The University of Tennessee in Knoxville hit a big construction milestone Friday as the highest beam on the new Haslam College of Business addition was hoisted into place, with students, donors and campus leaders gathered around for a ceremonial beam signing. The topping-out event marked the end of the building’s vertical construction and a visible step toward opening new classrooms, labs and collaborative spaces for the college.
Beam Signing And A New Name
Before the beam went up, students, university officials and guests scrawled their names and messages across the steel that will sit at the building’s highest point. Among those on hand were Randy Boyd, James A. Haslam II, William B. Stokely, John Zomchick and Stephen L. Mangum. University leaders also revealed that the addition is slated to be called Boyd Hall, a name the school notes is still subject to approval by the UT Board of Trustees. The new structure rises on the former sites of Dunford, Greve and Henson halls, across Volunteer Boulevard from the existing Haslam Business Building and the Stokely Management Center, as reported by WATE 6 On Your Side.
What The New Building Will Add To Campus
The roughly $227 million, approximately 243,800-square-foot addition is scheduled to open in fall 2027 and is set to add 18 classrooms, three research laboratories, two 300-seat auditoriums, meeting spaces, offices, food service and common areas designed to serve more than 10,000 students and visitors, according to the $227 million project. Designers and university officials say the mix of graduate, undergraduate and executive-education spaces is intended to boost collaboration with industry and expand programming across Haslam.
Leaders Spotlight Graduate And Executive Education
“The building expands significantly the space for graduate and executive education,” Stephen L. Mangum said. John Zomchick added that the facility will provide “state-of-the-art instructional and collaborative spaces preparing students for the workplaces of today and tomorrow.” Their remarks at the topping-out event underscored the college’s goals to modernize instruction and grow research capacity, as reported by WATE 6 On Your Side.
Money, Timeline And What Comes Next
University officials say state and campus funds will cover roughly 55 percent of the project, while leaders aim to raise about $100 million in private gifts to complete the financing. Construction originally broke ground in August 2024, and interior work remains on schedule ahead of the planned fall 2027 opening, per the project’s funding plan. The college notes that the addition will free up space in older buildings to support other programs across campus.
As the signed beam takes its place at the top of the structure, Haslam leaders point to the top-floor milestone as a visible marker of a multi-year campus transformation that will touch classrooms, labs and meeting spaces in the heart of campus. The proposed name, Boyd Hall, will go to the UT Board of Trustees for final approval, and Haslam officials expect students to begin using the new spaces once the building opens in fall 2027.
