2025 2026
ANNUAL REPORT
Dean’s Message A note from Dr. Ethan Carver on record growth, student achievement, and the people behind UTC's graduate success. Dear Friends and Colleagues, It has been a landmark year for graduate education at UTC, and I’m proud to share the growth, achievements, and commitment to students that defined it. We celebrated record enrollment this year, a testament to the strength of our graduate programs, the dedication of our faculty and the reputation UTC has built as a destination for advanced study, innovative research and enriching opportunities. More students than ever chose to invest their futures with us, and that trust is one we do not take lightly. Behind these numbers are stories of student achievement and faculty mentorship. Our graduate students published research, presented at national conferences, secured competitive fellowships and reached milestones that will shape their careers for years to come. Their accomplishments are the true measure of our success. This year also brought increased student engagement and programs designed to build community and support well-being across our graduate population. From professional development workshops to social and networking events, we worked to ensure that graduate school is not just a place to earn a degree, but a place to belong, grow and make an impact. Supporting these efforts, Graduate School staff and faculty made significant strides in streamlining processes and enhancing the student experience from application to graduation.
We also strengthened marketing and communications efforts, sharpening how we tell UTC's graduate story to prospective students, alumni and partners alike. These efforts are already paying dividends in the visibility and reach of our programs. All these accomplishments are rooted in the Graduate School's purpose: to support, assist and guide graduate students at every step of their journey. Go Mocs!
Dr. Ethan Carver Vice Provost and Graduate School Dean University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Enrollment & Admissions UTC's graduate students, at a glance – the numbers behind a record year: who applied, who joined us, who is currently enrolled and where they call home.
Graduate Student Enrollment Trends College
Fall 2022
Fall 2023
Fall 2024
Fall 2025
Arts & Sciences
194
178
177
182
Engineering & Computer Science
189
177
183
203
Health, Edu & Professional Studies
700
708
801
853
Rollins College of Business
298
299
360
397
No College Designated
18
36
51
29
1,399
1,398
1,572
1,664
Total
2026 Highlights New Apps
Admitted
Enrolled
Total
1,102 new apps
956 students
613 students
1,664 students
New Grad Students Male
Female
Returning Grad Students Male
Female
Female: 64.3%
Female: 61.7%
Male: 35.7%
Male: 38.3%
Full-Time: 60.0%
Full-Time: 55.9%
Minority*: 24.6%
Minority*: 25.6%
First Gen: 18.3%
First Gen: 16.1%
International: 5.2%
International: 6.7% *U.S. Domestic students who identify as a race/ethnicity other than White.
Enrollment & Admissions Fall 2025 New Graduate Student Enrollment Incoming graduate students
Out-of-state new graduate students
83 of 146 out-of-state students (56.8%) came from TN's eight border states
Recruitment & Retention UTC’s Graduate School has enhanced its efforts to connect with prospective graduate students over the past two years – through grad fairs, tours, lab previews, networking events and Q&A sessions – giving them a firsthand look at what grad school could look like and how it can help transform their future. At the same time, current students are supported through professional development workshops, drop-ins, meet and greets, well-being events, and other resources that build skills, foster community and prepare them to advance in their personal lives and careers.
Fairs & Events Fall Grad Fair and Spring Virtual Grad Fairs 180+ attendees Sweet Treats + Grad School Meet & Greet 85+ attendees New Student Orientation 125+ attendees Warm Welcome Hot Cocoa & Cider Bar 125+ participants Free App Week – 69 apps | 57 waivers
Students networking at Grad Student Orientation
Recruiting Events Bryan College Grad Fair Dalton State Grad Fair Spring Research & Arts Conference Power C Tour & Blue and Gold Preview UTC All Majors Fair Career Connections Employment Fair UTC Advancement Senior Send-off Blue Cross Blue Shield Career Fair Students talking with Gracelyn Womble from the College of Businsess at the UTC Grad Fair
Recruitment & Retention Tours, Previews & Workshops 7 Grad School Tours – 125 registrations Nursing Labs Preview – 15+ attendees Engineering Labs Preview – 10+ attendees Professional Development Workshops – 50+ attendees Ask Us Anything! Virtual Q&A Info Sessions – 25+ attendees Students exploring campus on a Grad School Tour
Grad Student Appreciation Week Refuel & Recharge Drop-Ins – 300+ participants Ethical Use of AI Workshop – 10+ attendees Free Headshots with Career Connections – 30+ participants Outstanding Grad Student Awards Staff speaking with students at a UTC Career Fair
Dr. Chuck Margraves highlights graduate programs with a prospective student on engineering lab tour
Students enjoying giveaways at Welcome Week event
Marketing & Communications Reaching new and current students where they are – how the Graduate School told its story this year through growing social platforms, targeted direct student communication, strategic paid and partner marketing, and an expanding lineup of web resources. Each channel plays a role in strengthening relationships, building trust, and supporting enrollment growth throughout the student lifecycle.
Organic Social Engagement
Direct Communication to Students 24,500+ emails delivered to current and prospective students (August ‘25-July ’26) Redesigned email layouts and text SMS strategy – including new messaging on TN HOPE scholarship and JUMP programs Spring and summer enrollment push campaigns Weekly updates via Canvas, myMocsNet, MocSync and the UTC calendar On-campus visibility through screen graphics, flyers and chalk messaging
Marketing & Communications Paid & Partner Marketing Expanded MarComm partnership spotlighting grad programs and outcomes Targeted ad campaigns on Meta, LinkedIn and Reddit Sponsored features with USA Today and local media partners Regional digital billboards
Website Development New webpages for Paying for Grad School, JUMP and Moc 5 Professional Development Updated Thesis/Defense events listing and webpage
Student Success & Support The resources, funding and support that help graduate students advance their research and pursue continued success in and out of the classroom. Travel awards open doors to conferences and industry events – helping students build new skills, expand their professional networks, and grow both personally and professionally. Scholarships and financial support remove barriers that can stand between students and their goals, so every student has a real shot at success.
Research & Scholarly Activity Support Travel Awards & Conference Participation 44+ students supported
$30k in travel awards
$30k+ in travel awards distributed Dissertation/Thesis Completion Support Thesis dissertation learned discourse virtual workshop in partnership with UTC Writing Center
44+ students supported
Formatting office hours Total Dissertation and Thesis Defenses Fall ‘25 – 19 Spring ‘26 – 36 Summer ‘26 – 5
George Thompson presents engineering research at UTC’s Spring Research Arts Conference
Nurse Anesthesia students and faculty with their research
Student Success & Support Aid, Scholarships and Resources Graduate School Scholarships: $7,393 in funding for 4 graduate students Elwell, Geraghty, Welter, and General Graduate School Scholarship Financial Aid Scholarships: $237,384 in funding for 138 graduate students Charles Foundation, Fincannon, Finley & Lebovitz Scholarships. TN HOPE Scholarships: $555,036 in funding for 110 graduate students Graduate School Assistanship Funding Allocation Master’s – $1,523,898 PhD. – $220,000
Financial Aid Scholarships Grad School Scholarships
$2,543,700+ in graduate student funding!
HOPE Scholarships Assistanstships
Professional Development Workshops, resources and programming that prepare students not just to graduate, but to succeed in life and in their career beyond their degree. Central to this work is the new Moc 5 professional development framework – made possible through campus-wide partnerships.
Graduate student at well-being workshop event
Ellie Yates enjoying a Grad School event
Moc 5 Professional Development Initiative Focus areas: Professionalism, Career Preparation & Advancement, Writing & Communication, Personal Success & Well-Being, and Leadership & Mentorship
Workshops, Training, and Programming Digital You: Digital Presence Career Development Workshop – in partnership with UTC Career Connections office. Library Hacks for Smarter Research – in partnership with Library’s Research office. Financial Fitness: Practical Financial Wellness Tips for Grad Students – in partnership with UTC Financial Wellness Center. Thriving, Not Just Surviving: Wellness Recharge for Graduate Students – in partnership with UTC Center for Wellbeing.
11
Student Spotlights
Brooke Williams
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Advancing Patient Care and Community Health Brooke Williams graduated from UTC's Doctor of Nursing Practice-Family Nurse Practitioner program in May, part of the second DNP-FNP cohort and the first to graduate under the newly established College of Nursing. Alongside her studies, Williams worked as a pediatric home health nurse, a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE), and a clinical adjunct instructor at Chattanooga State Community College. As a SANE, she noticed UTC students rarely sought services at Chattanooga's domestic violence and sexual assault resource center – so she and classmate Amanda Rice developed a series of sexual assault informational sessions for undergraduates, which UTC is now building into a new education module launching soon. Williams was named a recipient of UTC's Outstanding Graduate Student Award for her academic achievement, leadership, and service to campus. Going forward, she plans to continue her work in pediatric home health and as a SANE, with a focus on primary care and women's health.
Student Spotlights PhD Student Turns Complex Equations Into Award-Winning Study on Invasive Plants Maheshi Walawwe, a first-year PhD student in computational science at UTC, traveled from Kandy, Sri Lanka, to research invasive species management using mathematical biology and optimization. Her research took center stage when she won first place in UTC's inaugural Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, presenting her work on the mathematics of combating invasive plants without using a single equation – choosing instead to make her research accessible through simple, everyday language. That win propelled her to the regional
Maheshi Walawwe Computational Science
stage, where she represented UTC at the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools in Baton Rouge, presenting her thesis,
"The Beauty of Mathematics in Nature: Optimizing the Battle Against Invasive Plants," against top graduate students from across the South. Walawwe also serves as Vice President of UTC's Association for Women in Mathematics Student Chapter, has published more than 15 research papers, and has presented her research at numerous conferences. She hopes to build a career as both a researcher and an educator, guided by her own motto: "We need dreams to live. Dreams guide us toward a better life."
Student Spotlights Leading, Learning, and Serving Ellie Yates graduated from UTC in May with her master's degree in criminal justice, capping off a path that began with her bachelor's degree from UTC. During her time in the program, Yates served as vice president of the newly reestablished Graduate Student Association, helping rebuild the organization and its presence on campus. She also served as managing director of the Department of Criminal Justice's Violence Reduction Initiative, coordinating funding opportunities and community partnerships, and completed a summer internship with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Chattanooga office, gaining hands-on experience
Ellie Yates Criminal Justice
across multiple divisions. Yates plans to continue building her career in criminal justice, putting her UTC education and field experience to work in the profession and in our communities.
Student Spotlights
Curel Jones Business Adminstration
First-Gen Student's Fresh Start Sparks Leadership & Career Curel Jones, a first-generation college student from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, will graduate from UTC with her MBA from the Gary W. Rollins College of Business. Her path was not a straight line – after stepping away from college following her first year, she returned with renewed focus, ultimately becoming deeply involved across campus as SGA treasurer, a resident assistant, and president of First in Fletcher, a support organization for first-generation students. Jones said her most meaningful role was leading First in Fletcher, where she helped other first-generation students feel seen and supported. She credits her success to learning the value of collaboration and asking for help, lessons she now passes on to fellow students navigating the Rollins College of Business. Along the way, an internship with Unum gave her real-world experience in the field, one that continues to shape and propel her career path forward.
Student Spotlights
Menekse Adar
Engineering Management
UTC Engineer Takes NeuroTech Innovation to National Stage Menekse Adar moved to Chattanooga from Türkiye in 2024 to pursue her master's degree in engineering management at UTC's College of Engineering and Computer Science, becoming the first student to work in the university's newly established NeuroTech Lab. Her research used brainwave and eye-tracking technology to study how different course designs in Canvas, UTC's online learning platform, affect student focus and engagement. Just a week after earning her degree, Adar traveled to Arlington, Texas, to present her work at the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers Annual Conference, funded by a competitive National Science Foundation travel award. College of Engineering and Computer Science Dean Kumar Yelamarthi praised the project as reflecting UTC's culture of curiosity and innovation, calling it work that positions UTC at the forefront of educational research. Adar has since relocated to Virginia, where she is working as a machine learning and artificial intelligence operations engineer for an aerospace company.
Student Spotlights Personal Journey Drives Passion for Award-Winning Research and Service in Public Health Chris Walsh, who graduated in May with his Master of Public Health in Nutrition and Dietetics from UTC, was named the Chattanooga Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' 2025-26 Outstanding Dietetic Student of the Year, an honor recognizing academic achievement, leadership and professional potential. Walsh's path into the field was personal – after losing more than 125 pounds as a teenager, he set out to understand the science behind nutrition and help others do the same. Alongside his coursework, he served as a research assistant studying how international college students' diets
Chris Walsh Public Health
change after moving to the U.S., work he submitted as first author to the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo.
Walsh also provided nutrition counseling to underserved populations in the Chattanooga region through MobileMOC, UTC's mobile health clinic, and gained enriching experience as a graduate assistant in the Campus Recreation department. He has since begun his career in the nutrition and dietetics field, continuing his mission to help others navigate their health journeys.
Student Spotlights Advancing Student Success Through Leadership & Growth Stacie Grisham, UTC's assistant vice chancellor of student success, has spent more than 15 years shaping the student experience at UTC – starting as an academic advisor in 2009 and rising to lead advising, career readiness, and student success initiatives across campus. She describes her role as a connector, bringing departments together to identify ways to make the university more accessible for students. Grisham is a first-generation college graduate whose own path into higher education advising began as a dream job at UT Knoxville, and that passion has driven her work at UTC ever since.
Stacie Grisham Leadership and Decision-Making
This year, she added another milestone to her career, completing her doctorate in UTC's Applied Leadership and Learning program, with dissertation research centered on student success – work that directly informs how she leads and supports students on campus today.
Awards & Recognition Each year the Graduate School celebrates the graduate students, mentors and partners whose excellence and dedication went above and beyond this year. From community partners who extend the Graduate School's mission beyond campus to the students and mentors who exemplify it daily, these awards foster a culture of appreciation, inspire continued achievement, and strengthen the connections that enrich our graduate community.
Outstanding Graduate Student Awards Outstanding Doctoral Students: Adam White — Leadership & Instructional Practice Richard Gadzekpo — Leadership & Decision-Making Brooke Williams — Nursing-FNP Andrea Fogg — Nursing-Anesthesia Allison Malone — Nursing Stephanie Morton — Nursing Administration System Alexis Murray — Nursing-AGACNP
Swati Kar and Nishat Tasnim Nisha
McCall Bates — Physical Therapy Swati Kar — Comp Science: Computer Science Atefeh Alirezazadeh — Comp Science: Engineering Mohammad Sharif Ullah — Comp Science: Applied Math Allyson Frazier — Occupational Therapy Doctorate Outstanding Education Specialist Mary Buehner — School Psychology
Dr. Barry Kamrath and Zachary Davis
Awards & Recognition Outstanding Master’s Students Natalie Pester — Accountancy Madison Ekas — Science: Athletic Training Sydney Pittman — Management William Darby — Business Administration Arish Marshall — Data Analytics Alec Parten — Computer Science Noah Dillon — Computer Science: Cyber Security
Brooke Williams, Dr. Amber Roache, and Alexis Murray
Jingwei Zhong — Computer Science: Data Science Zachary Davis — Educational Leadership Tanisha Tucker — School Counseling Katie Hindman — Clinical Mental Health Counseling Eleanor Yates — Criminal Justice Tavine Legore-Lewis — Engineering: Chemical Nishat Tasnim Nisha — Engineering: Civil Ali Ahmed — Engineering: Electrical
Gloria Oppong and Richard Gadzekpo
Jacob Pratt — Engineering: Mechanical Ali Abuelgasim — Engineering Management Hallie Sneed — English: Literary Study Jude Keef — English: Creative Writing Harrison Lowery — Environmental Science & Administration
Emma Sampson, Serena Olsen, and Dr. Amir Alakaam
Awards & Recognition Ali Abuelgasim and Ali Ahmed celebrate with friends and colleagues at UTC’s Outstanding Grad Student Awards Celebration
Outstanding Master’s Students
Special Recognitions
Mimi White — Environmental Science
Chris Acuff — Grad Council Chair
Caleb Beckler — Applied Mathematics
Kylea Michael — Graduate Student
John Colby Wolfe — Pre-Professional
Association President
Mathematics
Deborah McAllister — Internal Mentor
Anna Nicely — Math Education
Chris Massey — External Mentor
Gloria Oppong — Applied Statistics
Skyuka Hall — Community Partner
J. Luke Wiley — I-O Psychology
Luke Hicks — Grad Assist. of the Year
Taylor Claxton — Research Psychology Louis Brill — Public Administration Emma Stidham — Social Work: Advanced Standing Oliver Rahn — Social Work: Traditional Serena Olsen — Chronic Disease Preventions & Control Cat Russert — Nutrition & Dietetics Peyton Sills — Music Education Dr. Jennifer Lynberg and Dr. Deborah McAllister
Our People
Meet the team and leaders who guide the Graduate School's mission every day.
Graduate School Staff: Dr. Ethan Carver – Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Graduate School Dr. Christina Policastro – Assistant Dean of the Graduate School Amy Campbell – Business Manager & Admin Philip Sparn – Marketing Recruiting Strategist Mark Fairchild – Senior Program Liaison Jessica Dickerson – Program Liaison Joseph McCauley – Program Liaison
Grad Council Committee Chairs Grad Council Chair and Appeals Committee: Dr. Chris Acuff Curriculum Committee: Dr. Amir Alakaam Best Practice Committee: Dr. Jessica Taylor Graduate Awards Committee: Dr. Barry Kamrath
Graduate Student Association President: Kylea Michael Vice-President: Eleanor Yates Treasurer: Sydney Fuhrig Executive Assistant: Taylor Lange Advisors: Dr. Katelyn Hancock and Dr. Christina Policastro
22
Looking Ahead A glimpse at upcoming strategic priorities and initiatives for UTC's Graduate School Creation of Thesis & Dissertation accessibility standards and support. Graduate Student Teaching & Learning Institute (GSTLI) launch to build students' skills and confidence as instructors and leaders. Enhanced training, collaboration and support for program directors. Peer mentoring initiatives for grad students. Improved student support through better programming and engagement. Expanded marketing and communications with custom program content. Increased info sessions and events to promote programs and support recruitment. Process improvements and continued migration to digital, dynamic forms. Support Carnegie R2 designation efforts – by strengthening graduate education, expanding research opportunities, and boosting student retention. Increase enrollment – by expanding program visibility, strengthening partnerships, and enhancing prospective student outreach.
UTC is a comprehensive, community-engaged campus of the UT System. UTC is an EEO/AA/Titles VI and IX Section 504/ADA/ADEA institution. 26741925-27 This report was edited with assistance from Claude. Final content reviewed and approved by Philip Sparn, Graduate School.
ANNUAL REPORT @utc.GradSchool @utcGraduateSchool utc.edu/GraduateSchool
2025 2026
@utc_GradSchool