The University
History
Since its founding as Chattanooga University in 1886, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has developed an institutional excellence which rests on an unusual blend of the private and public traditions of American education.
For 83 years the University was a private school. Three years after its founding, the University was consolidated with another church-related school, East Tennessee Wesleyan University at Athens, under the name of Grant University. In 1907 the name University of Chattanooga was adopted.
In 1969 the University of Chattanooga and a junior college, Chattanooga City College, merged with The University of Tennessee, one of the oldest land-grant universities in the nation, to form the UTC campus. Pledged to the service of the entire state, The University of Tennessee has emerged as a statewide system consisting of four primary campuses. The new campus was given the mandate to devote the major portion of its resources to the development of excellence in undergraduate education and in selected areas of graduate study.
The University’s wide diversity of degree programs has attracted a current enrollment of more than 8,500 students representing students from across the state, the region, and the world.
Accreditations and Memberships
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097. Telephone: 404-679-4501; Fax: 404-679-4558) to award bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. It is also accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, the National Association of Schools of Music, the American Chemical Society, the Engineering Accreditation Commission/Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business International: the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education of the American Physical Therapy Association, the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetics Association, the Accreditation Council of Occupational Therapy Education, the Accreditation Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the Council on the Accreditation of Nursing Anesthesia Education Program, the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, and the National Athletic Trainers Association.
The University is a charter member of the Southern University Conference and is a member of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, American Alumni Council, American Council on Education, Association of American Universities, Association for Continuing Higher Education, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Council of Graduate Schools in the United States, National University Extension Association, the Tennessee College Association, and the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges.
Oak Ridge Associated Universities
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has been a sponsoring institution of Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) since 1969. ORAU is a private, not-for-profit consortium of 65 colleges and universities and a management and operating contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy with principal offices located in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Founded in 1946, ORAU provides and develops capabilities critical to the nation’s technology infrastructure, particularly in energy, education, health, and the environment. ORAU works with and for its member institutions to help faculty and students gain access to federal research facilities; to keep members informed about opportunities for fellowship, scholarship, and research appointments; and to organize research alliances among our members in areas where their collective strengths can be focused on issues of national importance.
ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy. ORISE offers national and international programs in science and engineering education, training and management systems, energy and environment systems, and medical sciences. ORISE’s programs bring students at all levels, K-12 through postgraduate, and university faculty members into federal and private laboratories.
ORAU’s office for University, Industry, and Government Alliances seeks opportunities for alliances among its member universities, private industry, and federal laboratories.
Chattanooga
The University is located a few blocks from downtown Chattanooga, a city that is both highly industrial and rich in natural beauty. Claiming more than 600 industries, Chattanooga lies at the foot of Lookout and Signal Mountains where the Tennessee River forms Moccasin Bend. These sites possess historical significance as well as beauty in a city steeped in the heritage of the Civil War.
The cultural environment of Chattanooga is enhanced by contributions from the University and the many civic organizations that support the arts through dramatic productions, concerts, and art exhibits. Ten city parks, seven public golf courses, and a 35,400 acre lake provide a variety of recreational activities.
With a population of about 162,170 in a metropolitan statistical area of over 466,647, Chattanooga is easily accessible from all parts of the nation by air and bus.
