FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 5, 2000
 
 

HUNTINGTON, W.Va.— As part of Marshall University’s Celebration of Academics and Drinko Honors Convocation, the university’s central plaza will be renamed tomorrow afternoon during a ceremony at 2 p.m. on the plaza, located in the center of the MU Huntington campus.

In part to a $100,000 donation made by Ashland, Inc. to redesign the plaza, it will be dedicated as "Ashland Commons."

Paul Chellgren, CEO of Ashland, Inc., will be the featured speaker at the event. "This is a wonderful opportunity for Ashland, Inc. to continue its great relationship with Marshall University as well as the Huntington community," Chellgren said. "We are more than pleased with the results and are proud to have made such a contribution in making the campus an even nicer place."

John Deaver Drinko, prominent attorney and Marshall alumnus for whom the new MU library is named, will also be present at the event. "I’m extremely pleased to be a part of something so exciting and beneficial to the future of Marshall," Drinko said.

Marshall University President Dan Angel believes that the newly remodeled Ashland Commons makes for a better learning environment for students. "This naming is in recognition of the many ways Ashland Inc. has contributed to academics at Marshall," Angel said. "One of our goals is to help students succeed and a beautiful campus is a major part of reaching that goal and I would like to thank Ashland Inc. for its generosity."