Just over a week before classes began at MSU, officials marked the opening of Prefontaine Hall, the first of several ribbon cuttings to look forward to on the Morehead campus. Leading the ceremony was MSU president, Dr. Jay Morgan. He said the many projects will transform the campus in a lasting way.
“This does mark another milestone in our campus transformation,” said Morgan. “As you can see from a drive through of campus, we’re transforming facilities and programs and a variety of things all with that central theme of ‘how do we set our campus up for the next thirty years for our students who will come after us?’”
Dr. Morgan added undertakings such as these are a team effort. He said many people had a hand in making the new building possible.
“These things don’t happen in a vacuum. There’s financing and accounting and construction, alumni, and development, housing. Everybody’s kind of got a little bit of a pitch to this. The students actually designed these rooms a couple of years ago when we started this process,” said Morgan.
In fact, many soon-to-be residents were also present at the event. One such student is Levi Jones, the senior residential advisor for the building. He said there is a sense of excitement surrounding the new additions to campus and he is happy to be a part of it.
“We have Prefontaine opening which is super exciting and Martin Hall is currently under construction and other things are in the works. So, it’s really exciting to be a part of that especially being a part of the beginning of it with Prefontaine,” said Jones.
Of course, the namesake of the building, Andy Prefontaine, was there. An alumnus of Morehead State University, Prefontaine is currently the owner and CEO of Family Leisure: a retailer of swimming pools, patio furniture, and other recreation equipment. He is also known for his charitable contributions to organizations both overseas and domestic.
In 2016, his family started a scholarship endowment for MSU students. Prefontaine and his family have also funded and supported many projects concerning the campus’s athletic facilities. He said his time at Morehead State gave him direction and purpose at a time when he didn’t have much of either.
“When I came here, this was my third college. I was just trying to find my way. I was just trying to find the right chemistry, the right formula, but it really gave me the basis that I needed,” said Prefontaine.
More specifically, he credits the school’s ROTC program with providing him with the framework for success.
“I needed discipline. I needed someone shouting in my ear. ROTC came along, and I did ROTC. I owe a lot to this school, I mean, I really do. I don’t know if my career would have gone the way it has, and I’ve been so blessed. I really have been,” said Prefontaine.
Dr. Morgan added projects like the new dorms and academic buildings are ways the university is moving forward with students at the center.
“We have poured an enormous amount of funds in really trying to find an environment where students can live. And hopefully, when our new academic buildings are done and renovations there where they can learn and we can make this a wonderful environment for them,” said Morgan.
More information on the Prefontaine Hall and other projects across Morehead State’s campus can be found on the university’s website.