The University of Kentucky has received the largest gift in its history UK President Eli Capiluto said the university will receive $20 million from graduate and Trustee Carol Martin "Bill" Gatton toward the university's new 330,000-square-foot Student Center. The new Student Center, a $175 million expansion, was authorized by the Kentucky legislature during its 2014 session. The new Student Center is scheduled to open in 2017. It was originally constructed in 1938 and expanded in 1963 and 1982. The university said the new Student Center will include new student activity and study spaces, dining and retail operations, parking, a bookstore, a fitness and recreation center, and other amenities. Gatton made another record-breaking gift to the university in 1995 when he committed $14 million for the UK College of Business and Economics, which was then named after him. At the time, the gift to the college was the largest one in the university's history.