Thank you Andy for putting these thoughts into writing.  I am excited about
supporting and working with our new colleagues in the SimCenter.  What an
opportunity for UTC, the students, and our community.

Cecelia M. Wigal, Ph.D., P.E.
UC Foundation Associate Professor
NSF Scholars Program Director
College of Engineering and Computer Science
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Phone: (423) 425-4015
Fax:   (423) 425-5229

-----Original Message-----
From: UTC Staff E-Mail List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
Andy Novobilski
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 9:12 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [UTCSTAFF] Opportunities ...


One of the most amazing aspects of UTC is its ability to step up as a
community partner in issues of importance to the city.  Two examples are
the leadership position taken by members of the education faculty as
they actively partner in the direct education of students in Chattanooga
and by the nursing faculty as they continue to send highly qualified BSN
and MSN medical professionals into the community.

UTC has been asked, once again, to be a partner in a critical area of
growth - the establishment of Chattanooga as a hub for innovation.  This
is a particularly exciting opportunity as it will impact the community
through economic development.  Our partners in this opportunity will
include Mayor Corker, Congressman Wamp, the EPB, TVA, Delta Capital,
Tech/2020 and many others.  Through the efforts of members of our
faculty/administrator/staff members, and through the generosity of Jack
Lupton, we have the capabilities to take on a major role in this
initiative by augmenting our established technical programs and
contributions with a world class program in computational engineering.

This program, in addition to providing technical support, brings with it
many intangibles that are key to the advancement of the university.  The
new Ph.D. provides a complete educational path for students involved in
engineering and applied sciences.  The new research and education
faculty bring fresh ideas, skills and access to new opportunities to
engage our students in.  Also, they add to the body of scholarship being
generated by the university which, in turn, challenges all of us to work
towards the growth of research at UTC.

In the end, however, the single most important contribution made is in
the presence of the people who came.  It's easy to say "SIMCENTER" and
brush aside the key fact that it is a group of people - it's Daniel,
Holley, Lafe, Steve, Ramesh, Kyle, Roger, Harry, Dave and many others.
It's their families who are now part of our faculty, student-body, and
community.  It's a group of people who saw an opportunity in Chattanooga
(just like all of us who came from other areas) to enhance their careers
by doing something important in a supportive environment.

The UTC community has a choice - we can engage with our partners and be
a key contributor to the technology growth of Chattanooga, or we can
take a position that will, at best, have UTC viewed as non-contributor
in this area.  I, for one, want the opportunity to contribute in an area
I understand (computational technology) in the same way my colleagues in
education, nursing and others have done.  We can do it, but only if we
do it together.

===============================
Andy Novobilski, Ph.D.
Assoc. Prof. & Acting Dept. Head
UT Chattanooga Computer Science
(423) 425-4202