Nicole June Reporting
njune@clarksvillenow.com
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – APSU staff and alumni, students, and members of the community gathered Monday, Sept. 9 for the dedication of the recently completed Governors Terrance Residence Hall and Dining Complex.
Students have already moved into the complex, which includes three residence halls: Governors Terrace North, Governors Terrace South, and Martha Dickerson Eriksson Hall. The ceremony was held at Eriksson Hall, a five-story building that houses students and a dining facility on the first floor.
Last year, businessman Lars Eriksson donated an 8-figure gift to the university in his late wife’s name, which became the largest gift in APSU’s history. To recognize his generosity, the central residence hall was named in honor of his wife, Martha Dickerson Eriksson. The College of Education was also renamed the Martha Dickerson Eriksson College of Education, and that college’s STEM Center was renamed the Jack Hunt STEM Center, in honor of her late brother-in-law and local teacher.
“The one thing we know is no institution stays great by standing still,” said APSU President Tim Hall. “Of all the public institutions in the state of Tennessee right now I think the one least standing still is Austin Peay. We are pressing forward.”
Dr. Sherryl Byrd, Vice President for Student Affairs, and Mitch Robinson, Vice President for Finance and Administration, thanked local politicians, architects, Lars Eriksson, and Chartwells Dining Services for their contributions to the new facilities.
“A heart needs a home, and we’re trying to provide a home for all those many hearts that are making this a great place,” Hall said.