beaming with pride

By Bill Rosenberger
The Herald-Dispatch

A beam that will hold up the roof above the third-floor boardroom of the new Erickson Alumni Center and Marshall University Foundation Hall was signed by community members, students and faculty in an October 31 ceremony in front of the John Marshall statue.

"I love Marshall," said Jonathan Sayers, a sophomore who volunteers for the Alumni Association. "To actually have your name on the beam of a building, that's a rare opportunity."

C.R. Neighborgall of Neighborgall Construction said the beam will go above a third-floor boardroom on the southwest corner of the roof. In fact, construction workers were waiting for the beam to continue work on that part of the new center and will place the beam on Monday.

The new 32,220-square-foot facility is slated to open next fall and house the Office of Alumni Relations, the Marshall University Foundation and the University Development Office.

"As we sign this beam today, remember the future we're building upon," said Jeff Porter, former president of the Alumni Association.

Marshall University President Stephen Kopp added that the new facility, which is being constructed at the corner of 5th Avenue and John Marshall Drive, is part a larger-scale university enhancement.

"What we're talking about doing is changing the landscape of the university," Kopp said. "That's part of a broader vision that people are likening to a new Marshall University.

"This university is very much on the move," Kopp added. "We're taking the possible and making it probable, and then making it real."