News
Tech’s College of Business welcomes students to improved Foundation Hall ahead of major renovation to Johnson Hall
From left: Lily Nabors and Mason Fike, student workers for Tech’s College of Business,
welcome students to the college’s temporary home in Foundation Hall.
With fall classes now underway, Tennessee Tech University’s College of Business is
preparing a week of events to welcome students to their temporary home in Foundation
Hall on the eastern side of Tech’s campus.
The College of Business’s planned activities in Foundation Hall include a photo booth
on Monday, Aug. 21, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Ralph’s Donuts and coffee on Tuesday, Aug.
22, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m; popcorn and soda on Wednesday, Aug. 23, from 1 p.m. to
4 p.m.; and a “welcome back bash” on Thursday, Aug. 24, from 11 a.m. to noon on Foundation
Hall’s front lawn near the student parking lot.
The College of Business’s longtime home in Johnson Hall is undergoing a two-year multimillion-dollar
renovation to further enhance the student experience. Cheryl Montgomery, the college’s
director of program development and engagement, says that special care has been taken
to ensure students won’t miss a beat during this temporary relocation and emphasizes
that incoming freshmen will be among the first to enjoy the remodeled Johnson Hall
once updates are complete.
“We have painstakingly developed the most optimal utilization of Foundation Hall so
that we are able to provide all of the services that we offered in Johnson Hall to
our more than 1,300 students,” said Montgomery. “We placed over 92 percent of our
classes in Foundation Hall, all faculty have offices in Foundation Hall, and we have
made improvements to the building so that students enjoy being over here.”
“One of the things we told students in SOAR sessions over the summer is that when
they begin their upper division classes, they will be in our remodeled building,”
added Montgomery.
Facilities personnel have spent the summer months in Foundation Hall painting hallways
and classroom spaces, refurbishing common areas and installing furniture and signage
in anticipation of the College of Business’s arrival, while also replicating many
of the popular features from Johnson Hall.
“We have a Bloomberg Laboratory and Scarlett & Murphy's Business Professional Closet
in Foundation Hall just like we did in Johnson Hall. We have installed a forensics
lab and two I.T. labs, so all the services we offer to our students will be available
in Foundation Hall while we are here temporarily,” said Montgomery.
The Scarlett & Murphy’s Business Professional Closet is a free resource from the College
of Business providing any university student with clothing options for interviews,
presentations and other events requiring professional attire. The temporary location
in Foundation Hall is room 155.
Leaders in Tech’s College of Business add that the coming improvements to Johnson
Hall, which was first constructed in 1970, will be well worth the wait.
While specific design details are still being finalized, current plans for the building
call for a complete reimagining of the interior spaces, including a multi-story entrance,
a more open floorplan that allows greater natural sunlight, new common areas for students
to gather and more than 4,000 square feet of all-new specialized learning spaces.
“The newly designed Johnson Hall is configured to accommodate the way students learn
today while providing flexibility for future growth,” said Thomas Payne, dean of the
College of Business, in remarks last year. “Spaces are included in the design to provide students opportunities for
collaboration, group presentations and experiential learning.”
“What we’re most enthusiastic about is the reworking of the entire footprint of Johnson
Hall,” added Montgomery. “We’re building out something new and different. It’s truly
exciting.”
The state of Tennessee provided key funding for the renovation of Johnson Hall and
the concurrent demolition of the neighboring Foster Hall in its fiscal year 2023 budget.
Tech President Phil Oldham offered praise for lawmakers’ support, explaining last
year that “Gov. Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly invested heavily for Tech’s
future students.”
The College of Business aims to move back into Johnson Hall from their temporary quarters
in Foundation Hall over the holiday break in late 2025 so that classes for spring
2026 can meet in the remodeled building.
Learn more about Tech’s College of Business at www.tntech.edu/business.
