The University of Tennessee has announced a $32.5 million gift — the largest individual contribution in its history — from Jim and Natalie Haslam and the Haslam Family Foundation.

The Haslams, both of whom graduated from UT in 1952, designated $10 million of the gift for the school of music in the college of arts and sciences, and $7.5 million for the business college. The couple also earmarked $2.5 million for the new Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy; $5 million for the renovation of Neyland Stadium; and $2.5 million for the Haslam Endowment, which will be used to support strategic institutional priorities.

Longtime residents of Knoxville, the Haslams are known locally for their civic and philanthropic work. Jim Haslam, chairman and president of Pilot Corporation and chairman of Pilot Travel Centers LLC, has served on the UT board of trustees since 1980. Natalie Haslam serves on the boards of the Knoxville Symphony Society, the East Tennessee Foundation, and Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and has also served on the UT College of Arts and Sciences board of advisors.

"If Tennessee is going to be a leader in the knowledge economy of the twenty-first century, it must have a great flagship university," said Jim Haslam. "We cannot go from good to great without increasing fundraising, and my hope would be that this gift would put the spotlight on philanthropy and the University of Tennessee's tremendous potential to become a great university."