The Havener Center, the new University of Missouri-Rolla student and campus center, will welcome UMR students back to campus in grand style this January.
The Havener Center grand opening celebration for UMR students will be held Tuesday, Jan. 11, through Thursday, Jan. 13. Special events to showcase the building’s various services and UMR’s student organizations are planned throughout each day. Grand opening activities are co-sponsored by the student life department, the UMR Bookstore, Chartwell’s Dining Services and Phelps County Bank.
This celebration is intended for students. "We wanted to do something special for the students because they helped pay for the building," says Sherry Scherr, Havener Center operations manager. "We wanted them to have the first celebration."A grand opening for UMR faculty and staff will be held Friday, Jan. 14, and a dedication ceremony is planned for later in the semester.
Planned events for the Havener Center grand opening include:
Tuesday, Jan. 11
11 a.m.-1 p.m. Student Union Board disc jockey; 11:30 a.m. UMR drum line performance, student dancers and a Zeta Tau Alpha step show will be held in the main atrium; noon Phelps County Bank ribbon cutting; 12:30 p.m. Student Life Prize Drawing.
In addition, travel mugs will be given to the first 1,000 students to visit the building. The travel mug giveaway is sponsored by Chartwell’s, the UMR Bookstore, Phelps County Bank and the student life department.
Wednesday, Jan. 12
11 a.m.-1 p.m. Student radio station KMNR will provide music in the main atrium; noon Chartwell’s Dining Service ribbon-cutting ceremony, Joe Miner will be on hand; 12:15 p.m. UMR Gold Miner cheerleaders will perform in the main atrium; 12:30 p.m. Kappa Alpha Psi Step Show; 12:30 p.m. Student Life Drawing; 8-10 p.m. Student Union Board Leisure and Recreation Game Night.
Thursday, Jan. 13
Noon-12:30 p.m. UMR Jazz Band performance, small atrium; noon Phelps County Bank giveaway; 12:30 p.m. UMR Bookstore ribbon cutting; 11:30 a.m.-noon Simple Harmonics vocal performance, Cup of Joe Lounge; 12:30-1 p.m. Perfect 10 Improv Group performance, Cup of Joe Lounge.
On Friday, Jan. 14, UMR faculty and staff can tour the building.
The Havener Center standard business hours will begin Monday, Jan. 10. The building will be open from 7 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, and noon -11:30 p.m. Sunday. The 100,000-square-foot facility can accommodate groups as small as 10 and as large as 400. In addition to meeting facilities and student life and student organization offices, the building houses a food court with several dining options, the Cup of Joe coffee shop, a larger University Bookstore and wireless Internet access.
The UMR Bookstore, which is located on the first floor near the coffee shop and small atrium, will be open from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon-4 p.m. Saturday. There will be extended hours during the grand opening celebration. Call (573) 341-4705 for details.
Chartwell’s Dining Service will be open from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Coffee will be available from the Cup of Joe lounge from 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, and 1-10 p.m. Sunday.
In 1997, UMR students approved a special student fee to help fund the facility, resulting in $12 million in funding. A $5 million contribution by UMR graduate Gary Havener constituted the largest portion of $9 million in private gifts for the center. No state funds have gone into the project.
Students pushed for the student fee increase a "tax" on themselves because they saw the need for a new student center.
"The students have been highly involved in the process from the beginning," says Mark Potrafka, director of student life. "A core group of students, working with the design team, had a major say in the design and furnishings of the building, so it truly is the students’ building."