Dear colleagues,

On Friday, the UT Board of Trustees approved the naming of the Zeanah Engineering Complex in honor of alumni and longtime donors, Eric and Elaine Zeanah. This $129 million, 228,000-square-foot building next to Neyland Stadium will house the Nuclear Engineering program and the college’s first-year programs. When it opens in 2021, the building will be a stunning “gateway to engineering,” for many of our most-promising young scholars.

I’m proud of the Tickle College of Engineering whose continued forward progress was recognized in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings released today. The college moved up to 34th among public universities. The Haslam College of Business rose to 28th.

It is because of the generosity of many of our alumni and friends like the Zeanahs, along with the hard work of you, our faculty and staff, that we’ve been able to keep up our momentum across the entire university even as we grapple with the challenges of today.

Even in the face of a global pandemic, it is important that we continue to look toward our future and not lose sight of the important work of growing our university, our research, and our service to the state. Thank you for your part in this work.

Donde Plowman
Chancellor