On Friday, Jan. 18, in a unique venture between ETSU and the Veterans Affairs, the James H. Quillen College of Medicine held a dedication ceremony for Stanton-Gerber Hall, the new $36 million basic sciences building.
With more than 12 years in the planning, the building is named in honor of ETSU President Dr. Paul E. Stanton Jr. and Dr. Carl J. Gerber, director of the James H. Quillen Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
“There are other schools around the country that have a relationship with the VA, but there is none that have the special relationship we have,” Stanton said.
With ETSU and the VA working side by side, the federal and state government, in an unprecedented venture, split the $36 million bill.
Both the federal and state government paid $18 million each for the new basic sciences building.
“I think if, in the beginning, we had tried to get $36 million altogether from one government or the other, we probably would not have been successful,” Stanton said. “Splitting it up and working with the federal and state sides brought it all together.”
The 183,000-square-foot facility will house administrative offices, research laboratories, and state-of-the-art classrooms for the medical school.
“It is awe-inspiring when we consider the important advances in science that will take place in the years to come within these walls,” said Dr. Ronald D. Franks, ETSU Dean of Medicine and Vice President for Health Affairs.
Stanton-Gerber Hall will unify the entire medical school operation to one campus.
“I think it is one of the more important buildings that we opened in the last few years, simply because the effect it will have on so many students,” Stanton said. “It is a major facility for training health-care providers of the future.”
Stanton said that the honoring of the building in his name was one of the most humbling experiences in his life.
“When they put up the letters of the name out front, it sent a cold chill up my spine, it was extremely humbling.”
Gerber noted that bringing this building from dream to reality has been interesting, and told the crowd during the ceremony they could never know how much this honor means to him.
Former ETSU President Dr. Roy Nicks told the crowd that this project is typical of how this medical school came into being, and how it has progressed over the years to its very successful status.
Stanton-Gerber Hall is located on the College of Medicine VA campus on Maple Avenue, behind the medical library. Ground breaking for the new building took place on June 8, 1998. It was designed by Gresham, Smith, and Partners in Nashville. Construction was done by Dawson Building Contractors Inc., of Rainbow City, Ala.

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