Chancellor Steve Angle
UTC Chancellor Steve Angle said Saturday afternoon that the university is still considering when it may resume normal classes.
He said:
The Coronavirus health crisis has quickly changed our lives. The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department has received a positive Coronavirus (COVID-19) test result for a Hamilton County resident. The patient has been isolated at home and has already recovered from their illness. The source of the patient’s exposure to COVID-19 was a contact to a confirmed case in another state.
While the risk to the general public remains low, the Health Department continues to conduct surveillance for other possible COVID-19 cases.
I want to assure you that UTC experts in health, emergency management, safety, housing, academics, communication, facilities and administration are working around the clock to ensure that we continue to follow the most effective course of action to protect the safety and health of our Mocs family.
We continue to be in close contact with the Hamilton County Health Department and Hamilton County Emergency Management, as well as experts from the UT System, TEMA, the Tennessee Department of Health, CDC and others. We will provide additional updates as we receive them, but I ask you to keep an eye on the UTC website (utc.edu/coronavirus) for the latest information from UTC.
I want to thank each student, staff and faculty member for all they are doing to help deal with the challenges we face. We will continue to focus on our students and provide a path to graduation. We remain dedicated to our mission to provide the best possible educational experience for our students in spite of the hardships and difficulties we are facing. Our students and their families are counting on us. The task of bringing up our entire curriculum online is indeed daunting but working together we will succeed. Our students are faced with mastering material in ways that may be new and sometimes more difficult for them. We must all understand the difficult circumstances everyone is facing.
Over the next few days, we will evaluate when we can resume face-to-face instruction and the impact this decision would have on specific programs.
The health and well-being of our campus community remains our top priority. We will continue to keep you updated by email and at utc.edu/coronavirus as this situation evolves.