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University of Tennessee at Chattanooga fans hear from Hart

By: John Frierson
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Rick Hart

Speaking to a crowd of more than 75 fans, alumni and boosters Thursday night, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga athletic director Rick Hart addressed several important matters but talked about actual sports only a little.

The “town hall meeting” in the Hall of Fame Room of McKenzie Arena was the first such gathering Hart has hosted, but he said it won’t be the last.

“I’m pleased with the turnout and it’s something that we want to start to do regularly,” he said afterward. “We’ve talked about doing it annually or biannually. We don’t have an exact idea of what’s appropriate now, but we’re going to regularly, not just when we have something specific to share like we did tonight.

“We want to make sure that the community hears from us and we hear from them.”

Hart opened the meeting with an outline of the athletic department’s strategic plan, which he said was 103 pages long and took more than a year to formulate. The plan covers everything from staff responsibilities and expectations to fundraising and athletic and academic performance by the student-athletes.

Hart said he was introduced to an athletic department strategic plan while working at Oklahoma, and it was something he wanted to implement at UTC.

“It’s one of those things that once you embark on it you wonder how you ever lived without it,” Hart said. “When we talk about a unified voice and vision, we’ve got to have that. Everybody has to understand their role; everybody has to understand what we have to accomplish and how we must accomplish it. And our plan helps us do that.”

After Hart spoke, assistant athletic director for development Scott Koskoski discussed the importance of fundraising and explained the formal merger of the Mocs’ fundraising entity, the Blue & Gold Club, with the Chattanooga Mocs booster club. Those two support groups have been replaced by the UTC Mocs Club, which will be managed by the development office.

Hart said he had the idea to combine the groups when he interviewed for the job more than two years ago. He said he was confused about the role of each club and “just felt like if I’m confused about it, other people might be too.”

By creating one support club, Hart said, they can streamline the process of fundraising and take maximum advantage of the resources of each.

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