UT to invest millions in campus beautification

#1
kamoshika

kamoshika

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#1
Long overdue, IMO...

A multimillion-dollar overhaul of Volunteer Boulevard will be the marquee project in the University of Tennessee's new plan to shed its "ugly campus" reputation. UT will ditch on-street parking, add bike lanes and install lush new landscaping along the city-owned, horseshoe-shaped campus thoroughfare...

"We don't want to do a gradual improvement, although that would be great. What we really want to do is a quantum leap that transforms the view of this campus," said Dave Irvin, associate vice chancellor for facilities...

Most of the work could be done by the end of 2014, and it will be funded largely through student facility fees, Irvin said.
UT to invest millions in campus beautification » Knoxville News Sentinel
 
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#2
#2
Like traffic on campus didni't suck bad enough....it will be horrible but well worth it!
 
#3
#3
Ugly campus reputation????? Seriously? Tennessee has a great looking campus. The river, the hill, the historic stadium etc...I love it! Only thing I don't like is that huge parking deck on the south end of the stadium. Also....when are they gonna start working in the south end stadium concourse? Or since Hamilton is gone have they scrapped it?
 
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#4
#4
All I can say is that it is about time. It should be a college campus atmosphere instead of the government facilities look it has now. If you have ever been to any major school outside of Knoxville, you know what I am talking about. There is more to college life than a dorm and a football stadium.
 
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#5
#5
Vols4us said:
All I can say is that it is about time. It should be a college campus atmosphere instead of the government facilities look it has now. If you have ever been to any major school outside of Knoxville, you know what I am talking about. There is more to college life than a dorm and a football stadium.
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That's exactly right! The first time I laid eyes on UT's campus, my first reaction was that it was very "technical" looking. Yes the stadium and the river is nice. However around campus I always thought it could be much more scenic looking. Ole Miss? Now THERE'S a campus!!
 
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#6
#6
Flipdaddy said:
Ugly campus reputation????? Seriously? Tennessee has a great looking campus. The river, the hill, the historic stadium etc...I love it! Only thing I don't like is that huge parking deck on the south end of the stadium. Also....when are they gonna start working in the south end stadium concourse? Or since Hamilton is gone have they scrapped it?
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Go to Duke, UVA, Ole Miss, Alabama, UGA, or almost any other college campus that is beautiful. We aren't talking about the stadium and the river vistas...those are unmatched. The campus as a whole is easily in the bottom third of major universities I've set foot on. I should also say that I'm an alum and felt this way the entire time I was there as well.

That said, they had made major improvements in the 2000's over the 90's but there is a long long way to go still. Kudos to the city and university.
 
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#7
#7
The problem is the limited amount of land the University has to work with. Therefore, everything on UTK Campus is congested. I still think the The Hill and Hodges Library are aesthetically pleasing.......& all the beautiful coeds.
 
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#9
#9
JohnWardForever said:
Thought they were broke?
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The athletic department won't be funding this venture. Although a good deal of our boosters are pushing for the AD to buyout the presidential courtyard. It just hasn't been getting it done the past few years.
 
#10
#10
dlw4n said:
The athletic department won't be funding this venture. Although a good deal of our boosters are pushing for the AD to buyout the presidential courtyard. It just hasn't been getting it done the past few years.
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Why would the AD buyout Presidential?
 
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#11
#11
When I was at UT we were more known for having concrete over everything than we were for being beautiful. It's about time, frankly.
 
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#14
#14
"...What we really want to do is a quantum leap that transforms the view of this campus," said Dave Irvin, associate vice chancellor for facilities...


Are you kidding me? In most organizations, they're called a maintenance manager or facilities manager. But no....with tax payer money and student money...we have to have an ASSOCIATE VICE CHANCELLOR...for facilities.

As Ross Perot once said about the US Postal system..."I'd work there for free if you'll give me half the savings I create through cutting waste and excess...". Same here for me.
 
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#15
#15
dlw4n said:
Go to Duke, UVA, Ole Miss, Alabama, UGA, or almost any other college campus that is beautiful. We aren't talking about the stadium and the river vistas...those are unmatched. The campus as a whole is easily in the bottom third of major universities I've set foot on. I should also say that I'm an alum and felt this way the entire time I was there as well.

That said, they had made major improvements in the 2000's over the 90's but there is a long long way to go still. Kudos to the city and university.
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I'll have to disagree on Duke. The cathedral is nice but the rest of campus is pretty dreary IMO.

But this is definitely something UT needs.
 
#20
#20
One of UT's biggest issues is consistency throughout the campus. It looks like a hodgepodge of different styles, materials, etc. Most of the 'beautiful' campuses are consistent in design throughout the entire space. UT's dominant style seems to be the red-brick block style building. Not very attractive, but pick one thing and stick with it - at least it will all look like it belongs.
 
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#22
#22
Flipdaddy said:
Ugly campus reputation????? Seriously? Tennessee has a great looking campus. The river, the hill, the historic stadium etc...I love it! Only thing I don't like is that huge parking deck on the south end of the stadium. Also....when are they gonna start working in the south end stadium concourse? Or since Hamilton is gone have they scrapped it?
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You must have never visited any of the other SEC campuses. We are far behind in looks compared to Ole Miss, UGA, Auburn, etc.
 
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#23
#23
Special Ed said:
Now we'll have to hire extra security guards to keep Bama fans away from the trees.
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#25
#25
Lifetime Big Orange fan. UTK alumnus from the mid 90's.

I took my son, high school junior, to a football game last fall and toured the campus before heading to Neyland. The Hill was stately and beautiful, as always, but the rest of the campus was just crap. I was actually kind of ashamed of it and was glad he had seen no other major universities to which to compare it.

This is a welcome announcement indeed.

AV
 
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