Knoxville Center Shopping Mall Classroom Partnership

In 1997 Chancellor William Snyder signed a memorandum of understanding creating a partnership agreement with Knoxville Center’s (formerly East Towne Mall) management company, Simon DeBartolo, that resulted in the creation of an area within Knoxville Center known as the UTK Court. The court included a large floor map of the campus, permanent and changing display space, a kiosk to access UT Knoxville websites, and television monitors that continuously played a UT Knoxville video. In 1998 Knoxville Center completed renovation of a 1,500-square-foot classroom for 50 within the mall for the exclusive use of UT Knoxville. Simon DeBartolo officials named it the Bill Snyder Classroom. The outside entrance to the classroom was designated by an orange awning and a UT sign. An inside entrance was marked by an illuminated sign near center court on the lower level.   The sign was designed by students in the Design Center of the School of Art. UT offered noncredit and credit courses there until 2005.