Gov. Bill Lee is recommending more than $643 million for the University of Tennessee in his 2019-2020 budget.

If approved, it will be the largest state appropriation ever made to UT, according to a university news release.

“We appreciate Gov. Lee’s commitment to the University of Tennessee,” UT Interim President Randy Boyd said in the release. “His proposed budget allows us to make much needed security upgrades, provide raises for our faculty and staff and increases our medical outreach to rural parts of Tennessee.”

Lee announced the funding proposal Monday night during his State of the State address. The money would include $10 million for safety and security upgrades on all UT campuses.

“Nothing is more important than the safety of our students,” Boyd said in the release. “These funds will allow us to make much-needed improvements to buildings on all of our campuses to better protect students and faculty against potential breaches in campus security.”

The university reported two rape cases in February in its on-campus residence halls, bringing the number of rapes in residence halls to nine so far this academic year.

The funding proposal also includes:

$81.5 million for the UT Institute of Agriculture’s new energy and environmental science building;

$17.7 million for faculty and staff raises;

$3 million in recurring funds to match $5.7 million in federal dollars for the graduate medical education program in the bureau of TennCare.

That last item will pay for about 100 medical students to work in rural Tennessee communities where doctors are scarce, the release said.

UT has approximately 50,000 students at its Knoxville campus and satellite facilities in Chattanooga, Martin, Memphis and Tullahoma.