1886 Challenge

Dear faculty, staff and students,

In conjunction with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s 140th anniversary celebration, I am inviting all students, faculty and staff to help us reach 18,860 volunteer hours and community service during the 2026-27 academic year.

This 1886 Challenge honors the year of the University’s founding and the legacy of service and opportunity that continues to shape UTC and Chattanooga today. The history of UTC is deeply connected to the story of this city—a story of vision, momentum and community.

Many of you are already volunteering in a number of ways, and we want to track that to show the impact you have on our community. These hours can be as simple as volunteering your time with a church, school or civic organization—or as organized as participating with a group of students or colleagues on a local service project.

Below is a form that groups or individuals can use to log their volunteer hours and help us track the great work our campus is doing in the community. As a reminder, as part of the Volunteer Activity Procedure, each employee has eight paid hours of leave that can be used for volunteer purposes. Student groups can also log their community service hours using this form.

The 1886 Challenge is our opportunity to honor our legacy and rally our campus community around a shared purpose—turning history into action.

We do not celebrate the past by standing still.  We honor it by what we do next.

Lori Mann Bruce
Chancellor

Please fill out the below form:

***Hours submitted should be completed after June 1, 2026.  Multiple forms can be submitted as hours are completed hours throughout the year.  
 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jay Blackman.