Culp Center holds grand reopening ceremony

The D.P. Culp Student Center, or what many have referred to as the “living room” of campus, is officially open.

The “Coming Home” grand reopening celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony took place on March 5 on the first floor of the Culp Center. Several speakers gave speeches about what the Culp Center meant to them.

ETSU President Brian Noland gave the opening speech, in which he thanked several people, including the Culp family.

“This morning as I was getting ready to come to the office, I pulled out a set of cufflinks that Donna gave me for Christmas a number of years ago,” said Noland. “Cufflinks that were Dr. Culp’s, and I thought of the impact that he and his family has had on this university – a building that bears his name. Sometimes we overlook the role that individuals can have and how those individuals, in planting seeds, can provide a foundation for which things will bloom for generations to come.”

Noland also explained how the idea to renovate the Culp Center was brought about.

“In the year 2012, we began a process called ‘The Committee for 125,’ in which individuals from across the campus and across the region set forward a big vision for the university,” said Noland. “‘Where do we want to be in the year 2036?’ and one of the ideas that emerged from the process was to revive the Culp, to open the Culp and to celebrate this as the true living room for the university.”

Joe Sherlin, the vice president for Student Life and Enrollment, also spoke about the beginning of the renovation project and the role that the Student Government Association played in it.

“In 2013, our student government began a process of asking our students what this building should look like and touring other campuses around the country, and after two years of work, in 2015, the student government approved a measure to support this project, and then it got really exciting, because we began to dream,” said Sherlin.

Scott Niswonger, chair of the Board of Trustees, and Christopher Santana, the student trustee for the Board of Trustees, represented the board at the event. Santana spoke about the impact the Culp Center has on campus from a student perspective.

“The Culp Student Center is the place I have lunch with my friends; the place where I bump into people that I’ve not seen in a couple years,” said Santana. “It is also the place where I have grown as a leader. Technically, I’ve never had a class in this building, but I’ve gained so many valuable lessons that here. In the next ten, twenty or thirty years, when I reflect on my journey at ETSU, some of the most treasured memories will include time spent here in the Culp Student Center.”

SGA was represented at the event by Aamir Shaikh, the SGA president, and Jeff Howard, the advisor for SGA. Howard thanked the SGA leaders from the 2013-14 academic year to the current 2019-20 academic year for their involvement in the project, many of which were involved with the knowledge that they would no longer be students when the renovations were complete.

“It’s not often you see students think about the people who come after them,” said Howard. “This project started in 2013. The people who came up with this concept knew they would never be here to enjoy the center, and yet they brought about what you’re standing in today.”

Each of the six speakers gave extensive thanks to those involved in the project, including BurWil Contruction Company, Moody-Nolan and many ETSU faculty and staff members who made the renovation possible.

Following the speeches, multiple people involved in the project cut the ribbon, signifying the official opening of the Culp Center.