VALDOSTA — The Jerry and Kay Jennett Lecture Hall will serve the needs of students for years to come at Valdosta State University.
The university broke ground on the 15,700-square-foot facility Monday — a facility that will have two auditorium-style classrooms and state-of-the-art technology designed to facilitate learning.
Construction on the $1.9 million facility is scheduled to begin at the first of the year and will connect to the Dewar College of Education. The project is tentatively scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2010.
“I’m thrilled it’s attached to education,” Jerry Jennett said.
In November, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved naming VSU’s newest academic building in honor of Jerry and Kay Jennett for their significant philanthropic efforts.
Dr. Patrick Schloss, VSU president, credited the Jennetts with helping the university evolve over the years.
Schloss compared Jerry Jennett’s work with the university to what he does at Georgia Gulf Sulfur, turning smaller businesses into successful entities.
The Jennetts have been involved in a number of activities at Valdosta State University, from providing scholarships to providing input on the construction of various buildings.
“I’m proud to be considered a friend of this university,” Jerry Jennett said.
When the Jennetts moved to Valdosta, they began attending basketball games at VSU with Janet and Robbie Robinson, Kay Jennett said.
They were told that the women’s team was small because there were no scholarships, she said.
A scholarship for basketball players would be the beginning of the Jennetts’ relationship with VSU.
Jerry Jennett’s uncle served as superintendent of schools at a North East Iowa school, and all of his aunts and uncles — except for one — worked in education. His uncle’s relationship with education began with a scholarship, during the depression era, to an Iowa college, he said.
“Part of the process starts with scholarships,” he said.
Schloss said the new lecture hall represents where the university could be in 15 years.
In the last 15 years VSU has grown tremendously and by 2025 could be home to 20,000 students.
A lecture-style classroom creates space in other areas of the campus for classes that need a smaller setting, while providing more seats for students obtaining core credit hours, he said.
Media-based core classes from across the university will utilize the classroom, Schloss said.
The building will include two levels, each with a capacity for 350 seats.
The building was designed by IPG Architects and will be built by JCI Contractors.
Funding for the building comes from VSU’s 2010 Strategic Focus Plan, using dollars allocated from the general operating budget.
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Related Photos
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An artist's drawing of the new Jerry and Kay Jennett Lecture Hall.
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The dirt is thrown for the official groundbreaking of the Jerry and Kay Jennett Lecture Hall at Valdosta State University Monday. Pictured, from left, are Tracy Martin, Dr. Carl Cates, Lynn Jones Jr., Dr. Louis Levy, Dr. Patrick Schloss, Kay Jennett, Jerry Jennett, Nikki Mitchell, Rob Evans, Donatonia Hughes, Dr. Kerry Hinkle, and Dr. Jay Rickman.
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Valdosta State University President Dr. Patrick Schloss recognizes Kay and Jerry Jennett during the ground-breaking ceremony for the lecture hall named in their honor.
Discussion
Ground broken for VSU facility
Jerry and Kay Jennett honored for their support of education
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