The board of trustees of the University of Tennessee has approved the renaming of the Black Cultural Center on campus to honor alumni Ron and Don Frieson. The Friesons recently gave $1 million to the university that will be used for academic support programs, diversity workshops, peer mentoring programs, and leadership development activities at the Black Cultural Center.
Jimmy G. Cheek, chancellor of the University of Tennessee, said that “the Friesons’ generous gift and the renaming of the cultural center will help raise the visibility of diversity at the University of Tennessee and improve the familial atmosphere and feeling of home at the building.”
The Friesons are identical twins who attended the university in the late 1970s. Ron earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and went on to earn an MBA from Georgia State University. He is the president for foundation and external affairs at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Don Frieson earned a bachelor’s degree in business operations management from the University of Tennessee. He is executive vice president for operations at Sam’s Club Inc.
