TSU Celebrates Grand Reopening of Ralph H. Boston Wellness Center

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University celebrated the grand reopening of the Ralph H. Boston Wellness Center, unveiling a modernized fitness and wellness hub designed to serve students, faculty, and staff.

The renovated facility now boasts upgraded equipment, fresh interior design, and new amenities for students, faculty, and staff. University leaders, staff, and students gathered for a celebratory ribbon-cutting and tour, marking the reopening as a symbol of progress and prioritization of student well-being.

TSU President Dwayne Tucker, center, Director of the Wellness Dr. Gerald Davis, faculty and staff join students for the a wellness center celebratory ribbon-cutting.

“This is a joyous occasion,” said Leah Granderson, executive director for campus operations planning, design, and construction. “Thank you for celebrating this new amenity. It’s more than a gym, it’s a reflection of TSU’s commitment to our campus community.”

Joining Granderson was Marlah Green, assistant director of renovation in Facilities Management, who expressed pride in the transformation. “I was the project manager that originally built this facility in the late ‘90s,” Green said. “To see it renovated, refreshed, and filled with new equipment is really a joy.”

For Amber Long, a senior architectural engineering major from Memphis, TN, the updates make a real difference. “When I walked in, it was very nice and updated,” she said. “It definitely motivates me to get up and go to the gym now.”

TSU student Amber Long lifts weights in the newly renovated Ralph H. Boston Wellness Center.

TSU President Dwyane Tucker praised the collaborative effort. “What a great job everybody did to pull this together,” he said. “From what I understand, even during the soft opening, students showed up in great demand. They see the opportunity too.”

That demand reflects a broader vision articulated by Dr. Gerald Davis, Director of the Wellness Center. “This center is more than a place to break a sweat. It’s a place to build community, confidence, and connection,” Davis said. “As part of Student Affairs, it’s our role to support the whole student. Not just academically, but emotionally and socially as well.”

The renovation was made possible by Title III funding, with critical planning completed in just four days before the close of the 2024 fiscal year. “I already knew what the students had been asking for,” Davis explained. “We strategically blended brand new equipment with usable existing pieces and donated others to Residence Life and Athletics.”

The revitalized center features nearly 50 pieces of fitness equipment, an expanded workout space, and a unique relaxation and stretching zone which Davis hopes to formally name down the road.

Dr. Gerald Davis

Access is open to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and even visiting family members accompanied by a student. In the near future, Davis plans to roll out new features including student ID-based entry systems, hygiene stations, expanded hours, and programming such as yoga and high-intensity interval training (HIIT)

Aiden Smith, a junior business management and marketing major from Houston, TX, hopes to see more interactive opportunities emerge. “Yoga or boxing classes would be great to get students and faculty more engaged,” Smith said. As a student project planning engineer with Campus Operations, he also underscored the value of student input. “We actively use student engagement to shape renovations and new projects on campus. It’s crucial to the TSU experience.”

TSU student Aiden Smith powers through a bench press in the newly renovated Ralph H. Boston Wellness Center. The modernized facility includes nearly 50 new machines.

Will Radford, Assistant Vice President of Planning, Design, and Construction, who helps lead the university’s capital projects and campus improvements, echoed that sentiment. “Every day, we organize around the needs of our students,” he said. “We’re continuing the legacy of TSU but also building a culture of celebrating student services and pushing forward creative solutions.”

As the center reopens, Dr. Davis remains focused on spreading the word. “It surprises me when graduating students say they didn’t even know we had a Wellness Center,” he said. “That tells me we need to do better—not just promoting this space but getting students out of their rooms and helping them connect.”

During the ceremony Marlah Green, assistant director of renovation in Facilities Management, expressed pride in the wellness center transformation.

Whether it’s a freshman stepping into a gym for the first time or a senior rediscovering community, the Ralph H. Boston Wellness Center is more than just a renovated facility, it’s a renewed promise to the TSU community.

The Wellness Center is open Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.- 9 p.m.; Friday 8 a.m.- 8 p.m.; Sunday 1 – 4 p.m. The center is not open on Saturdays at the moment.

For updates and programming announcements, follow @Wellness_TSU on Instagram. To learn more, visit www.tnstate.edu/wellness_center/.