UT President Randy Boyd said getting funding for the new building was the school system’s “top priority.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee General Assembly passed its annual budget Thursday, which includes the state’s largest-ever higher education investment in a major construction project at the University of Tennessee.
In a press release, UT President Randy Boyd called the budget “meaningful progress across key priorities that strengthen our ability to educate students, advance research and serve communities statewide.”
The budget allocates $311 million for a new College of Medicine Interdisciplinary Building at the UT Health Science Center, which Boyd said was the university’s top priority for the session.
The investment nearly doubles the state’s previous record for a higher education capital investment, set just last year when the state allocated $165.2 million for UT Knoxville’s Chemistry Building.
The budget also sets aside $6.68 million for salary increases at programs outside the standard funding formula, including the university’s Health Science Center, Institute of Agriculture and Institute for Public Service. Lawmakers added nearly $3 million on top of that, which Boyd said will help the school find and keep employees.
The budget also included:
- $13.9 million each year to cover the state’s share of rising employee health insurance costs
- $12.3 million in performance-based funding for UT universities
- $24.2 million for “Healthy Smiles,” a program between UT’s Health Science Center and the Tennessee Department of Health to expand dental care and grow the state’s dental workforce
- $4.23 million for UT Martin’s Cattle Outreach and Workforce Facility, which will give students hands-on training and support Tennessee’s beef industry
- $27.1 million for maintenance and repairs across the UT system
“We appreciate the trust our state leaders have placed in the University of Tennessee and the responsibility we carry to deliver for the people of our great state,” UT President Randy Boyd said in a press release. “With this continued investment and partnership, we are well-positioned to build on our momentum and continue advancing the Greatest Decade in UT history.”
