A groundbreaking ceremony took place Oct. 13 for a new 2,300-bed housing and dining complex to be built near Hoover Avenue and Division Street.
The five-building, $631 million residential complex on Central Campus will be the first residential facility built specifically for first-year students since 1963.
The Board of Regents voted in September to name one of the complex’s residence halls Dr. E. Royster Harper Hall, after Harper, vice president emerita for student life, a longtime campus leader who championed inclusivity and student well-being.
Harper was on hand to help celebrate the groundbreaking.
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Turning ceremonial first shovelfuls of soil at the groundbreaking are, from left: Sally Churchill, vice president and secretary; Geoff Chatas, executive vice president and chief financial officer; E. Royster Harper, vice president emerita for student life; Regents Ron Weiser and Kathy White; President Santa J. Ono; Regents Sarah Hubbard and Jordan Acker; Martino Harmon, vice president for student life; Kambiz Khalili, associate vice president for student life; and Andrew Kasper, Residence Halls Association vice president for finance.E. Royster Harper, vice president emerita for student life, is recognized and applauded by the audience at the groundbreaking ceremony. President Santa J. Ono (right) and others at the ceremony look over information about the new residential complex.
