Students starting class next week will find a newly remodeled Humanities and Social Sciences Building, complete with more modern furnishings and high-tech facilities.
The building features newly configured classrooms with brightly colored chairs that are set on wheels and spin in all directions, smart boards, new carpet, and fresh paint with bold accent walls.
New lounge spaces, new seating lining the hallways, wireless networks throughout, charging stations for electronic devices, and upgraded lighting will be available in the building.
It also will have a dining facility, courtesy of Aramark, which will open up to a patio that includes exterior gathering space.
HSS underwent a $4 million renovation this summer in an effort to improve learning and foster more student interaction.
The new classrooms will allow students to easily break into small groups or move seats into a circle for a class discussion.
The upgrades affect every student on campus because no student graduates without taking at least one class in the building. About 20 percent of all UT classes are taught there, and several hundred instructors use it each semester.
The project was a collaborative effort between the Classroom Upgrade Committee, Facilities Services, the College of Architecture and Design, and the Tennessee Teaching and Learning Center.