<p class="p1"><span class="s1">University of Tennessee at Martin and state officials will host the Latimer Engineering and Science Building groundbreaking dedication ceremony at 10 a.m., Sept. 18, in front of the building construction on the east side of the university’s academic quadrangle. The event is closed to the public in response to concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic, but will be livestreamed<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>on the UT Martin Facebook and YouTube accounts for those unable to attend.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The 120,000-square-foot, three-story Latimer Engineering and Science Building will be dedicated in honor of the Latimer family, specifically Bill Latimer, who donated the $6.5 million needed to receive state funding for the $65 million project in 2016. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“I’m grateful we will finally get to celebrate Mr. Latimer’s gift to the university,” Dr. Shadow JQ Robinson, dean of the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences, said in reference to the groundbreaking ceremony. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Latimer currently serves UT Martin and the UT System as a member of the UT President’s Council and is a former president of the UT Martin Development Committee. He is also a 1996 graduate of UT Martin’s WestStar Leadership Program. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, UT President Randy Boyd and UT Martin Chancellor Keith Carver will attend the groundbreaking ceremony to recognize the Latimer gift and the effect it will have on STEM education at UT Martin. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Construction for the Latimer Engineering and Science Building began in June 2019 with the demolition of the Communications Building, which stood where the Latimer Building is being constructed. The building is scheduled to open in fall 2022. Current construction for the Latimer Engineering and Science Building can be viewed from the Holt Humanities Building webcam at <a href="http://www.utm.edu/webcams">utm.edu/webcams</a>. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">For more information, contact the Office of University Relations at 731-881-7615. </span></p>