Awards and Recognitions
Celebrating accomplished alumni and friends of UTC.
Whether celebrating alumni who are exemplary in their field, individuals who champion UTC with their time and talents or recognizing GOLD alumni making early strides in their career, our alumni awards and special recognition recipients exemplify excellence through professional accomplishments and community contributions.
They inspire us to soar to higher heights.
Nominations for 2026 are Open
Distinguished Alumni Award
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest annual commendation presented to an alumnus/a. This award recognizes alumni who demonstrate extraordinary service to their alma mater, their field and their community.
Nominate HereOutstanding Service Award
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Outstanding Service Award honors community leaders who exemplify exceptional personal service and a commitment to UTC and the community. The award recipients rise above the ordinary standard of service.
GOLD Excellence Award
The GOLD Excellence Award recognizes those who graduated within the last decade, have exemplified early success, and positive contributions within their profession, community, or other impactful areas.
Nominate hereNow Accepting Nominations
Nominations are open for the 2024 Distinguished Alumni, Outstanding Service and GOLD Excellence Awards through February 14, 2024.
Distinguished Alumni AwardNomination Form Outstanding Service Award
Nomination Form GOLD Excellence Award
Nomination Form
Meet the 2025 Award Winners
Hear from our award winners about their experiences at UTC and what makes it so special.
Outstanding Service Award: Senator Bo Watson (’83)
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Outstanding Service Award honors community leaders who exemplify exceptional personal service and a commitment to UTC and the community. The award recipients rise above the ordinary standard of service.
Read More
Distinguished Alumni Award: Hiren Desai (’91)
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest annual commendation presented to an alumnus/a. This award recognizes alumni who demonstrate extraordinary service to their alma mater, their field and their community.
Learn More about Hiren
GOLD Excellence Award: Hallie DeHart (’18)
The GOLD Excellence Award is one of the most prominent honors presented to an alumnus/a. The award recognizes individuals who graduated within the last decade and have demonstrated early success and made positive contributions to their profession, community, or other impactful areas.
Learn More about HalliePast Award Winners
See a list of our past award winners.