Physical Plant update: November 2009

If you read your copy of the Fall 2009 Heritage magazine then you may recall President James Gaertner saying that a new residence hall is on the horizon, as part of the Campus Master Plan. Specifically, “a new 300-bed residence hall located across from the University Health Center is in the plan. In addition, the Office of Residence Life will be housed on the first floor of the new building.” The Physical Plant released a rendering this month courtesy of Kirksey Architecture showing a new student residence building set to begin construction in April 2010 and to be completed around June 2011. 

City Celebrates Cultural Designation

From the November 13 edition of the Item:

The city of Huntsville celebrated its official designation as one of the State of Texas’ seven new cultural districts during a reception Thursday at the Katy and E. Don Walker Sr. Education Center.

The designation was officially presented to the city by Dr. Gary Gibbs, executive director of the Texas Commission on the Arts who was in attendance with commission’s deputy director Jim Bob McMillan.

“To receive this designation was a competitive process,” Gibbs said. “Huntsville was one of 30 cities who applied for this designation, and one of seven to receive it.”

The State’s Cultural Designation program is a new one, with the 2009 pilot program initiated by the TCA in December of 2008.

Huntsville’s cultural district includes of all the city’s downtown square area, as well as Oakwood Cemetery, the Sam Houston Memorial Museum, the Samuel Walker Houston Museum and Cultural Center, the Sam Houston State University campus, and more.

Today@Sam discussed the event prior to the ceremony.