Past, Present, and Future: Andrews Hall

 The landscape of our beautiful campus is full of historic buildings, new amenities are also beginning to take shape in the skyline.  These buildings are sculpting their own story to add to MSU’s rich narrative.

Ground was broken for the Dr. Wayne D. and Susan H. Andrews Hall on March 19, 2015 and the five-story complex will be dedicated on September 30, 2016 making it the first main-campus residence hall to be built since Cartmell Tower in 1969. 

Standing on the former site of Regents and Wilson Halls at a cost of $28 million, the new hall will provide suite-style living space for 550 residents.  In addition to the living quarters, student/study meeting areas and community kitchens will be available for residential use.

The room types are a little different than what most have become accustomed to on campus.  Andrews Hall provides suite style options for two-person or four-person accommodation.  The two-person suites are double rooms that share a bathroom with another two-person room next to them.  The door from the bathroom to the room is lockable. 

Rooms come with a built in closet, sinks in the room, a desk and chair per person, and two full size beds.  Maximum privacy is achieved with the floor-to-ceiling wall that separates the sleeping areas.  The four-person suites house four people, who share two bathrooms and a community kitchen area. Within the four-person suites are four single, lockable bedrooms.  Each private bedroom is furnished with a built in closet, desk and chair, and a full size bed.

It is becoming increasingly exciting as we draw closer to the time of opening for this brand new facility.  Students temporarily being housed in Cartmell Hall are showing their anxiousness.  Tayler Singleton, a sophomore student to soon move into Andrews Hall, weighed in with his thoughts. 

“The full size beds are going to be awesome after a year of barely fitting on a twin,” said Singleton.  “Not to mention, the ceiling fans are going to offer a little more temperature control for those hotter months,” he added.  

Jacob Bryan, also a sophomore preparing to move said that he was "extremely pumped to get to be a part of the first generation of students in the hall" and that it was "pretty cool to be the first occupant of his room."

Andrews Hall is named after Dr. Wayne Andrews and his wife Susan.  Dr. Andrews is the 13^th president of Morehead State University having served in that position since January of 2005.  He is a graduate of Fitchburg State University where he earned his bachelor’s and West Virginia University where he received his master’s and doctorate.  Andrews has nearly 40 years of higher education experience at three public, comprehensive universities.  He was appointed by Gov. Ernie Fletcher and then reappointed by Gov. Steve Beshear as one of Kentucky’s five representatives on the Southern Regional Education Board.  He has also served as President of the Ohio Valley Conference.  Dr. Andrews is a U.S. Army veteran whose hobbies include restoration of antique clocks and the singing and playing of traditional music. 

Mrs. Andrews works with several student organizations, volunteers, and is retired teacher. The couple have two children, Josh and Jill, and two grandchildren, Nico and Luka.  President and Mrs. Andrews reside on campus in the President’s Home which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

More photos of the hall, renderings, and construction are available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/msu_facilities/albums/72157663941518550/with/29151054646/

Past, Present and Future: Button Auditorium

As we continue to prepare for all of the new amenities that Morehead State University is going to offer, we can’t forget about all that it has offered for years prior.  This campus is one that holds true beauty and history in its landscape with historic buildings and geography.  It makes Morehead State truly one of a kind.

When considering historic buildings on campus, no one can overlook Button Auditorium.  For almost everyone at MSU, it was one of the first buildings you were introduced to at Morehead with summer orientation.  It is still used commonly for guest speakers and organizational events and shows.  

Built in 1928, renovated in 1968 and upgraded in 2005 with new seating, this three-story facility contains classrooms and offices and a 1,200-seat auditorium. It was the site of the University’s first gymnasium which was transformed into classroom and laboratory facilities for Army ROTC. The facility includes an indoor range which is used by the Eagle rifle team

It was named in honor of Frank C. Button, first president of the University, who served from 1922 to 1929. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Dr. Frank C. Button, with his widowed mother, Phebe Phelps Button, founded Morehead Normal School in October 1887, on behalf of the United Christian Missionary Society of St. Louis. Their goal of training teachers was aimed at improving the economic and civil stability of the region, after the Tolliver-Martin Feud.  

In 1922, the Kentucky General Assembly established Morehead State Normal School, in effect closing the privately run school and bringing it under state control. Prior to this action, Frank had served as the Supervisor of Rural Schools for the Kentucky State Department of Education. His service in that capacity apparently influenced the school's transformation into a public institution. Frank continued his service at the school as the first president of Morehead State Normal School from 1922 to 1929. The school was raised to university status in 1966.  Our founder received honor having the historical building named in his memory.

Unlike the newer buildings on campus, students and faculty dating all the way back to the 1920s have been impacted by this structure.

“It’s one of the oldest buildings on campus; however, it being old is what makes it great,” said Brandon Breyer, a member of the MSU rifle team.  “It has always been my home for MSU Rifle.  It is also cool that it has practically become the trademark building on campus because it is where freshman students go for SOAR.  While it is old, it is historical and holds immense value to the rifle team and all students of MSU.  It truly makes you appreciate the history every time you walk inside.”

Past, Present and Future

We will be highlighting historical buildings and current projects throughout the next several months. 

Here is the schedule for the buildings we will be writing about;

New construction

Andrews Hall- Sept. (Dedication Sept. 30)

ADUC- Oct.

Padula/ Lundergan- Nov.  (Dedication Nov. 11)

Craft renovation- Dec.

Board of Ed. reno- Jan.

Alumni-Feb.

Volleyball-March

Cartmell renovation-April

Dining/ Parking-May (Dedication)

Historic buildings

Button- Sept.

Rader- Oct.

Library- Nov.

Thompson/ Craft-Dec.

Breck-Jan.

Fields-Feb.

Allie Young- March

Moonlight School- April

Pres. Home- May

Traffic changes due to ADUC Renovation

The renovation of ADUC is beginning and while contractors have been on site the construction fencing is just now being installed. This will cause some traffic patterns to change on and around campus.

Installation of site security fencing will begin on Friday, 23 September.  The first areas to be fenced in include the ADUC parking lot and the lower lawn area from Nickell Place to ADUC (area northeast of ADUC).  Parking in the ADUC lot will no longer be available beginning today, Friday, September 23.

Beginning on Wednesday, September 28, Battson-Oates Drive from Second St. to the Eagle Walk crosswalk will be fenced in.  At that time, all vehicle access to the Battson-Oates entrance of campus will be stopped.  Pedestrian access, from Second Street onto campus, will be the sidewalk adjacent to the front of Lappin Hall.

Second Street will be partially fenced in on Wednesday, September 28.  At that time traffic on Second Street will be constrained to one-way traffic from Battson Oates to Nickell Place.

The area northwest of the crosswalk between the Combs Building and the President’s House will not be fenced in at this time.

            The shuttle route will be changed. It will no longer have access to the pick-up/ drop-off area near Lappin Hall. The shuttle will drop-off and pick-up at the rear of the Combs Building and at the corner of Battson-Oates Dr. and Second Street. 

Access to the Bookstore will continue to be from the ADUC Plaza on the northwest face of the building.  There will be no work in this area for some time.

A Whole New MSU: A Student's Perspective

            A new schedule. A new set of classes. A new student body. A new landscape. A whole new experience!  It is quite obvious that year after year, the experiences we had before are never quite the same the next go-around.  We enter each year with a new skillset and new expectations. 

The word “new” means existing for the first time and it is a word that takes on a different meaning every single day because something is always, new.  With these words I hope to express that new can be great.

            As a first year student here at Morehead State University, every single bit of this is new to you.  Your responsibilities have become YOUR responsibilities.  You have freedom that you have never had before.  To a degree, you are for the first time your own person and making decisions without the crutch of parental guidance. 

            As a returning student, you are also experiencing new.  What you saw on campus last year is not the same as what you’re seeing now; mentally and physically.  Your rank has gone up, your comfort has increased, your time management has probably improved, and your tolerance for responsibility is growing.

            While the definition of new has different meaning with different experiences, one thing is new for every single person walking these sidewalks, from the administration rank all the way down to the freshman class, and that is the campus amenities. 

That is why working at the Office of Facilities Management is such a humbling and unique experience for me.  Every project and every renovation adds something new for everyone at Morehead State.  Each thing that is proposed here, transforms everyone’s definition of new with any tie to the school at all.

            We can already see that with this fall semester.  What you first-year-students see as new when you go and swipe your eagle card at Third Street Eats, is just as new to us returning students who have been here for two or three years already.  When you walk past the beautiful east-campus skyline on your way to class or to the recreation and wellness center, things like Andrews Hall and the parking garaga/dining commons are just as new to the professors who have been teaching here for twenty-plus years as they are to you.

            What is even cooler is that when you all are the returning students, you will be able to share a new definition of new with a brand new bunch of incoming students.  When the ADUC expansion project finishes, you will get to experience things that none of us returning students have gotten to experience during our career here; amenities added that will allow your stay at Morehead State better than anyone could imagine.  Get ready for a whole new and better MSU 

Brandon Heinrich, is a senior Engineering Technology student at Morehead State University.
He is a work study for Facilities Management. Heinrich has been an integral part of developing social media presence and often tours the construction sites, documenting progress.
He is Vice President of Pi Kappa Phi and a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.