Under a large tent on the future site of the College of Medicine Interdisciplinary Building at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences, hundreds of university leaders, elected officials, community partners, alumni, students, faculty and staff gathered Thursday, Oct. 8, to mark a milestone years in the making: the groundbreaking of a $350 million building that represents the largest capital investment by the Tennessee General Assembly in a higher education institution in state history.
One of the most significant events ever held by the university, the groundbreaking ceremony included remarks from university and state leaders, followed by a ceremonial turning of orange shovels to mark the beginning of construction on a project that will have an impact far beyond the UT Health Sciences campus.
“Healthcare really matters, and that is why we at UT Health Sciences have a very simple vision of four words: Healthy Tennesseans. Thriving Communities,” Chancellor Peter Buckley, MD, said. “Today, we are driving toward healthy Tennesseans together.”