29 Sep UND to break ground on new Memorial Union on Friday, Oct. 4, during Homecoming
Celebration of UND’s new ‘heart and hearth’ to recognize student experience, vision and leadership
What: Memorial Union Groundbreaking
Who: Dr. Joshua Wynne, UND interim president; Dr. Casey Ryan, vice chair – North Dakota State Board of Higher Education; Cara Halgren, UND vice president of student affairs & diversity; Erik Hanson, 2018-19 UND student body president; Gracie Lian, 2019-20 UND student body president; DeAnna Carlson Zink, CEO of UND Alumni Association & Foundation
When: 3:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 4
Where: Northeast lawn of the UND School of Law (Rain location: UND School of Law atrium)
Background:
GRAND FORKS – UND administrators and student leaders will break ground for a new Memorial Union building along University Avenue on Friday, Oct. 4, during Homecoming Week celebrations at the University.
Guest speakers for the ground breaking include UND Interim President Joshua Wynne, North Dakota State Board of Higher Education Vice Chair Dr. Casey Ryan, UND Vice President of Student Affairs & Diversity Cara Halgren and CEO of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation DeAnna Carlson Zink.
Former UND Student Body President Erik Hanson and current president, Gracie Lian, also will take the podium – representing the student leadership that has led efforts to bring the proposed $80-million project closer to reality. Last November, UND students voted in favor of replacing the former aging Memorial Union facility by increasing student fees to largely support the construction and long-term capital upkeep of the new Memorial Union.
In July, President Wynne led a successful effort to reduce the construction’s financial impact on students while also committing annual funding toward non-student uses of the new building.
Scheduled to be completed in 2021, the new Memorial Union will feature 158,000 square feet and three stories of meeting and engagement spaces, up-to-date technology, student services and expanded dining and retail options as the cornerstone of campus.
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David L. Dodds
Director of Communications
UND Today
Division of Marketing & Communications
University of North Dakota
david.dodds@UND.edu
O: 701.777.5529
C:701.740.4834