Rutherford Times

The spring 2023 semester will welcome back students, faculty and staff with new and continuing construction projects at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The investments will support growth and enrich the campus experience.

Projects include enhancements to iconic sports venues, innovative teaching and learning spaces, a performing arts venue and new academic buildings.

Recently completed projects

Phase 1 enhancements at Neyland Stadium were finished in time for the 2022 football season, improving the game day experience for fans. The most notable changes include the social deck and new video scoreboard in the north end zone. Other amenities include upgraded seating at the lower west bowl and new theatrical lighting.

Additional improvements at Neyland Stadium will continue through 2025, with more changes unveiled each season. In 2023 fans will notice brick accent walls leading from the field area to the concourses as well as preparatory construction for upcoming amenities such as expanded food preparation areas for concessions and improved bathroom facilities.

The new 19,000-square-foot addition to the College of Veterinary Medicine in the UT Institute of Agriculture is complete. The first classes were held in the college’s Teaching and Learning Center ahead of the 2022 winter break. The new addition houses the Ann and John Tickle Central Hall Auditorium as well as a clinical skills simulation lab and wet lab. The labs allow veterinary students to practice procedures they will use on a daily basis in a safe, risk-free and low-stress environment before working on live animals. Both small and large animal models are available for practicing blood sampling from veins and the placement of catheters, as well as models for practicing surgical suture placement and tying surgical knots. The labs ensure a systematic approach to teaching proper clinical techniques. The building’s main concourse offers space for informal learning and exhibits by students and industry partners.

Projects under construction

Planting of native trees, shrubs and flowering plants at the new Stormwater Park is expected to begin in late February as the weather warms up. The plants thrive in a wet environment and will purify the water in a new stormwater management system. The system will create an urban park with water features, seating, and outdoor teaching and recreation areas. The park, on the west end of campus, remains on track for a spring 2023 opening.

The new 157,000-square-foot Energy and Environmental Science Research Building is scheduled to open in spring 2024. It will provide research labs, classrooms, a 500-seat auditorium and a new commons area with food service for the UT Institute of Agriculture. 

The Croley Nursing Building remains on schedule for a fall 2025 opening. It will replace the former College of Nursing Building, which was torn down. Construction crews are working to install the foundations for the new building. The 117,000-square-foot building will offer classrooms, simulation labs, research labs, offices and a green roof. It is named for Sara Croley (’00) and her husband, Ross, who donated $7.5 million to the college. 

Projects in design  

An artist rendering shows a bird’s-eye view of the new Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Enhancements include seating, food, lighting, and sound and visual updates.Design kicked off in January for the multiphase Lindsey Nelson Baseball Stadium project, which will fully update the iconic facility. Enhancements include all areas of the fan experience with seating, food, lighting, and sound and visual updates. For 2023, fans will find third-level porches and chair backs along the right field line. New seating and amenities will be available along both the first- and third baselines starting in 2024. All renovations are planned to be complete in time for the 2025 season.

Design for a new building to expand the Haslam College of Business is set to begin in March 2023. The new building will provide state-of-the-art classrooms, collaboration areas and additional office space. It will be constructed across Volunteer Boulevard from the existing Haslam Business Building.

The West Volunteer Boulevard Streetscape project is being completed in phases to accommodate academic and special event schedules. Construction is expected to begin on the section from Caledonia Avenue north to Cumberland Avenue in summer 2023. That phase is scheduled to be completed in time for fall 2023 move-in. A subsequent phase in 2024 will complete the improvements, removing all parking from this main thoroughfare. It will positively affect pedestrians’ experience while helping the university meet its sustainability goals.

A new student success building will be constructed in the footprint of Melrose Hall. It is expected to enter the design phase in June 2023. The building will house the Division of Student Success, Student Disability Services, five instructional classrooms, and academic and special event spaces. Opening is planned for 2026. 

The Jenny Boyd Carousel heatre has moved into the design phase and is projected to open in fall 2025. The new 17,000-square-foot building will replace the Carousel Theatre and provide experimental and flexible theatre space with multiple levels of seating, a lobby, greenroom, and back-of-house support spaces. The new theatre is made possible by a $5 million gift from UT System President Randy Boyd and his wife, Jenny, who both graduated from UT in 1979.

Projects in development

The university is seeking public-private partnerships to build two new residence halls in the west campus area that would create approximately 1,250 beds as well as a potential facility adjacent to Lindsey Nelson Stadium that would create approximately 750 beds and a multiple-use indoor facility that would be shared by the TRECS student recreation center and Athletics. The facility near the baseball stadium is contingent upon approval by the UT Board of Trustees of its inclusion in the university’s campus master plan update. Any public-private partnership must be approved by the state. 

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