Students and faculty alike flocked to the construction site to “sign the beam.” The 3,000-pound beam became riddled with the marks of students eager to enjoy this new building, designed to create space for Haslam’s increasing enrollment numbers.

Announced to be named Boyd Hall after UT President Randy Boyd, its sole purpose is to support the needs of the increasing student and faculty population.

“This new building will create a business triangle of sorts,” Haslam College of Business Dean Stephen Mangum said. “Three buildings serving over 11,000 business students in addition to the broader campus community. We are confident it will be a transformative gathering place for students, faculty, staff, community and industry partners for decades to come.”

This new building will span 240,800 square feet, holding eight classrooms, two 300-person auditoriums, three research labs and a full-service Panera.

“This will be a place where students flock to build their skills, build their confidence and where faculty lead students to realize their skills, realize their dreams. It is and will be a place where innovation and partnership thrive,” Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs John Zomchick said.

This project is the result of multiple teams of people. McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects, Inc. and Robert A. M. Stern Architects have teamed up with the design and architecture, while Blaine Construction has been working diligently to finish this project by the fall of 2027.

“We’re very excited about the new building. We’re obviously very grateful to the state, to the university and particularly to the many alumni donors who have made it possible,” Mangum said. “I think our students are, I think our alumni do a great job of paying back and paying forward, and so we’re just excited about the opportunities this represents for future Vols.”

This project has taken $227 million to come together, and tremendous alumni support has showcased a deep love for UT.

“The state of Tennessee, we were fortunate that they gave about $83 million toward the project. Chancellor Donde Plowman, the campus, gave about $44 million. And then we’ve been responsible on the college front to raise the $100 million. And we’re about close to the $70 million mark. So we still have a little bit more work to do, but we’re getting there,” Mangum said.

The Topping Off Ceremony was met with energy as faculty and donors buzzed with excitement for the promise and potential of this new building. Mangum, Zomchick, Boyd and Jim Haslam all gave remarks. With the tradition of Ayres Hall looking over the construction site, the metaphor was not lost on the audience members.

“This will be the greatest decade in the history of the University of Tennessee, and it’s days like (these) that will define this,” Boyd said. “This project is exciting and important. We have incredible students, we have incredible faculty and they deserve incredible facilities. It’s exciting and important because it delivers on the mission of the University of Tennessee. We are the land grant University of Tennessee. We’re here to serve the people of Tennessee. We do that in a lot of ways, but one of the most important ways is to provide the opportunity to grow enrollment and grow graduates, to provide opportunities for students and for our employers.”

At the end of the presentation, with shouts and cheers to “raise the beam,” the signed steel beam was lifted to the top floor of the newly christened Boyd Hall — the beam, and the future of Haslam, bolted in place in Tennessee history.

“Now we have a saying around here, ‘It’s great to be a Tennessee Vol,’ and it is an especially exciting time to be a Tennessee Vol as we make great strides toward realizing our goals of growing our impact here in Tennessee and beyond,” Zomchick said. “We are all taking the University of Tennessee to the next level, providing volunteers with the best experience in the country and delivering impactful research that changes lives.”