April 8, 2021

Dear Chattanooga State Family, 

The spring is an excellent reminder that the rain will eventually clear, and the flowers will take its place. It’s such a good analogy for where we are in the semester. We’re near the end of the term, we are a few weeks away from the end of the semester—all of your hard work is about to pay off. It’s also a good analogy for where we are in the pandemic, we know it’s been difficult, but the sun is breaking through the clouds. As more and more people are vaccinated and cases are in decline, we’re looking forward to returning to a safe campus in the near future. 

Student Spotlight: Kansas Bradley, nominated for President’s Award
SkillsUSA 2021 Medal Winners
National Signing Day Event
Apply to Be a Summer Tutor
Looking Ahead—Fall 2021
Important Financial Aid Deadlines
Student Voices Initiative (SVI)
Student Resources
Student Life Events & Activities
College Exit Exam
National Signing Day Event
Dream Big, Think Big: Tigers' Den Pitch Competition

We are resilient. We are innovative. We are united. We are ChattState.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Ashford, Ed.D.
President

 

Student Spotlight: Kansas Bradley, nominated for President’s Award

Kansas has defied all odds throughout her journey in the Chattanooga State nursing program. Kansas is a hardworking student, mother and church member who is active in all regards. She and her family suffered significant damage to their home in the Spring of 2020, when the tornado hit Chattanooga at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In spite of this seemingly overwhelming obstacle, Kansas was able to regroup with family and continued to excel within the nursing program. Kansas recently won a gold medal at the Skills USA Medical Math competition, representing the ADN program at Chattanooga State. Kansas has a wonderful attitude and positive demeanor not just at school, but in the clinical setting as well. She strives to learn as much as she can, to make herself a better nurse, and overall better individual. Kansas is a true representative of a successful community college student and soon-to-be graduate. We are proud to have Mrs. Bradley represent our nursing program. 

SkillsUSA 2021 Medal Winners

Medal 

Contest 

Advisor 

Contestant 

Gold 

Career Pathways Showcase - Human Services 

Elonia James 

Rebekah Bailey 

Gold 

Elisabeth Dupree 

Gold 

Lydia Lehman 

Gold 

Esthetics 

Elonia James 

Silvia Reynoso 

Gold 

Ashanti Miles 

Gold 

Extemporaneous Speaking 

Cindy Rutledge 

Hayley Williams 

Gold 

Industrial Motor Control 

Robert Martin 

Johnathan Whitford 

Gold 

Information Technology Services 

Rex Weeks/Mike Mercer 

Nicholas Saul 

Gold 

Marine Service Technology 

Ed Grun 

Alyssa Anderssen 

Gold 

Medical Assisting 

Cindy Rutledge 

Robyn Wyatt 

Gold 

Welding Sculpture 

Gregory Henderson 

Kristina Key 

Gold 

Programming 

Hanadi Mohamed 

Alejandro Olson 

Gold 

Medical Terminology 

Ashley Thiers 

Merisha Rogers 

Gold 

Medical Math 

Ashley Thiers 

Kansas Bradley 

Silver 

Marine Service Technology 

Ed Grun 

Aaliyah Hickey 

Silver 

Medical Math 

Tina Hilinski 

Haleigh Fogtman 

Silver 

Motorcycle Service Technology 

Ed Grun 

Caleb McAtee 

Silver 

Power Equipment Technology 

Ed Grun 

Tanner Peels 

Silver 

Programming 

Hanadi Mohamed 

Sarah Adams 

Bronze 

Nail Care 

Elonia James 

Justice Harvey 

Bronze 

Welding Sculpture 

Zack Castroverde 

Alyssa Rogers 

National Signing Day Event

On Thursday, April 15th, TCAT Chattanooga will be co-hosting a National Signing Day Event with Sequoyah High School to honor their TCAT dual enrollment students choosing to finish their education here at TCAT Chattanooga.

Apply to Be a Summer Tutor

You can earn a $1000 stipend for your work this summer tutoring. The Bill & Crissy Haslam Foundation launched the Tennessee Tutoring Corps (TTC) to help address COVID learning losses for students across our state. Apply now to  take part in this exciting opportunity. 

Looking Ahead—Fall 2021 

Schedule an advising appointment 

Registration for summer and fall is now open for all returning students; you will need a PIN to register. Schedule an appointment with your advisor to be sure you know which classes to take next semester.

7-Week Classes Update 

The 7-week class format breaks the standard 15-week semester into two sessions that are 7-weeks each. You will still take the same number of classes as you would in a 15-week semester, but now you divide the number between the two 7-week sessions. For instance, if you normally take 5 classes in a 15-week semester, the first 7 weeks you might take 3 classes and in the second 7 weeks you might take 2 classes.

The data is in. Over the past several semesters that we have offered 7-week classes at ChattState, students are more likely to finish the class. It doesn’t matter how you break the data down: gender, race, income, or age. Here at ChattState we have seen an increase of 10–15% of students are more likely to finish classes during the 7-week session than they are in a 15-week session. This better completion rate can be attributed to being able to stay focused because of fewer classes, stay motivated because of a shorter term, and stay on track because of fewer classes to plan around.

Important Financial Aid Deadlines 

  • Tennessee Reconnect Grant Program 2020-21 FAFSA filing deadline for the extended from February 1, 2021, to May 15, 2021.  

  • Dual Enrollment Grant application deadline for the Spring 2021 term extended from February 1, 2021, to May 15, 2021.  

  • Dual Enrollment Grant application deadline for the Spring 2021 term at Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT) from March 1, 2021 to May 15, 2021.

Student Voices Initiative (SVI)

Chattanooga State faculty, staff, and administrators want to learn more about what it means to be a Chattanooga State student. In order to learn more about student experiences, we are conducting student focus groups (guided discussions), which are designed to gather perspectives from a diverse array of students.  We invite you to participate in these focus groups to help us. To participate, please sign up. Compensation of $25 is offered to students who complete the focus group survey.

Student Resources

  • Tutoring: Virtual tutoring services are available to you. 

  • Emergency Aid: The Student Support Center is available to assist students struggling to meet their basic needs. Please use the Wellness Check on TigerWeb to let us know if you need assistance. 

  • Technology Support: Devices (laptops, hotspots, etc.) are available through the College. To request a device, complete the technology request form. 

  • Support Services: Chattanooga State is dedicated to delivering support services and resources to assist our students. Visit the virtual Student Support Center to learn more about the many services offered. 

  • Academic Resources: Visit the Spring 2021 Update page for a listing of academic resources, including links to the Math Center, Andrews Reading and Writing Center, the Testing Center, Kolwyck Library, and more. 

  • Student Assistance Library (Lib) Guide: We now have a Lib Guide for students to provide assistance with eLearn / Virtual Classes / Proctoring / Accessibility / etc. 

  • Career Services Center: The Career Services Center is available to provide services online or by phone to Chattanooga State students, alumni, faculty and staff. Services include career counseling & assistance with selecting a major, job search planning, resume writing assistance, interview skills, and more. Visit JOBlink to view job and internship opportunities. To schedule an appointment for any service, please call 423-697-4421 or email careers@chattanoogastate.edu. The Career Services Virtual Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

  • Food: The Tiger Cupboard provides supplemental food and other necessities for students in need. Visit for more information. 

  • Tennessee Board of Regents Student Resources: We know that the global COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak has been causing a great deal of uncertainty, anxiety, and stress for students across Tennessee. The closing of many places of employment and moving college courses and services to a virtual environment can lead to emotional and financial strain in addition to the physical health risks presented by the virus. Please know that you are not alone.  

Student Life Events & Activities

All students are welcome to join! Check out your Student Life Calendar of Events.

College Exit Exam

For students who will complete associate degree requirements in May or summer months of 2021 and who have an intent to graduate form on file with Records, information about completing the required College Exit Exam has been sent to your student email (TigerMail). The exam is online, takes approximately 45 minutes and can be taken at your convenience by May 1, 2021. The results from the College Exit Exam are used for institutional improvement planning as well as an indicator of the learning within the required general education courses. 

Dream Big, Think Big: Tigers' Den Pitch Competition

Open to all faculty, staff and students! 

The Chattanooga State Tigers’ Den seeks higher ed entrepreneurs! This competition is open to any humans with a bold idea to accelerate pandemic recovery to make things better for our campus family. Cross-divisional teams are encouraged to apply. Apply today.