Weeks after the initial building announcement, Belmont and community officials broke ground on the new Academic and Dining Services Complex Tuesday.
The 117,000-square-foot, four-floor building will house the university’s food service facility, classrooms, faculty offices, lab spaces and an additional 1,000 parking spots on campus.
Marty Dickens, chairman of the school’s Board of Trustees, called the groundbreaking “another great day in the life of Belmont University” in his speech during the ceremony.
The new facility will serve as another location for the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, as well as house journalism and media studies and film studies, according to Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher.
Faculty proposals are due the end of this month to determine what other academic departments the building will accommodate.
Gabhart Student Center, the current home of the media studies department and cafeteria, will not be torn down, instead the facility will be remodeled. No details concerning the remodel have been released.
Sodexo, Belmont’s food services partner, is investing $10.5 million in the new facility, Fisher said.
They will also provide 20 food scholarships for the 25 Metro Nashville Public School students that will be admitted and granted full scholarships as part of Belmont’s “Bridges to Belmont” program.
Ms. Tonya, who has worked at Belmont for 29 years, helped Sodexo Senior Vice President Fred Formichella unveil the facility’s artist renderings and also participated in the official groundbreaking ceremony.
Blasting is scheduled to begin April 1, and the complex is slated to be completed by summer 2015, according to Dr. Fisher.