Students, faculty and staff, alumni, donors and friends gathered as Brescia University broke ground on the new C.E. Field Center for Professional Studies on Thursday, April 26th. The building, to be built on the corner of 9th Street and Frederica Street, will house the Charles Albert Reid School of Business, including the William H. Thompson Center for Business Graduate Studies, the School of Education (still to be named), and the Marilyn Younger Conley School of Social Work. The ceremony celebrated the second phase of The Campaign for Brescia University: Gateway to Our Second Century, a capital campaign designed to meet the evolving needs of students and the growing competitive landscape of higher education.
The building will also feature a 150 seat auditorium, the University’s art gallery, a small chapel area, a digital studio for innovative learning, computer labs, and seminar rooms. A&K Construction of Paducah, Kentucky were announced as the contractor for the project and EOA Architects of Nashville, Tennessee designed the building. This is the first new construction for Brescia University in nearly twenty years and the first academic space to be constructed in over fifty years.
The Field Center, as it will be known, is named in recognition of the legacy of the late Charles Eldred Field, founder of Field Packing Company, currently known as Specialty Foods Group, LLC. Mr. Field was a significant member of the Owensboro business community in terms of economic development, and he also believed that giving back to his employees and the community were equally important values. He actively promoted employee education and advancement and was a major philanthropist, donating money and resources to the community.
He and his wife Mildred established the Field Foundation Scholarship at Brescia University. The Charles E. Field Scholarship was also established upon Mr. Field’s passing in 1975 to honor his memory.
The groundbreaking of the C.E. Field Center for Professional Studies follows the completion of the first phase of the capital campaign in June 2017 that included major renovations to The Moore Center. The building that serves as the student center was updated with an open concept living and dining area on the first floor that included a remodeled cafeteria, a new Snack Bar and Spirit Shop, the addition of an Athletics Hall of Fame, an expanded gymnasium, new team locker rooms, and an enrollment center. The second floor received the addition of a health and wellness center, expanded walking track and updated office space that include a new counseling center.
Construction is slated to begin in June with an expected completion date in 2019. The construction of the C.E. Field Center for Professional Studies will cost approximately $9 million, with a total campaign cost of $15 million. The University has raised nearly $13.6 million to date.
For more information, please contact Kayla Altman, Director of Public Relations and Marketing, at 270.686.2110 or [email protected].