ECU, UNC officials celebrate Rivers building expansion

Published Sep 11, 2004 by
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GREENVILLE, NC   (Sept. 11, 2004)   —   The East Carolina University community celebrated the completion of the Thomas W. Rivers Building expansion Sept. 11 with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

UNC President Molly Corbett Broad and UNC Board of Governors Vice Chairman J. Craig Souza congratulated ECU leaders on their latest achievement and pointed to the Rivers Building as just one example of the momentum building in eastern North Carolina.

“This is a wonderful part of the new era of transformation and rebuilding of East Carolina University. It really was the bond vote cast so overwhelmingly by the citizens of North Carolina that has been instrumental in this transformation,” Broad said.

The $11.9 million project, paid for by the $190 million ECU received in 2000 as part of the North Carolina Higher Education Facilities Bond program, provides 38,000 square feet of new classroom and faculty office space for the School of Nursing and the College of Human Ecology.

ECU Chancellor Steve Ballard said the completion of the Rivers Building would help contribute to the quality of the university’s academic programs as well as respond to the continuing demand for space as enrollment figures rise.

“This is just one indicator of a vibrant, growing academic community that will make a significant difference to East Carolina and to the state of North Carolina,” Ballard said. “This is a university that has huge growth potential and we want to make sure we have the resources and academic spaces available. The Rivers Building is just one sign that this is possible.”

The building reopened just before the start of the fall 2004 semester and is home to the School of Nursing and a number of schools within the College of Human Ecology, including: Child Development and Family Relations, Interior Design and Merchandising, Criminal Justice, Social Work and Nutrition and Hospitality Management. Built in 1968, the building was named for longtime ECU advocate Thomas W. Rivers, who in 1987 made the first $1 million contribution to ECU for academic purposes.