Dixie State to dedicate new Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons building

Image courtesy of Dixie State College

ST. GEORGE – After years of planning and months of construction, Dixie State College of Utah will celebrate the dedication of the new Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons on Friday, Sept. 7. The dedication events are free and open to the public to attend.

The formal ceremony begins at 10 a.m., in the Avenna Center Cox Auditorium on campus, and will include remarks from DSC President Dr. Stephen D. Nadauld and the building’s namesake, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, who is a 1963 graduate of Dixie College and a member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In addition, Utah Lt. Gov. Greg Bell, former Utah State Representative and Speaker of the House David Clark, DSC Vice President of Administrative Services Stan Plewe, and representatives from VCBO Architecture, Sasaki Associates and Jacobsen Construction will provide remarks. The ceremony will also feature special musical numbers by renowned soloist Brodie Perry and Dallas Brass trumpeter and DSC alum D.J. Barraclough.

Following the program at the Cox Auditorium, the dedication festivities will move on to the new Holland Centennial Commons at 11:15 a.m., and will include the official ribbon cutting ceremony and a dedicatory prayer offered by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency of the LDS Church. Dixie State will host an open house with refreshments following the dedication ceremony.

Construction of the Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons took just 15 months to complete. The 170,000 square foot, six-story structure, designed by Salt Lake City’s VCBO Architecture and Sasaki Associates and built by Jacobsen Construction, is the new centerpiece of the DSC campus located in the heart of Dixie’s historic Encampment Mall

Since officially opening its doors in June, the Holland Centennial Commons serves as the new home of DSC’s Val A. Browning Library, along with the College’s English department, business services and IT departments. The building features 26 group study areas and six classrooms, along with a digital signage/interactive touchscreen wayfinding system and two food and beverage venues, among many other amenities.

In addition, the facility supports Dixie State’s mission to provide a student-centered learning environment by hosting all the services students will need in one location, including registration, financial aid, advising and counseling.

The Holland Centennial Commons is the keystone of Dixie’s overall campus master plan to accommodate the growth that has already begun to transform the institution. In 2010, the Utah State Legislature approved $35 million in funding, which was on top of $3 million in funding in 2009 devoted to the design and planning. In addition, DSC received a $10 million anonymous donation for the construction of the building in 2008, which is the largest private donation DSC has ever received.

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