Dear Colleagues,

Earlier this morning, UT President Randy Boyd sent a note to all UT System campuses announcing that the Tennessee General Assembly has approved the state budget for fiscal year 2024-2025. The message highlighted how the approved state budget impacts the UT System as a whole. Below is a summary of the funding allocations specific to the UT Health Science Center:

Funding for a 3% across the board salary increase for all eligible UTHSC employees, as well as investment in employee health insurance and 401k contributions. We will be announcing specifics of how the compensation adjustments will be distributed to eligible UT Health Science Center employees shortly.
$29.6 million for the UT Health Science Center Gross Anatomy Lab. This funding is very much needed and will help us build a state-of-the-art facility for our students, and we will be working to get this project underway as soon as possible.
$716,900 in recurring funds for operating cost increases. This will help address some of our operational cost increases. We continue to work with our System colleagues, THEC and the state on a formula to fund such cost increases going forward.
$18.05 million to support the Healthy Smiles Initiative, aimed at increasing the number of dentists practicing in Tennessee.
$6.24 million in one-time funds for capital maintenance project support. This funding will help us address some of our ongoing maintenance needs and we will be working with System to get appropriate projects underway.

In addition to the above, the budget also includes $6.5 million to the City of Kingsport for the Kingsport Dental Clinic. These funds will allow the City of Kingsport to purchase the building which will serve as the home of the Kingsport Dental Clinic. Upon the completion of construction, this clinic will serve as a rotation site for UT dental students and offer a full-time Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency.

This budget clearly demonstrates the State of Tennessee’s continued commitment to investing in higher education. We are grateful to Governor Lee and our Legislature for their continued support of our mission. This could not have been accomplished without the hard work of our UT President Randy Boyd, SVP and CFO David Miller, VP for Government Relations and Advocacy Carey Whitworth, and Director of Government Relations David Mills and many others. These colleagues continuously put forth significant effort to ensure the needs of the UT Health Science Center are a priority for the UT System and the State of Tennessee. We are extremely grateful for all they do!

We are appreciative of the hard work each of you do every day to support the UT Health Science Center, our students, our patients, and the communities we serve. I am confident that with your continued effort and support along with these impactful investments from our state, the UT Health Science Center is poised to deliver on our Strategic Plan and Vision – Healthy Tennesseans. Thriving Communities.

Thank you for all you do.

Raaj Kurapati

Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer

Finance and Administration