UTC formally installed Chancellor Lori Mann Bruce during an investiture ceremony in November. The event marked a historic milestone: Bruce is the first woman to lead UTC and the 19th chief executive in the university’s 139-year history.
An investiture is a traditional academic ceremony that links institutional history with a new era of leadership through academic regalia, the presentation of the mace and chain of office, and reflections from distinguished guests.
“It gives us a chance to pause for a moment, to recognize both where we’ve been and where we are going,” Provost Jerold Hale says. “It’s about leadership, but it’s also about community.”
Nursing Elevates to College Status
The UT Board of Trustees approved elevating the School of Nursing to the UTC College of Nursing, marking a significant academic milestone for a program that has prepared nurses for more than five decades. When the transition is complete in 2026, nursing will become UTC’s fifth academic college, joining the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Gary W. Rollins College of Business and the College of Health, Education and Professional Studies.
Bell Donates Papers—and a Love Story
Retired U.S. Army Gen. Burwell Baxter “B.B.” Bell III (Chattanooga ’69) donated his personal papers and book, Memoirs of a Nondescript Four-Star General: A Love Story, to the UTC Library’s Special Collections.
Bell’s 39-year military career included serving as executive officer to Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and as commander of U.S. and Allied forces in Korea. His collection spans 37 boxes of letters, photographs, awards and declassified operational records chronicling his career and his 54-year marriage to his late wife, Kathleen “Katie” Fields Bell.
“These are not my memoirs; these are our memoirs,” Bell says. “If they help future students or historians understand what it means to lead and to love, then that’s a story worth preserving.”
Professor Works on Grammy-nominated Album
A piano composition by Ruth S. Holmberg Professor of American Music Jonathan McNair is featured on Piano Crosscurrents, a classical album that received a Grammy nomination in the 67th Annual Grammy Awards competition. McNair’s piece, Rabun Gap, was recorded by pianist and composer Max Lifchitz and supported by a UTC faculty development grant.
Retired K-9 Finds Roles on Campus
Gunther—better known as Gunny—has traded crime scenes for classrooms as UTC’s first chief K- dog. The retired police dog spent years working with now-UTC Police Chief Sean O’Brien before retiring in 2023.
When Gunny accompanies O’Brien around the campus, students stop, smile and engage.
The reception has been so strong that UTC is preparing to introduce Sophie, a designated therapy dog who will serve as a full-time support animal for stress relief and student engagement.