DSC President Stephen D. Nadault, Dedication of the Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons at Dixie State College of Utah, St. George, Utah, Sept. 7, 2012 | Photo by Chris Caldwell, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – Dixie State College of Utah officially dedicated the Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons Friday morning, with the presence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Elder Jeffrey R. Holland himself, LDS President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, DSC President Stephen D. Nadault, and other leaders from the state and community.

Holland graduated Dixie College in 1963, and has played a major role in the development of the LDS church in Southern Utah. He has also stayed close to DSC in his involvement with the area, both religiously and academically. Now, almost four years after the announcement of the plans to build the Holland building, it is finally finished; and according to DSC officials, it finished on budget.

David G. Buxton, Utah Department of Facilities Construction Management, said, “This building was completed in 14 months, on time, on budget, and it’s beautiful.”

The new building is the largest on campus thus far, and contains offices, library resources, cafes, classrooms, and other services provided to the students of DSC. This is a major step for Dixie, and hopes are high that the long-awaited university status is right around the corner.

“This is a community with a long tradition of value and education,” David Clark, member of the Dixie State Board of Trustees and former Utah House Speaker, said. “This will become the academic heart and soul; the anchor for the 12 to 15 thousand students who will be attending, then, Dixie University.”

According to the DSC enrollment data, this would be a 30-60 percent increase in enrollment. Although this is a lofty goal, the increased campus capacity provided by the Holland Commons Building will fuel the growth of Dixie State.

The dedication program was followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of the new building, and a dedicatory prayer given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf on the second level of the Holland Building.

As part of his speech, Holland expressed his sentiment in regards to the new commons being named in his honor.

“The important thing, and I absolutely insist on this, is that this building, this day, and these kind of things are not about me,” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said. “We’re not much. We’re a couple of Dixie kids, who were raised in this red sandstone, but everything we are you’ve given to us.”

Holland is among tens of thousands of students who call Dixie home, and the continued pride in Dixie is fueling its growth as enrollment numbers increase, and as the campus continues to expand.

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