Department Notes

MATHEMATICS WELCOMES NEW DEPARTMENT HEAD, CHRISTOPHER L. COX

Christopher Cox came to UTC in July 2019 from Clemson University where he was professor and chair of the Mathematical Sciences Department. In his final year at Clemson, the department transitioned to the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, with Cox as the acting director.

COMMUNICATION HEAD NOMINATED FOR AND RECEIVES FELLOWSHIP

Felicia McGhee, interim head of the Department of Communication, is one of nine people nationwide selected to participate in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s Institute for Diverse Leadership in Journalism and Communication.

From freshman calculus to graduate-level numerical analysis, Cox has taught courses at all levels. His research interests are primarily in the area of modeling of fluid flows, including filtration and polymer processing, often using finite element methods. Cox has a Ph.D. in mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University.

The institute focuses on increasing the number of people of color and women who serve as chairs, deans, directors and endowed chairs in journalism and communication education.

It also works to increase the number of women and people of color who hold professorships as well as sit on educational and professional board seats with journalism and communication organizations.

“It is my sincere hope to take all of the skills I learn from this fellowship and apply them here at UTC,” McGhee says. “I love this institution and I want to be the best leader I can, for our department and the University.”

Rachel Jobe Reese joined UTC as director and curator of the Cress Gallery of Art in January.

“I’m excited to get on campus and engage with the energetic faculty artists and students,” Reese says. “It’s a very exciting time for contemporary art in Tennessee and Chattanooga. I’m thrilled to bring my passion for contemporary art and artists in the Southeast to UTC through artist-driven conversations, and I’m looking forward to joining new colleagues in the city and state that already share artist-centric missions.”

The Cress Gallery is inside the UTC Fine Arts Center, which is undergoing a major renovation that is scheduled to be finished in fall 2020. Reese will help guide the gallery’s plans for increasing the number of exhibitions as well as initiatives to create deeper connections with both the campus and Chattanooga as a whole.

She also will oversee the care, maintenance, and management of the University’s permanent collection of art and will teach one undergraduate course per year.

Reese was at Telfair Museums in Savannah, Georgia, from 2015-19 where she led the permanent collection of modern and contemporary art. Before Savannah, she curated exhibitions at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Fleisher/Ollman Gallery in Philadelphia and Deitch Projects, Petzel Gallery and Andrew Kreps Gallery in New York City.

She has a master’s degree in fine arts from City College of New York and a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Georgia. NEW DIRECTOR/CURATOR HIRED FOR UTC CRESS GALLERY

CONGRATULATIONS TO ETHAN MILLS, ELECTED PRESIDENT OF STATE PHILOSOPHY ORGANIZATION

Ethan Mills, assistant professor of philosophy and religion, was elected president of the Tennessee Philosophical Association for 2020. Mills is the second person from UTC to serve as president of the TPA since its formation in 1969. Brian Ribeiro, UC Foundation professor of philosophy, held the position in 2014.

“The TPA’s main goal is to create a community of philosophers from across Tennessee. I’m glad to be part of this community, and I look forward to doing my part to maintain it and maybe even expand it in 2020,” Mills says.

HISTORY PROFESSOR ONE OF HANDFUL IN COUNTRY TO WIN FELLOWSHIP Fang Yu Hu, an assistant professor in the UTCs Department of History, is one of 66 women in the country to be awarded a fellowship this year from the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Hu is using the $6,000 award — given only to women in academia — to help her finish a book manuscript.

“I was thrilled when I heard that I was awarded this prestigious fellowship,” Hu said. “It will help me complete my book manuscript on Han Taiwanese girls’ education under Japanese colonialism from 1895 to 1945.” She also will continue to teach as a full-time faculty member in the history department. For the 2019-2020 academic year, AAUW is awarding a total of $4 million through seven fellowships and other grants programs to 259 scholars, research projects and programs promoting education and equity for women and girls. “AAUW’s fellows and grantees have made major contributions to our society and to the world at large,” says Kim Churches, the chief executive officer of AAUW. “These trailblazers are breaking the mold in nontraditional fields and redefining what leadership looks like. AAUW is proud to support them with the resources they need to excel.”

accolades

faculty alumni students friends

UTC ROTC students are commissioned into the U.S.Army May 2019 at Coolidge Park, Chattanooga.