Historic UT Investment
Haslams Pledge Record $130 Million to University of Tennessee, Boosting Business College and Faculty
Anonymous
Alumni and longtime Knoxville business leaders Dee and Jimmy Haslam have pledged $130 million to the University of Tennessee, calling it the largest gift in the university’s history and aimed at building on UT’s “next level” momentum. The donation’s biggest share, $100 million, is earmarked for the Haslam College of Business to recruit faculty, expand student-success efforts, fund scholarships, and create a new undergraduate honors program, with a particular focus on strengthening coordination between the business school and UT’s Division of Student Success. The remaining $30 million will support recruiting leading faculty across multiple colleges universitywide. UT Chancellor Donde Plowman said the investment will help elevate UT’s national standing and increase impact across Tennessee and beyond, while Haslam College of Business leadership emphasized enhancing quality and relevance through research, learning, and expanded opportunities. The Haslams’ earlier giving brings their lifetime total to more than $195 million to UT, and the university also says part of the plan includes $50 million to match other alumni and donor contributions; NFL quarterback Peyton Manning highlighted the importance of professor-student relationships and thanked the Haslams for supporting future Volunteers.
Key Points
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Dee Haslam said the donation was “something we’ve been thinking about for years” and framed it as an extension of the family’s long ties to UT, telling Knox News they don’t see it as “making history” but hoping the impact is “historic for the university.”
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The gift is described not only as the largest for UT, but as the largest investment in “UT System history,” according to the reporting.
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The Haslam College of Business is named after Jimmy Haslam’s father, James A. Haslam II—context for why the donation is described as a multigenerational, family-rooted investment.
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UT System President Randy Boyd is also making a separate donation “to add his name to the business college’s new building,” alongside the officials credited with shepherding the investment (including Chancellor Donde Plowman and others).
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While the summary notes the plan includes a $50 million matching component, Knox News adds that the match would effectively increase the campus impact to $180 million.
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