First-year undergraduates might benefit from a rideshare and carshare program as soon as this fall.
The UT Knoxville Advisory Board met Friday morning in the UT Medical Nursing Building. Along with announcing in-progress student transportation projects, the board discussed UT’s record enrollment and retention this fall, the construction of several new educational and residential buildings and improvements to the athletics experience. In addition, the board received updates on research developments and fundraising efforts.
The advisory board serves to counsel UT System President Randy Boyd on campus-level strategic plans and operating budgets. Boyd takes their recommendations to the UT system board of trustees before votes take place.
Kaden Grace appointed as student board member
UT Chancellor Donde Plowman opened the meeting by recognizing this year’s student board member Kaden Grace, a fourth-year PhD candidate studying economics and public finance. Grace has also served as chairperson of the Haslam Business College Doctoral Students Association since 2023.
Kaden Grace, the Student Advisory Board member, is introduced during the Advisory Board meeting in the new nursing building. Friday, Sept. 5, 2025.
“It’s not often that you run into doctoral students who get involved in the campus or in their college while they’re here,” Plowman said. “But Kaden has taken a different approach.”
Enrollment, graduation and retention
Plowman highlighted record enrollment numbers at the university. This year’s freshman class brings 7,143 new Vols to campus, up from last year’s class size of around 6,800 students.
The increase in freshman enrollment was accommodated by the construction of Beacon and Poplar halls, two new residence buildings for first-year students. The construction operations aligned with both the projected schedule and budget, offering students flexible, affordable pricing. Torchbearer Hall, projected to be completed in Fall 2026, will continue these efforts to increase housing stock.
Plowman also made note of community building successes this fall. Social aspects of the university — like student engagement events and the Greek life community — Plowman said, create a sense of community that contributes to UT’s unparalleled student experience.
“It’s efforts like this that continue to get students engaged early on,” Plowman said. “Engagement leads to success in the classroom, leads to retention, leads to graduation.”
UT’s retention rate has risen for the third consecutive year, which helped grow enrollment to an institutional record of 40,421 this fall, according to a UT press release.
Plowman added that UT’s graduation rate is up to 74.5%, which is on track to be comparable to the median rate of the Association of American Universities, a group of 71 leading research universities, which stands at 82%. Plowman predicts that UT will surpass a graduation rate of 80% within the next few years.
“These records are a testament to the innovative approach of our faculty and staff, and the hard work of our students,” Plowman said.
Construction
Plowman highlighted the addition of several new buildings on UT’s campus: the UT Medical Nursing Building, a new Haslam College of Business building, chemistry building, student success building and new athletic projects.
Plowman expects the new College of Business building to be open for fall 2027. She added it will be primarily used for undergraduates and executive education.
The new chemistry building will provide more opportunities for the chemistry department to get to the “next level,” according to Plowman.
“Our chemistry department, the polymer part of chemistry, we’re number two in the country,” Plowman said. “This is gonna enable them to really contribute in new ways to this whole goal about moving to the next level because there will be labs in there, some for teaching and also some for research.”
The new chemistry building’s groundbreaking took place Friday afternoon.
The construction of these buildings, however, brought another campus issue to the surface: a lack of what Plowman calls “swing space,” or places to relocate classes when they are uprooted by construction. Last year, nursing students faced difficult learning conditions as their classes were pushed to basements.
Dr. Victoria Niederhauser gives an update on the nursing department during the Advisory Board meeting. Friday, Aug. 5, 2025.
“We did the best we could with what we did, but that’s what nurses do,” Victoria P. Niederhauser, dean of the College of Nursing, said.
Mobility
Paul Byrnes, senior vice chancellor of finance and administration, discussed the parking and transportation department’s expansion of mobility options and continuous work on parking.
“What they’re trying to do is move our solution set beyond parking,” Byrnes said. “We are gonna address parking as well, but they’re trying to think further in terms of mobility and how we can better serve our campus.”
Byrnes introduced plans for a pilot rideshare program this fall to support first-year, non-commuter undergraduate students without parking permits. The first 1,000 eligible students to register will have the opportunity to receive five vouchers per academic term for use in the Knoxville area and TYS.
“What we’re trying to do is create the need for students not to have a car on campus, and meet that in a more positive way,” Byrnes said.
Byrnes spoke about plans for a carshare program for UT students 18 years and older with driver’s licenses. The program will aim to open this fall, and allow for on-campus access to affordable short-term vehicle rentals, according to Byrnes. It will feature both hourly and daily rentals. Overall vehicle availability will grow with student demand.
Byrnes also shared that monthly ridership of the T-Bus and KAT system increased 74% year-on-year in 2024-25 from T-Bus monthly ridership in 2023-24. New T-Bus routes between UT and the downtown area, and enhanced park-and-ride shuttle services were also highlighted.
Athletics
Director of Athletics Danny White shared the developing successes of UT athletics. The university placed 6th last year in the Learfield Director’s Cup, an award recognizing the overall athletic accomplishments of universities around the country.
White highlighted the expansion of the South Concourse of Neyland Stadium and said the improvements to the concourse will improve the fan experience by mitigating pedestrian traffic. He also described the addition of new VIP suites to Neyland.
Athletics Director Danny White gives an update about UTK's sports during the Advisory Board meeting. Friday, Sept. 5, 2025.
“We have the best fanbase in the country,” White said. “We will not take them for granted.”
Expansions to Lindsey Nelson Stadium were also discussed, including a new student section, increased capacity, new and renovated restrooms and concessions and a new main entry to the stadium. These expansions follow recent baseball successes, with last year being the Vols’ fifth straight super regional appearance.
“We have a lot more going on,” White said. “And we’ll continue to have our foot on the accelerator.”
UT recorded record fundraising
Plowman also announced that more than 70,000 donors contributed a record $428 million to the university.
The UT Advisory Board will meet next in February 2026.
