By Scott Harvey
Commerce – A capacity crowd filled Ferguson Auditorium Thursday to listen as Dr. Dan Jones, the 11th president of Texas A&M University-Commerce, gave his inaugural address during the university's Fall Faculty and Professional Staff meeting. A number of items were addressed including campus project updates and an in-depth look at the mission of A&M-Commerce and its implementation.
Dr. Jones first addressed the physical transformation of the campus, beginning with the Sam Rayburn Student Center which is in the final stage of construction. The project is expected to be complete ahead of scheduled and under budget. Ribbon cutting for the new facility is slated for early 2009, with a number of events to be held in December to showcase the complex to students and the community.
The Alumni Center is also nearing completion. According to Dr. Jones, the facility will be occupied before homecoming in November. The new 6,500 sq. foot building will be nearly four times the size of Alumni Relation's current facilities.
Dr. Jones also addressed the status of the Music Building, to be located in front of the current student center. The state-of-the-art facility will feature rehearsal, performance and studio space and serve as a venue for educating students and presenting world class concerts. Groundbreaking is scheduled for December.
Throughout the next several days KETR will bring you portions of Dr. Jones address to A&M-Commerce faculty and staff. Comments will consist of fall enrollment trends, as well as other vital demographic statistics at A&M-Commerce, tuition and administrative costs, and concrete strategies proposed by the President to be embarked upon this semester.