With Tennessee legislators starting the state’s budget process, Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham said the university’s top capital ask this year is funding for a new life sciences building.
Oldham said a new building would replace Pennebaker Hall, which was built in 1971 and is one of the oldest buildings on campus. Oldham said life science disciplines need a larger and more modern facility.
“It’s an area that is in need, and we need to not only reinforce the student experience for those students, but we also need to provide more and better research opportunities for the faculty in those disciplines,” Oldham said.
Oldham said a new building would house biology as well as other life science disciplines. Oldham said the university envisions the cost of a new building would be an estimated $200 million.
“What we would be requesting this year is the design money for that,” Oldahm said. “So that we could spend a year with architects designing the project and getting a sharp focus on what the cost would be.”
Oldham said he feels good about the university’s capital projects plan. Oldham said Tennessee is well-managed fiscally and is usually in a good position to invest in its universities. However, Oldham said he would not be surprised if funding for universities decreased as budgets go through cycles.
“This year is probably not going to be a banner year for funding levels,” Oldham said. “But I also know that our state legislature and the support we have in Nashville always try to do everything they can to help us out, and we appreciate that tremendously.”
Oldham said the state offers good support for the things Tech is trying to do. Oldham said he hopes to work with legislators to hopefully get items in the upcoming budget that will be beneficial to Tennessee Tech.