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East Tennessee State University celebrated the grand reopening of Lamb Hall with an afternoon of special events and a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 14.
Named for Dr. John P. Lamb Jr., the building serves as a hub for the university’s health-related programs, including the College of Public Health and the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences.
The first request for state funding to renovate the building was made in 1994, and now, nearly 30 years later, that dream is a reality with the completion of the $26 million renovation. The work that began in 2017 has transformed the building’s exterior and interior spaces.
“This building features state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories, many of which bear the mark of the individuals who forged the path so that we could be here celebrating today,” said ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland. “We would like to thank our esteemed members of the Tennessee General Assembly, as well as Governor Bill Lee. Today’s events, along with many other exciting developments occurring on this campus, would not have been possible without their support and advocacy.”
ETSU Board of Trustees members, community members, elected officials, and ETSU students, faculty and staff attended the grand-reopening celebration. Rep. Rebecca Alexander spoke at the event, which also included a ribbon-cutting and remarks from students Mary Brannock and Erica Carter; ETSU Chief Operating Officer Jeremy Ross; ETSU Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly D. McCorkle; and Noland.
Beatrice Wynn, the great grand-niece of Lamb, also attended the ceremony.
“In 1977, this building was named the John P. Lamb Jr. Hall to recognize Dr. Lamb’s more than 40 years of leadership in the field of public health education,” said McCorkle. “As we look around at the modernized spaces and state-of-the-art facilities, we are reminded of this building’s important impact on this community and of the dedication and hard work that went into its renovation.”
On Thursday, the campus also celebrated the ribbon-cutting at the Joan Dearden Radiologic Science Suite. Located inside Lamb Hall, this suite is named for Dearden, a pioneer in the field of radiology whose gifts to the institution have funded scholarships, equipment and other resources to help students pursue careers in radiological sciences.
In addition to classrooms and lab spaces, Lamb Hall also houses several clinical spaces, including the Sturgill Family Dental Hygiene Clinic, which will celebrate an official naming celebration on Oct. 26, at 5:30 p.m., and the A. Lynn Williams Concussion Management Clinic, named for Dr. A. Lynn Williams, the interim dean of the ETSU College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences.