Austin College’s colorful campus housing along Grand Avenue was renamed in May by the College’s Board of Trustees. Board chair David Corrigan, a 1981 graduate of the College, announced that the single, duplex, and triplex cottages now will be known as Dr. Marjorie Hass Village on Grand in honor of the legacy of the 15th president of Austin College.
President Marjorie Hass leaves Austin College later this month to assume the presidency at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. In May, at an event designed as a farewell from the Board of Trustees and special guests, Corrigan revealed the name change in a surprise announcement. The board’s resolution stated that the name of President Hass should “remain an enduring element of the campus landscape” in appreciation of the “leadership and community spirit of President Hass and her lasting mark upon the College’s history and future.”
Naming the Village after President Hass is fitting,” said Tim Millerick, vice president for Student Affairs and Athletics at the College, “because it reflects her administration in many ways. The Village (and Flats) were hugely collaborative projects between key constituencies with her leadership and the projects were creative in both in design and funding. Not only did the housing provide timely increased revenue to the overall budget, the units expanded on-campus housing opportunities, particularly for juniors and seniors, at a time when off-campus options were diminishing. The overall project became a recognized model nationally. I am thankful to have been a part of creating the space and am pleased that it now recognizes the leadership of President Hass.”
Read more about the naming and the response from President Hass in the upcoming July 2017 issue of Austin College Magazine.