Luckyday donates $4 million for new housing

Housing at Southern Miss will soon be redefined once more as a new residence hall, designated as Luckyday Citizenship Hall, takes shape on campus.

On Monday the university received confirmation from the Board of Founders that the Luckyday Foundation gifted $4 million to USM to be used for student housing. The new hall will take form on the north end of campus and complete the Century Park housing complex.

Before construction begins, the building has to be approved by the Mississippi Institution of Higher Learning Board of Trustees, but it is anticipated that the project will be completed by 2015.

Larry Sparkman, director of Luckday, said he thinks this gift will serve as an opportunity for the university to upgrade its housing opportunities for students.

The new residence hall will also serve as a space for programs and classrooms, and it will give students a place they can find helpful personnel.

"Any time you build housing spaces you build a new place for students to build a stronger community," Sparkman said. "Hopefully it can lead to those opportunities as well for students."

According to Sparkman, the new residence hall will also have an aesthetic benefit for the university. Vann Hall, Scott Hall, and the east wing of Bond Hall will be demolished, allowing for green walking space to stretch from the Thad Cochran Center across the north end of campus to Century Park.

The new residence hall is projected to be even larger than Century Park, housing over 900 students. There will be a section of the hall designated for Luckyday scholars, but Sparkman said the complex will house all kinds of on-campus students.

Since the Luckyday Foundation was established at Southern Miss in 2001, it has been one of the university's most generous donors. The Luckyday Foundation is a private foundation founded by the late Frank Day, who wanted to support Mississippi residents in their pursuit of higher education.

"It's great that they can help us hopefully move forward with that next step for the university, and, too, it gives a physical representation of their commitment to Southern Miss," Sparkman said.

Sparkman also thinks the new residence hall is a place to build community.

"To have most of your students living on campus, especially new students all in one place, will be a great way to get people together and build community," he said. "I think it will be good accommodations for students that will lead to greater opportunities for studying and learning."

In a Southern Miss Now press release by Van Arnold, Vice President for Student Affairs Joe Paul said the university is grateful to the Luckyday Foundation and the late Frank Day for their ongoing support of students at Southern Miss.

"This gift will allow us to move forward on a much-needed residential complex and accommodate our Luckyday Scholars in a manner they deserve," Paul said.

"I can't say enough how humble we are to be affiliated with Luckyday foundations," Sparkman said. "They've been just amazing benefactors over the years, and we want to remain true to the vision of Frank Day in helping Mississippi residents move forward and being a part of their journey here, and we want to see them graduate, so I think it's a real positive thing for the university as a whole."