The SMU landscape will once again change when the groundbreaking for a new building at the Perkins School of Theology commences in September.

Thanks to a new $6 million gift from the Perkins-Prothro foundation and Elizabeth Perkins Prothro, a 28,000-square-foot facility will be built just north of Highland Park United Methodist Church at the southern end of the Theology School quadrangle. The facility will include an auditorium for public events, classrooms, lecture halls, a computer lab and dining facilities,

In addition to the construction of this new building, Kirby and Selecman Halls, which were built in the early 1950s, will be renovated. This new and renovated complex of buildings will also have two cloistered outdoor spaces.

The new building will be named in honor of Elizabeth Perkins Prothro, who is the daughter of Joe J. and Lois Perkins. Her parents provided funding for the SMU Theology School in the early 1940s. Elizabeth Prothro graduated from SMU in 1939 with a degree in government and political science, and she was presented with the Distinguished Alumni award in 1978 and an honorary Doctor of Human Letters degree in 1996. She is the vice president and a trustee of the Perkins-Prothro foundation, based in Wichita Falls.

“Joe and Lois Perkins were founding contributors to SMU, and the Perkins-Prothro family has played a longstanding role in the university’s development,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner in a press release. “As we approach the centennial of SMU’s founding in 2011 and opening in 2015, we are especially grateful for this family’s vision and generosity through the years, which have helped to make Perkins School of Theology one of the nation’s leaders in theological education.”

This recent gift continues the substantial legacy of the Perkins and Prothro families on SMU’s campus. The families have been assisting SMU since their first gift in 1913, two years before the university opened. In total, the Perkins and Prothro families have given more than $36.3 million dollars to SMU, most of which has specifically supported Perkins School of Theology.

“The continuing generosity of the Prothro family and the Perkins-Prothro Foundation is a vibrant testimony to the Christian faith that, in the words of Charles Wesley, united ‘knowledge and vital piety,'” said Dean of Perkins School of Theology William B. Lawrence in a press release.

The Perkins-Prothro gift provides half of the funds necessary for the building program. The rest of the money will be raised from private individuals over the next year.

“These leadership gifts and the new building named for Mrs. Prothro reaffirm that Perkins School of Theology remains committed to higher learning and real experience as essential elements in the preparation of leaders for Christian ministry,” Lawrence said.

Perkins School of Theology, which opened in 1915 as one of SMU’s three original schools, offers Master’s degrees in multiple disciplines and doctoral degrees in ministry and religious studies. Perkins has alumni in all 50 states and more than 30 countries.