After 15 months of construction and $38 million in funding, Dixie State College is ready for the dedication of the new Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons.
The festivities begin with a formal ceremony Sept. 7 at 10 a.m. in the Cox Auditorium on campus. There attendees will hear remarks from those who played key roles in the creation and construction of the building, including the building’s namesake, Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Other speakers include DSC President Stephen Nadauld; Lt. Gov. Greg Bell; David Clark, former Utah Representative and Speaker of the House; Stan Plewe, DSC vice president of administrative services and representatives from VCBO Architecture, Sasaki Associates, and Jacobsen Construction.
Following the remarks, there will be musical numbers by performers Brodie Perry, Dallas Brass, and DSC alum D.J. Barraclough.
The celebration will then move to the new Holland Centennial Commons at 11:15 a.m., where the ribbon cutting ceremony and dedicatory prayer will ensue. The dedicatory prayer will be offered by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency of the LDS church, and will be followed by an open house and refreshments as well as tours around the building.
Students are encouraged to attend the dedication and be a part of history on the DSC campus.
“The dedicatory event is an occasion when the students and those who stand to benefit from the building have the opportunity to say thank you to the people responsible for making the building possible,” said Vice President of Development George Whitehead.
Organizers feel that the students should be involved in the dedication because the building was built with their success in mind.
“This building was created specifically for the students,” said Steve Johnson, DSC Public Relations and Marketing director. “It was placed in the center of campus because our faculty and staff have student success in the center of their minds and want it to be in the center of the students’ minds as well.”
Seating in the Cox Auditorium will be somewhat limited because of the 400-500 seats being reserved for benefactors and ticket holders, but students are welcome to fill the rest of the seats in the building or watch the dedication from the Burns Arena if overflow is necessary.
The Holland building is the foundation for DSC’s plan to prepare for the growth that has already begun to change the institution.
“The building itself is a game changer, an education changer,” Whitehead said. “It has changed the face of Dixie State College both physically and educationally as well as the face and the horizon of St. George physically and educationally.”
Whitehead said he is proud of the success of the building so far, and is excited for students to see what the building really has to offer them.
“It brings tears to my eyes every time I walk through it,” Whitehead said. “There can’t be a finer definition of education and academic excellence anywhere.”
Tours of the building will be through Thursday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. for students and community members. The tours begin at the information desk on the first floor of the building, and will be lead by DSC student Ambassadors.
