Mark Wharton has received a four-year contract extension as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's athletic director.
Wharton, who is also a vice chancellor for UTC, was entering the final year of a five-year agreement he signed in August 2017, but the new deal runs through August 2026.
Steve Angle, UTC's chancellor, announced the contract extension Wednesday afternoon in a release that did not include salary information. Wharton's base salary for 2020 was $210,000, according to the University of Tennessee System's salary database.
"The quality he has attracted and retained in key personnel positions is vital, and it has translated to success in the classroom and in competition," Angle said in the release.
During Wharton's tenure, UTC's success in Southern Conference competition includes the softball program's tournament championship in 2019, the same year the Mocs wrestling team shared the regular-season championship. The women's basketball program shared the SoCon regular-season title for the 2019-20 school year, and this past season the men's basketball team went undefeated in nonconference play for the first time in school history and finished 18-8 overall.
Under Wharton's leadership, graduation rates for UTC student-athletes have topped 90% for the first time, and three of the highest overall GPAs for Mocs athletics were achieved in the past three semesters. In addition, fundraising and Mocs Club memberships are at an all-time high, even with the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the release.
In spring 2020, UTC student-athletes had a collective 3.421 GPA, the fourth record-setting term in a row. For the spring 2021 semester, 65% of student-athletes made the dean's list (3.2 GPA or higher) and 74% of student-athletes made the athletic director's honor roll (3.0 or higher).
Wharton implemented the One Chattanooga program, which will generate $1 million in unrestricted support, according to the release. Also, the Mocs Club received a record $1.2 million in annual giving during the 2018-19 academic year, which carried over to the following year as the club received $1.1 million in annual giving despite the pandemic. The C Club, the letter winners' organization, has grown 300% since Wharton's arrival.
He also created the fan council, a 12-person committee created to provide feedback and guidance in external operations as it relates to fan experience and enhancements for game days.
"I would like to thank Dr. Angle and the entire executive leadership team at UTC for their continued faith in our athletics program," Wharton said in the release. "I am fortunate to work with an outstanding group of coaches, staff and student-athletes, and they have done a tremendous job throughout my tenure.
"I am excited about our future as we still have many goals to achieve and plenty of room for improvement. I look forward to welcoming fans back to our events in the fall, so come be a part of what we are building at UTC."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.