Contact: Phil Hearn
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State will break ground for a new student residence hall and dedicate its newest state-of-the-art addition to campus housing during Sept. 3 ceremonies preceding the Bulldogs' season-opening football game.
The 11 a.m.-1 p.m. university ceremonies marking the official construction launch of S. Bryce Griffis Hall and formal opening of Roy H. Ruby Hall will precede the 6 p.m. kick-off between MSU and Murray State University.
Both the shovel-turning and ribbon-cutting events will take place on the grounds of Ruby Hall, which is located just north of Suttle Residence Hall near the intersection of George Perry Street and Coliseum Boulevard.
Building namesakes Griffis and Ruby will be joined on the program by MSU President Charles Lee, state College Board member and West Point Mayor Scott Ross, Residence Hall Association President Timothy Jackson, and Student Association President Jon David Cole. William Kibler, Division of Student Affairs vice president, will preside.
The 400-bed, 160,000-square-foot Ruby Hall opened earlier this month as a co-residential addition to the MSU department of housing and residence life. The three-story, red-and beige-brick facility is MSU's first residence hall constructed in the past 37 years.
Convenient to recreational facilities, athletic events, classrooms, and other services in the heart of the campus, the single- or double-occupancy rooms feature private baths, wireless Internet access, Ethernet, and cable TV with Home Box Office.
The 309-bed, 115,000-square-foot Griffis Hall, targeted for completion in 2006, will feature similar amenities. Classrooms and offices of the University Honors Program--among the oldest and largest of its kind in the Southeast--also will be housed in the facility.
Luke, Peterson & Kaye architectural firm of Meridian and Columbus designed both halls. Inman Construction Co. of Memphis, Tenn., is primary contractor for the projects.
A generous supporter of academics and athletics throughout his life, Griffis is president of Sturgis Timber Co. He is a current member of the MSU Bulldog Club executive committee and served as president of the MSU Foundation 1998-2000.
An outspoken proponent of Mississippi higher education, Griffis served for 16 years as a member of the state College Board. He held a board seat in separate terms 1980-92 and 2000-04, and was president in 1986-87 and 2002-03.
Griffis is a graduate of Delta State University, where he also is a major benefactor. The Cleveland school's indoor baseball practice facility is named in his honor.
The massive new Ruby Hall is a tribute to the Delta native and MSU alumnus who served nearly 40 years in the Division of Student Affairs, including 16 as its top leader. For several years prior to his 2004 retirement, Ruby was dean of the College of Education.
Both Griffis and Ruby are Starkville residents.
For more information, contact department director Ann Bailey at (662) 325-3555.