By Katie Shatzer
Union’s latest construction projects will serve as a reminder of the community’s belief in God’s providence and hope following the tornado of Feb. 5, 2008.
Dr. David S. Dockery, university president, recently recommended names for the new pharmacy building and residence life quad, both of which are currently under construction.
The Board of Trustees Executive Committee approved Dockery’s recommendation, March 5.
The pharmacy building, which will also hold the nursing simulation programs, will be named Providence Hall “in gratitude to our great and providential God, who, in many ways that remain mysterious to all of us, has provided care, oversight and provision for the Union University community,” Dockery said in his recommendation.
Individual classrooms within the pharmacy building will be dedicated to donors, Dockery said.
Across Dement Drive, the new residence life facility will be named the Hope Quad.
The facility will be the fifth new quad, joining Ayers, Grace, Hurt and Watters quads.
In his recommendation, Dockery said the construction projects since 2008 are a testament to God’s faithfulness. He said the campus continues to “move forward in hope” that difficult times will result in good.
Dockery said the name for this new quad points to the hope Union’s campus experiences.
“Over and over again through the eyes of people who experienced the storm in various ways, the inspiring stories of hope and trust in our providential God are told,” Dockery said. “Hope is a powerful word — a driving force in life.
“Hope includes a desire for something, but it is even more than that. It is an eager, confident expectation that sustains us while we work diligently and wait patiently. Hope is not escapism, but is an energizing motivation for faithful living in the here and now.”
The same day Dockery recommended names for the new buildings, the Union community celebrated the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new facility for the Center for Continuing Studies, located on Emporium Drive in Jackson.
The facility formerly housed a Circuit City retail store. Union acquired the building at the end of last summer.
Now it holds classrooms and offices.
The Center for Continuing Studies was located on the second floor of Hammons Hall before its move the Emporium Drive facility.
