the GOLD council?

I hope to see more young graduates stay involved with UTC and use their UTC network to get them connected early on in their career. I wish that I’d been more connected to my graduating class, particularly those who were in my discipline. I hope to become a career mentor to young graduates!

I’d also like to be able to help instill a greater sense of pride in being a UTC graduate, particularly for those who are from Chattanooga. Attending UTC is not “settling.” UTC is a wonderful institution with a wonderful faculty. How many other college students attending state schools have 85% of their undergraduate courses taught by a Ph.D.?

There is a powerful professional network to be taken advantage of among UTC graduates. We should all take advantage and help each other continue to make Chattanooga or wherever we land a great city.

UTC is a FABULOUS university. I love UTC and the education it afforded me. Most of all I want everyone who is a fellow graduate to know just how terrific UTC is!

Other professors who made an impact on me….many are still at UTC:

Dr. Mike Richards, English (retired)
Dr. Verbie Prevost, English
Dr. Katie Reyhansky, English
Dr. Tom Jones, Spanish
Dr. Sally Young (deceased), English Composition
Dr. Tom Ward, the voice of commencement!, English
Dr. James Ward, History, for his Heroes and Villains class
Dr. Stokes, Sociology
Dr. Nikki Ozbeck, Abnormal Psychology

Roni Abraham, ‘03
Treasurer, 2009-2011
Major/area of study: Finance and Economics.
Current position: Financial Advisor
Current Employer: Wells Fargo Advisors

How did your UTC experience help you with your career?

I interned at Merrill Lynch while I was in school. My education in Finance helped me to get my feet wet in this finance industry.

What do you hope to accomplish as part of the GOLD Council?

I hope to network and meet more new and young UTC Alumni. Also, this is a great way to get involved in the community and give something back to UTC.

Adrienne Teague, ‘06
Major/Area of Study: B.A. – English: Writing
Master of Public Administration (current student)
Current Position: Administrative Specialist
Current Employer: Chancellor’s Office, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

How did your UTC experience help you with your career?

As an undergraduate student I was really active in student organizations and I worked in several departments on campus. Participating in the daily activities of college life, both from a student and administration view helped me to see the importance of higher education. I was able to see what type of an impact a university such as UTC can have on its students, faculty, administration and community thus moving me to pursue a career in higher education.

What do you hope to accomplish as part of the GOLD Council?

It is my hope that the GOLD Council will be the constituency group that connects our most recent graduates back to the University by fostering the positive values of being an active and engaged group of alumni. UTC has given us each the opportunity to become involved, whether during our educational career or after the receipt of our degrees. The GOLD Council can and will be the acting force to provide involvement opportunities by producing attractive and entertaining activities and alumni giving programs that will grab the attention of our GOLD alumni!

(l-r) Jason Demastus, Andrea Irvin, Roni Abraham
(l-r) Jason Demastus, Andrea Irvin, Roni Abraham

Basketball alumnus creates Dwight Harris Boys Club of Americus

Alumnus Dwight Harris was tired of seeing young guys in Americus, Georgia, hanging around with nothing to do. “You see guys hanging out, wasting time, using profanity. We have good kids, it’s just that they don’t have anything to do,” Harris said.

Harris has decided to give these boys a place to go with a welcoming atmosphere. He is launching the Dwight Harris Boys Club of Americus, hoping to inspire leadership and respect. “These kids want to be a part of something. A lot of them don’t have fathers at home, just moms. They ask so many questions, not because they are being disrespectful, it’s that they just don’t know. They are often raising themselves and trying to raise siblings,” Harris said.

The former Mocs basketball player (‘84-’87) returned to Americus after he attended college. He married his wife Victoria, the principal of Staley Middle School, and they are raising their son. He has worked as an assistant basketball coach at Americus High School. He has commuted to his position as plant manager of M & M Mars for the last thirteen years.

Dwight Harris Harris is working with sponsors to support his work and he has enlisted the help of preachers from local churches. Earlier in the spring, he invited a group of them to come out for a basketball fundraiser.

“I wanted the boys to see preachers in a different setting,” Harris said. “The boys see them giving the ‘dos and don’ts’ from the pulpit. It was my first fundraiser, and it was a lot of fun for the preachers and the boys and their families.”

Harris says he opens each meeting of the club with a prayer. He hopes to communicate to the boys the importance of education and community service while encouraging them to set professional goals. For Easter, the group visited Magnolia Manor Nursing Center, where the young men spoke with residents and gave them small stuffed animals.

“Our club is not in competition with other established boys clubs. There are just not enough of these organizations to take care of everyone,” Harris said.

To learn more about the organization call (229)942-7906 or email Harris at dhbc09@yahoo.com or write:

Boys Club of Americus
115 Welch Way
Americus, GA 31709

Legends and Leaders honored

The UTC Office of Alumni Affairs honored the 2009 Distinguished Alumnus, The Honorable Mercer Reynolds III at the annual Legends & Leaders Dinner at the Chattanooga Golf & Country Club. Dr. Clifton Cleaveland and his wife, Ruzha, were also honorees as this year’s Outstanding Service Award recipients.

Kim White, UTC Alumni Board President served as host. UTC Chancellor Roger Brown presented honorees with their crystal awards.

Former Distinguished Alumnus Tom Griscom attended the dinner, as well as former Outstanding Service Award winners Joe Decosimo, Milly Fariss, Fred and Ruth Obear and Joe and Barbara Waters.

Established in 1969 by the UTC Alumni Council, the Distinguished Alumnus Award was created to recognize alumni who have made significant contributions to the community and society and whose accomplishments and career activities have reflected glory on the University. The Outstanding Service Award was initiated in 1985 to honor those who have given outstanding service to the University and the community.

(l-r) Ruzha Cleaveland, Dr. Clifton Cleaveland, Mercer Reynolds III,
Chancellor Roger Brown, Kim White

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