Thanks to Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen’s proposed budget plan, as well as two grants from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, several big projects have been planned to benefit UTM. The capital projects that are proposed in Bredesen’s budget include remodeling and building an addition to the Fine Arts Building, upgrading the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system in the Business Administration Building and replacing UTM’s current communications tower.

The biggest project planned at UTM is the $13.9 million renovation and addition to the Fine Arts Building.

“The project will remodel the facility and provide needed space for relocation of all fine arts programs into a central location,” said Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Al Hooten. He also said that the university is extremely grateful that the Fine Arts Building is being proposed for this funding.

The budget will also include $800,000 to be distributed to the replacement of the communications tower, which is estimated to be over 30 years old. The current tower serves WLJT-TV, WUTM radio station and hosts repeaters for campus police, physical plant operations and the Weakley County Municipal Electric System communications systems.

“It will be a more substantial structure,” said Faculty Advisor for WUTM Richard Robinson.

Robinson continued by saying that the new tower would provide greater communications opportunities for UTM, and that it could potentially provide better coverage, depending on where UTM decides to put the new tower.

The College of Business and Public Affairs Building will also receive $2.3 million to improve its HVAC system.

“With our increased enrollment, capital projects, such as the Fine Arts project, the HVAC upgrade and the tower replacement, will help us to better serve our students and the region,” said UTM Chancellor Nick Dunagan.

More than $150,000 was awarded to the Improving Teacher Quality Program in its efforts to provide a professional development for classroom teachers to improve teaching and learning.

Two UTM staff members will be actively involved in this program. Dr. Cahit Erkal, Associate Professor of Physics, will be conducting a five-day “Actively-based Physics and Astronomy Summer Institute for Middle and Junior-High School Teachers: Year Four” workshop that will primarily focus on physics, astronomy and earth science. It is the program's goal to provide a fun learning environment for science students by preparing teachers to provide an education that is filled with hands-on and technology based lessons. The Year Four workshop is also hoping to help teachers by establishing an informal discussion group in which they can discuss ideas about different teaching methods. One of the workshop’s biggest additions is the introduction of the research component. This will allow teachers to experience current research using signal analysis, physics and mathematics on electrocardiograms.

Judy Cleek, instructor for International Programs, will be the project director of the “Technology Enhanced Curriculum for Hispanic (TECH) Students.” She will help kindergarten through eighth grade teachers learn technological aspects that can improve the learning of Hispanic students.

“As we see the growing population of school-age children for whom English is a second language, our classroom teachers must learn how to communicate with parents as well as the students,” said Dr. Mary Lee Hall, Dean of College of Education and Behavioral Sciences.

It will be an effort by Cleet to help establish this line of communication between students and teachers with her activities. If all goes well with Bredesen’s proposed budget in legislation, it seems that UTM will soon see some major improvements to its campus. This, along with the university’s acceptance of two THEC grants, assures that UTM will be able to provide a quality education not only to its current students, but also for its future generations of students.