Hamilton Reporter

The Southern Conference announced the 2022-23 All-Faculty & Staff Team Wednesday. The 20-member squad honors one faculty and one staff member from each of its 10 schools. The team includes the Chattanooga Mocs duo of Dr. Michael D. Thompson and Will Watson.
 
Thompson heads the University's History Department while Watson serves in UTC's Center for Professional Education.
 
"It's great to see them honored," Vice-Chancellor Mark Wharton shared. "We appreciate the Southern Conference recognizing those at each full-member institution that are as impactful to lives of not only our student-athletes, but also our staffs and community as Michael and Will."
 
While the selections were left up to each institution's discretion, the recipients all shared the common characteristics of demonstrated service to the institution and contributions to campus life and the local community. Faculty members selected have demonstrated strong contributions to teaching, research and/or service, while staff members are being recognized for bringing out the best in others and creating conditions for success.
 
"The Southern Conference is proud to once again recognize outstanding faculty and staff members from each of our member institutions," SoCon Commissioner Jim Schaus said. "They are all integral parts of each of their campuses and it's our honor to commemorate their service. I look forward to meeting all of them at our recognition ceremonies throughout the next couple of months."
 
The recipients will be recognized at one of their institutions' home men's basketball games this year. The Mocs designated game is the Feb. 22 matchup with Samford. It's not the only game with this recognition the Mocs are involved in this season. The road games at Furman (Feb. 1), Western Carolina (Feb. 4) and VMI (Feb. 15) also features the reigning Southern Conference Champions.
 
The 2022-23 SoCon All-Faculty & Staff Team:
Chattanooga – Dr. Michael D. Thompson & Will Watson
The Citadel – Dr. Deirdre Ragan and Kester Melville
ETSU – Dr. Don Good & Levi Smith
Furman – Dr. John Harris and Hunter Reid
Mercer – Dr. Caryn Seney and Katie Johnson
UNC Greensboro – Dr. Susan Phillips Keane and Melinda Wolf
Samford – Laura Promer and Doug Wilson
VMI – Col. Tom Timmes and Sergeant Major Tom Sowers
Western Carolina – Dr. Cyndy Caravelis and Brian Boyer
Wofford – Dr. Cecile Nowatka and Dr. James Stukes.
 
Bios on the Mocs dynamic duo:
Dr. Michael D. Thompson, Chattanooga (faculty)
Dr. Michael D. Thompson is a UC Foundation Associate Professor of American History and has served as the head of the History Department at Chattanooga since 2018. Appointed to UTC's history faculty in 2009, Thompson is a scholar and teacher of the American South and slavery, and the early national and antebellum United States. His first book was an award-winning study of waterfront labor and laborers in Charleston, South Carolina, between the American Revolution and the Civil War, and he now is working on a book that interrogates the historical nexus of essential labor, racial presumptions and disease in urban environments, as well as a history of enslavement in and around Chattanooga and Hamilton County, Tennessee. As the History Department's internships coordinator from 2015-22, Thompson cultivated approximately 25 partnerships through which over 90 student interns served the community for more than 12,000 hours. Thompson recently completed a decade of service on UTC's institutional review board, and he currently serves on the undergraduate petitions committee. Thompson is a member of the Southern Labor Studies Association's executive board and a member of the editorial board for the University of South Carolina Press' Carolina Lowcountry and Atlantic World series.
 
"My limited time and experience as a college athlete instilled a deep appreciation for student-athletes at UTC and across the Southern Conference. It's such an honor to be associated through this award with so many hard-working and dedicated college students who also are playing competitive sports."
 
Will Watson, Chattanooga (staff)
After obtaining two degrees from Chattanooga, Will Watson now serves as the Workforce Development Specialist in UTC's Center for Professional Education. In his role, Watson developed healthcare certification programs and removed barriers to train and prepare adult learners to enter healthcare occupations, such as Certified Nursing Assistant and Clinical Medical Assistant. In less than five years, Watson has overseen the training and certification of roughly 750 adult learners, while providing them with direct pathways to meaningful employment through employer partnerships. These partnerships cover the cost of tuition for students, provide them with pay while in training, and guarantee them full-time employment once they finish. With the recent strain on the healthcare system and labor market, these training programs are a vital piece in supporting the Chattanooga healthcare system, as well as the community members striving to identify new career pathways. As a board member of the Howard High - Erlanger Institute of Healthcare and Innovation advisory board, Watson played a key role in assisting the school in obtaining NCAS status. Further, Watson integrated the CNA program into the school day for Howard High students at no cost to them or the school system, while also offering the same opportunity at the school in the evening for adults and family members. Watson was recently selected to be a part of the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce's Protégé Chattanooga 2022-23 cohort. He enjoys supporting all things Chattanooga and UTC, while spending time with his family, girlfriend and dogs.
 
"I'm proud to represent UTC as a 2-time graduate—and now a staff member—and I'm proud to be honored by the SoCon. While this is an individual achievement, I could not have done it without the folks in my office. Without them, I certainly wouldn't have had the support and the ability to bounce ideas off and grow and learn." 

Original source can be found here