Spencer J Eggers/The Daily Campus
Rev. Dr. Stephen Rankin, Student body President Austin Prentice, Dr. Lori White, Caren Prothro, Dr. R. Gerald Turner, Ruth Altshuler, Carl Sewel, and Dr. Paul Ludden break ground at the residential commons complex groundbreaking and dedication ceremony Friday afternoon in Doak Walker Plaza.
Rev. Dr. Stephen Rankin, Student body President Austin Prentice, Dr. Lori White, Caren Prothro, Dr. R. Gerald Turner, Ruth Altshuler, Carl Sewel, and Dr. Paul Ludden break ground at the residential commons complex groundbreaking and dedication ceremony Friday afternoon in Doak Walker Plaza. (Spencer J Eggers/The Daily Campus)
Despite the rain Friday afternoon, Board of Trustee member Carl Sewell (’66) remarked that the reign of President R. Gerald Turner continues into SMU’s next 100 years.
Members of the Dallas community joined SMU students, administration and alumni to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Residential Commons and dedicate the Centennial Cornerstone during the second annual Founder’s Day Weekend.
The Residential Commons, which is scheduled to open in 2014, will consist of five residential buildings that will house 1,250 first and second year students as well as faculty. It will also contain a shared dining hall and a parking structure.
“The Residential Complex really helps identify a tie between student life and academic life,” Turner said.
This multi-million dollar complex will create a stronger sense of community for freshmen and sophomores, while supporting and sustaining student development.
“It creates a new and innovative living and learning experience for generations to come,” Dr. Lori White, vice president of student affairs, said. “It’s the perfect way to mark the