The building, to be named the Hunter Henry Center, will be located on the northwest edge of campus on Barr Avenue across from the Bost Extension Center. Henry, who made a lead gift commitment of $2.5 million toward the project in late spring, is a 1950 chemical engineering graduate and the retired president of Dow Chemical USA.

Foil Wyatt Architects of Jackson have been working with the leadership of the university, the foundation, and alumni association to plan and design the structure.

"We’re trying to address a number of objectives through the building's design," said Prescott.

He said one of the objectives is to create a "stately building that celebrates philanthropy at Mississippi State University, while maintaining a homey environment for our alumni," he said. "We want the facility to be a drawing card for the university; a facility that so impresses visitors that they will tell others about it and attract them to campus."

The building site features contoured grounds and trees, and another objective is to "marry the building to the site."

"The architects are trying to follow the natural slope and contours of the site," said Prescott. "I think they have done a wonderful job of that in the initial design. A case in point is the fact that the garden space and the building are one."

Prescott said there aren’t many joint alumni/foundation centers around the country. "The list of alumni and foundation centers is short enough that we were able to visit several to see what we liked and didn’t like," said Prescott. "We observed that some did a wonderful job with interior spaces, while others did a great job with exteriors, but we didn’t find one that did everything well, in our opinion."

The center will feature a ballroom that can serve as a multipurpose meeting area for foundation and alumni board meetings. In addition, the facility will feature a two-level donor recognition rotunda, a seminar room, several executive conference rooms, smaller conference rooms, office and storage space, and an outdoor garden area that can be used for social functions.

"There is a need for a large meeting site on campus, and the ballroom offers a versatile multipurpose area," said Prescott. "The ballroom concept is a great way to meet a variety of existing needs."

The donor rotunda also is unique. "The rotunda should be an impressive space," said Prescott. "Very few campuses have a central location designed to honor the individuals, corporations, foundations, and other organizations who have made a difference through their giving to the university. We feel this is a very important feature of the building."

Prescott said that as planned, the facility will cost a little more than $8 million, and will be built entirely with private funding.

"We hope to raise enough money to completely furnish the building, landscape the grounds, and build an operating endowment," said Prescott. "If we can secure gifts for the various naming opportunities available both inside and outside the building, we can do all we would like."

Naming opportunities within the facility include the ballroom, the alumni and foundation wings, and donor rotunda, as well as a variety of conference and meeting rooms. The outside garden areas, columns, and a distinctive, eye-catching spire will provide other naming opportunities as well.

A construction date has not been determined. "Optimistically, I'd like to put a shovel in the ground sometime in the first half of calendar year 2001," Prescott said. "In order to do that, we will have had to raise additional funds for the project this fall."

Prescott said once construction begins, the building should be ready for occupancy in approximately 18-24 months. "Following the most optimistic timetable, we could have the building open some time in the fall of 2002," he said.

While he is pleased that the new facility will offer the alumni association and foundation much needed office and program space, Prescott also is glad the facility to honor alumni and philanthropy at Mississippi State will be named for Henry. "We feel extremely privileged to have an alumnus of Hunter Henry’s stature as the namesake of the building," said Prescott. "He epitomizes the involved, generous alumnus, and is a true philanthropist."

Henry, a Canton native, is a member of the executive committee board of directors of the MSU Foundation, a former national alumnus of the year, and a distinguished engineering fellow. In 1998, the year he was recognized as the university's alumnus of the year, he was among 10 university alumni featured in a volume published by the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges to honor the contributions of the nation’s majors universities.