College of Business Debuts Tommy Lynn Seminar Suite

COOKEVILLE (Sept. 3, 2003) — A swipe of a keycard will soon provide access to an instant corporate environment in Johnson Hall by opening the doors to the almost completed Tommy Lynn Seminar Suite.

Renovated and equipped at the cost of more than $200,000, the seminar suite and adjoining conference room houses the latest in instructional technology, including wireless student laptop computers, a ceiling-mounted data projector, TV/VCR, instructor’s station and a sound system. The corporate look of the suite was created by installing new wall coverings, carpet, enhanced lighting and comfortable seating. The small conference room, designed for board meetings and breakout sessions, contains a conference table and presentation boards.

“This suite complements our mission to provide students with educations that emphasize technology and success in a corporate environment,” said Dean Robert Niebuhr.

In Lynn’s memory, family and friends gathered last October at the College of Business Administration Foundation’s annual fund raiser celebration to honor Lynn’s memory and pledge support for the suite.

“We could not have renovated this space in this manner with state funds,” said Dean Neibuhr. “This is an example of how private funding can positively impact a university and a community at the same time. It provides faculty members with everything they need to prepare students for the corporate environment, and it gives us a facility to meet the community’s corporate needs.”

The facility, formerly rooms 326 and 323, is suitable for many industry uses, including external training seminars, management development programs and certification classes. The suite is the first wireless environment in Johnson Hall and meets ADA requirements. Niebuhr anticipates that most Johnson Hall technology will be wireless by the end of 2003.

Lynn devoted more than 40 years to the Cookeville banking community. He began his career with First National Bank in 1951 and assumed the presidency in 1969. As a result of growth and mergers in the industry, Lynn became chairman and CEO of First American, now AmSouth Bank.

A Putnam County native, Lynn attended TTU for two years and graduated from the University of Tennessee. COBAF awarded him the 1987 Outstanding Leadership Award and he was named the “Pride of Putnam County” in 1993. He is survived by his wife, Jeannette, and two children and their spouses, Thomas Lynn and wife, Kay, and Pamela Coonce and husband, Danny.

 
--Karen Lykins
This information posted 03 September 2003