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09.29.06 Erskine College and Seminary moving ahead with Memorial Hall construction The question has circulated among those interested in Erskine College and Seminary for months and the answer is now clear: Yes, there will be a Memorial Hall construction project. Institution officials announced Friday that the initial funding requirements for a Memorial Hall addition groundbreaking have been satisfied. The groundbreaking has been set for 10:30 a.m. Nov. 18 outside in the Memorial Hall area near the corner of S.C. 184 and 185 on the women's portion of the campus. "What a banner day for Erskine College and Seminary," said Dr. Randall Ruble, interim president of the institution. "A lot of people have worked extremely hard to make this happen and of course, the real credit goes to those who continue to support Erskine financially and ultimately to God." "This news is wonderful and will be an exciting day for Erskine," said the Rev. Neely Gaston, executive vice president for advancement and the seminary. College officials went into this week about $54,000 short of the needed funding and the deadline for having it was today. Bobby McDonald, Erskine's director of major gifts planning, started beating the bushes for the last remaining funds and the response was tremendous. "It was incredible to watch the week unfold and to watch the Erskine family come through with the needed financing, as they have time and again," Gaston said. Total cost of the Memorial Hall project is $5.6 million, which includes the 21,227-square-foot addition and renovations of the current building. There are other funding needs associated with the project that must be addressed, Gaston said. Those needs include $275,000 for furniture, fixtures and equipment for the new building, which will include math and music facilities. Interior renovations were made to Memorial Hall this past summer. There is still $21,000 needed for new roof and façade repairs to the existing building, Gaston said. Over the summer, phase one of the project called for renovations of the stage, seating area and balcony and was largely accomplished by Junior McClain and the facilities management department. Phase two included offices and classrooms. Initially, the Gold Campaign had the Memorial Hall as its centerpiece, but a pledge of $1.5 million from philanthropist Joseph H. Moss caused officials to redesign the project and add the math facility. The revised plans called for a mathematics building adjoining the renovated Memorial Hall performance center and new music education facility. Moss, whose gift exceeded the $1.25 million challenge announced in October 2003 by Robert and Cheryl Moultrie of Atlanta (honorary Gold Campaign co-chairmen), stipulated the math portion of the building because of his concern for the competitive edge of the United States. Erskine is just three months away from the end of the Gold Campaign, its most ambitious fund-raising effort in its history with a goal of $36.8 million. Gaston said the institution is on track to meet or exceed the Gold Campaign goal by the end of the year. |
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