Governor Bill Lee, members of Congress and university leaders celebrate grand opening of Tennessee Tech’s Ashraf Islam Engineering Building
Governor Bill Lee, Tech President Phil Oldham, Ashraf Islam and others take part in
an official ribbon cutting for the new Ashraf Islam Engineering Building.
Tennessee Tech University welcomed students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and elected
officials, including Governor Bill Lee, to campus for the grand opening of the Ashraf
Islam Engineering Building.
The state-of-the-art, 100,000-square-foot academic space marks the university’s first
new engineering building in 50 years. The three-story structure with laboratories
and classrooms surrounds a central atrium adjoined by a two-story student project
space, each detail meticulously designed with the student experience in mind.
In keynote remarks, Governor Lee called the event “a really important moment not only
in Tennessee Tech’s history, but in the history of the state of Tennessee.”
Governor Bill Lee delivers keynote remarks.
Addressing the students gathered at the event, he added, “Thank you for choosing to
invest your educational capital in the state of Tennessee in a great institution like
Tennessee Tech that is a leader nationally – certainly in the field of engineering.”
The new building is named for Ashraf Islam, a Tech alumnus who came to the university
from his native Bangladesh in 1965 and graduated with a degree in civil engineering.
Islam, who now resides in Houston, Texas, went on to become a successful transportation
infrastructure businessman and philanthropic leader and made a generous $3 million
gift toward the building’s construction.
Ashraf Islam and his wife, Nasren.
“I am truly humbled to stand before you to celebrate not just the opening of this
remarkable facility, but the culmination of my own journey that began more than half
a century ago – a journey filled with dreams, determination and an unwavering belief
in the transformative power of education,” said Islam in his address to the audience.
Islam went on to recall “the kindness of the Cookeville community” and expressed “a
heart full of gratitude” for the Tech faculty who shaped his educational journey.
Tech President Phil Oldham praised Islam as “our cornerstone” for the building, adding
that “Ashraf’s contribution made it possible for all other donors to realize the hope
of their donations in this project.”
Tech President Phil Oldham and Ashraf Islam shake hands at the building's grand opening
event. 
An exterior view of the university's state-of-the-art Ashraf Islam Engineering Building.
In additional remarks at the event, Tech Provost Lori Mann Bruce heralded the building
as “a truly transformative step in how we support student success” while Tech Board
of Trustees Chair Trudy Harper proclaimed the new facility as “the home of the future
leaders, innovators, designers, dreamers – the people who are going to make this country
even better than it is right now.”
The Ashraf Islam Engineering Building's grand opening comes as Tech recently recorded
its highest total enrollment since 2015 and fourth largest freshman class in university
history.
Tech’s College of Engineering also set a fall 2024 all-time enrollment record, leading
Joseph C. Slater, dean of the college, to declare “the dawn of a new era for the College
of Engineering” at the grand opening, adding “the College of Engineering is stronger
than ever, driving the prosperity of the citizens of Tennessee.”
From left: Tech Board of Trustees Chair Trudy Harper, Governor Bill Lee, Congressman
Chuck Fleischmann, Congressman John Rose, Ashraf Islam, and Tech President Phil Oldham
at the grand opening of Tech's Ashraf Islam Engineering Building.
Congressman John Rose, Congressman Chuck Fleischmann and Tech engineering student
Lakayleh Helton delivered additional remarks, while Tech alumnus and longtime Golden
Eagle Marching Band announcer Bob Luna served as emcee.
Watch a video of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/live/vIc7B1c2VKo?si=xMalfl6bUpTSp3HF.
