TTU Expects Roaden Expansion to be Completed by January

Tennessee Tech expects the Roaden University Center expansion project to be completed before students return in January.

Senior Director of Communications and Marketing Dewayne Wright says the project is currently in the final stages.

“Right now the construction has moved to the inside, so all of the exterior framework has been completed, all of the finishes and the drywall inside is done,” Wright says. “What needs to be completed now is placing the furniture and doing the finishing touches as far as the walls, carpet, the ceiling tiles, things like that.”

Wright says the expansion will help meet the needs of a student population that has grown since the building was completed in 1971.

“The student population of the campus was much lower than it us now, so by expanding the building, it’s going to allow for the building to be ‘right-sized’ for our current student population,” Wright says. “It’s going to give students a lot more lounge space, places they can stay, study, and meet with friends in between classes.”

Wright says the new lounge areas will be one of the few currently available on campus, something the school hopes to see more of in the near future.

The expansion adds an additional 11,500 square feet of space to the Roaden University Center and adds new dining areas and a walkway bridge from Centennial Plaza to the first-floor of the expansion.

Wright says the expansion is one of many expansion projects ongoing at Tennessee Tech.

“This is the largest amount of construction that has happened at the University since the 1960s,” Wright says. “It’s a very exciting time for the University and we’re already starting to see an increase in interest in what’s going on on campus.”

Wright says the recent construction projects have actually helped attract the attention of prospective students and their families.

“With the TSSAA (BlueCross Bowl), there were a lot of parents asking my staff that were at the game ‘what’s that building going to be?'” Wright says. “They were already recognizing the campus is undergoing a major upgrade.”

Wright says the university currently has over 40 projects underway. About 14 of the projects were approved by the State Building Commission with budgets starting at $100,000 or more. The campus is also undergoing several smaller university-sanction projects ranging from office renovations to installing fume hoods for chemistry labs.

The total cost of the Roaden University Expansion project is approximately $7 million with funding coming from state capital maintenance funds and student fees. Classes at Tennessee Tech will be back in session starting Monday, Jan 14.