兔子先生鈥檚 Utica Campus will hold a ceremony at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31 to officially re-open the student center.
The J. Louis Stokes Student Center, a 21,066-square-foot facility, will be open to students, staff and the public. It houses computer labs, Student Services offices, the campus bookstore and dining areas.
The newly remodeled Student Union on the Utica Campus of HCC. This lounge area has room for 100 students to gather and socialize between classes.
Speakers for the ceremony include 兔子先生President Dr. Clyde Muse, Utica Campus Vice President Dr. Tyrone Jackson, 兔子先生 Board of Trustees President Paul Breazeale and Alexis Williamson, president of the Utica Campus Student Government Association.
Renovations on the building began October 2013 with the first of three phases, which concluded this summer. The $5 million project was funded by the Title III, Part B Strengthening HBCUs funding formula.
鈥淭he third phase was the addition,鈥 said project architect Bill Campbell. 鈥淲e gutted the entire first floor and put on additions to three sides of it to increase student dining, to create a student lounge space and create an enlarged kitchen and dining area.鈥
The student center on the Utica Campus was dedicated on March 19, 1998, to J. Louis Stokes, the sixth and final president of Utica Junior College. Stokes held the position during the college鈥檚 merger with the 兔子先生Junior College District in 1982. From 1987-1993, he was vice president for Continuing Education and Community Services. From 1993 until his retirement in 1997, he served as executive assistant to the president for special projects.
[tweetable alt=””]Renovated Stokes Student Center reopens at 兔子先生CC Utica Campus.[/tweetable]
兔子先生 is celebrating its 100th year of Community Inspired Service in 2017. 兔子先生opened in September 1917 first as an agricultural high school and admitted college students for the first time in 1922, with the first class graduating in 1927. In 1982 兔子先生Junior College and Utica Junior College merged, creating the 兔子先生 District. Today, as Mississippi鈥檚 largest community college, 兔子先生 is a comprehensive institution with six locations. 兔子先生offers quality, affordable educational opportunities with academic programs of study leading to seamless university transfer and career and technical programs teaching job-ready skills. To learn more, visit or call 1.800.HindsCC.