TN TECH – Tennessee Tech University celebrated its second groundbreaking in the span of less than a week with the ceremonial kickoff to construction on the J.J. Oakley Innovation Center & Residence Hall.

The 102,000-square-foot state-of-the-art residence hall will provide stylish and comfortable accommodations for 400 students, featuring a mix of double occupancy rooms and pod-style semi-suites. Amenities will include an activity room, community kitchen and lounge, study areas, quiet rooms and laundry facilities.

“It speaks to the fact that we do put students first here on campus,” said Tech President Phil Oldham at the groundbreaking event. “This is going to be an attractive place for students to live and enjoy for generations to come.”

Mike Reagle, executive director of University Housing & Residential Life, added that the new residence hall represents “a promise to students that their experience here matters.”

“By investing in this space, we’re investing in student success,” added Reagle. “Research shows that students who live on campus are more engaged, more likely to persist, and more likely to graduate. This hall will be a catalyst for that success.”

A nearly 12,000-square-foot innovation center attached to the residence hall will include fabrication spaces, multipurpose event and presentation facilities, a podcast studio, meeting rooms and other functionalities – all designed to spark creativity and collaboration among students. A dining space will also offer convenience items such as coffee, snacks and prepared foods.

Michael Aikens, acting vice president for research and economic development at Tech, said the center’s functionality “marks a new era for Tennessee Tech in innovation and entrepreneurship.”

“As a flagship facility, it will empower students to explore real-world problems and craft solutions using cutting-edge maker equipment, creative studios and performance spaces,” said Aikens. “This will be a space where students from all backgrounds collaborate, create, and grow—where something truly profound begins.”

Additional speakers included Marc Burnett, interim vice president for student affairs, and Braxton Westbrook, student trustee.

The building is named in memory of Joyce Annette “J.J.” Oakley, a beloved local philanthropist who, with her late husband, Millard Vaughn Oakley, contributed millions of dollars to the university over the years. Oakley passed away in December 2023, following her husband’s passing in April 2022.

Oakley learned of Tech’s plans to honor her with the building’s naming prior to her passing, saying at the time, “I cannot express how much gratitude I feel for this honor,” and sharing that she and her husband “both believe in the power of higher education and everything that Tennessee Tech symbolizes.”

Oakley’s granddaughter, Tech alumna Kendall Vaughn Phillips, attended the groundbreaking ceremony as an honored guest, along with her husband, Bailey.

The $61.6 million project is built by American Constructors and was designed by WBA Architecture in conjunction with Mackey Mitchell Architects.

“This project brought a wonderful challenge and opportunity to accommodate two distinct purposes, in one building, uniquely stitched into the fabric of the campus,” said Eric Whitfield, principal at WBA Architecture. “It is a building that is both a residence hall, focused on providing the best student living experience, as well as an innovation center, offering space for all students to create, experiment and learn. These ideas are folded into the design, respecting the Georgian colonial aesthetic of the campus and pointing to the future. It has been an absolute pleasure working with the university to bring this vision forward and we are very grateful for the opportunity.”

Likewise, American Constructors shared in a prepared statement that the company is “proud to partner with Tennessee Tech on this exciting project.”

Groundbreaking on the J.J. Oakley Innovation Center & Residence Hall follows last week’s groundbreaking on the university’s Advanced Construction & Manufacturing Engineering (ACME) building, part of an ambitious slate of construction projects that also includes ongoing renovations to Johnson Hall, home of Tech’s College of Business, and an all-new westside football stadium, slated to deliver next year, among others.

University leaders aim to have the J.J. Oakley Innovation Center & Residence Hall ready for student occupancy by the start of the fall 2027 semester.