The MHU Campus Center

The Campus Center: A Symbol of MHU’s Student-Centric Mission Q and A with President Tony Floyd

According to President Tony Floyd, the construction of a new campus center on the Blackwell Hall site is a strategic decision that will bring everyone together in the heart of the campus and will invigorate student life and the student experience on the Hill. Floyd sees it as a powerful symbolic gesture that will convert administrative space into a vibrant, supportive, student–centric area. It will always serve as a reminder that students are at the very center of the university’s mission.

Why did university leadership see the campus center as an important project to move forward with?

The need for a campus center has been a primary concern in the minds of trustees, alumni, faculty, and staff for a long time. Dr. [Dan] Lunsford had worked with architects and engineers during his administration to consider renovating Wren. Later, our leadership considered an addition onto McConnell. The renovation of Wren became one of the funding objectives of the last capital campaign. After I became president, we continued looking into the costs of renovating Wren, but realized that Wren needed so much work that the cost would be prohibitive and it still would not be an optimal, stateof-the-art campus center. We abandoned the idea of Wren renovations as a campus center when cost estimates exceeded $14 million. But we didn’t give up on the building entirely: we worked with Chartwells Dining Services to upgrade the Lions Den facility; we built new esports lounges; and we recently renovated the Blue Lounge. In 2019, we hired a higher education architectural firm to conduct studies and offer suggestions on the location and design of the campus center. It was a very comprehensive process which included students, staff, and faculty conversations, and we considered a number of options. A foot traffic study done by the group was a deciding factor in showing us that from Day Hall down to Renfro Library, and then from Blackwell Hall, across Highway 213 to Pittman Dining Hall is the “student interstate” on campus. Blackwell Hall is at the very crossroads of that student traffic, so this location made a lot of sense.

So was the location of Blackwell Hall the primary driver of its choice as the site of the new campus center?

Having a central location was certainly a driver. We also realized that we did not want to add buildings to the campus and that we wanted to be good stewards and invest in an existing structure in a way that made sense. Blackwell was already in need of a new HVAC system and some renovation. We will therefore realize a lot of savings by renovating it rather than building a completely new building. You already have the walls, floors, steel, roof, balconies, etc., and you’re just adding to it, not starting from scratch. The centrality of it, the convenience of it, is significant, and it’s

important that we are dedicating ourselves to the idea that the future of the university is going to be centered on the Lunsford Commons and not in an outlying area of the campus. Having the campus center in this location will also focus our eyes on Bailey Mountain. I can think of no more beautiful view than Bailey Mountain from the Blackwell Hall area. I believe that it is a great place to tell the compelling Mars Hill story and showcase the beauty and splendor of this area.

What are you most excited about?

I’m excited about the young people on our campus having a comfortable, dynamic space in which they can engage with each other and the people who work here. I’m excited about being able to show off Mars Hill University and Bailey Mountain on recruiting visits. I’m excited about the Student Government Association having office space and getting reengaged on campus. I’m excited about the Chaplains’ Office being right at the front door so that young people will see it every day and hopefully get engaged with spiritual life on our campus. I’m excited that they’ll be able to see the Cothran Center and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Center. I want us to have vibrant, strategic plans for these centers to engage all of those offices in our students’ lives, more and more. I’m excited about seeing the Lunsford Commons come alive and be lit up at night from the new lighting and the new building. Our campus is too dark and too quiet at night. A college campus should be vibrant and alive. All of that will build on this theme of making the historic part of our campus a place that is filled with activity and engagement. I’m excited that our alumni will have a place to gather for reunions, for meeting spaces, or just to eat on a Saturday game day. We will no longer have to go off campus to restaurants for alumni events. We can have catered events right here on campus, and that excites me. My office will be in the building. I don’t know that being in an energetic hub will be a great fit for every president that comes after me, but I get energy from it and I want to be a part of our students’ lives.

How do you think the campus center will change the ethos of Mars Hill University?

It’s going to change the way we interact with each other. It’s going to pull us together and help our paths cross more intentionally. The campus center is going to be the crossroads of the campus. It’s going to have a lot of comfortable spaces to grab a friend and sit and have coffee or lunch. It’s going to be a place to receive your packages and your mail. It’s going to have a dining facility where you can go eat. And I think it will be full of students. Building the campus center here, in the center of campus, says something very important about our mission. Our mission and purpose is to develop young people, academically, spiritually, and personally. A Mars Hill education is more than getting a college degree; it is seeking and finding a meaningful life. Being engaged on campus, being comfortable so that you can learn, crossing paths with faculty members, all these things are a huge part of any college experience, but especially at Mars Hill. It’s not just about just having a flashy building and a fitness center. There’s a strategy behind the way we are doing this. It is not just about building buildings— it is to support our students through all the studentcentric offices that will be located in the center and help them. And honestly, I think there’s no better metaphor than turning over administrative turf to the students. They must come first and we will always fight for them.