MARQUETTE, Mich.—Northern Michigan University will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the new John X. Jamrich Hall, which is being built between C.B. Hedgcock and the Learning Resources Center. The event is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday, May 2, on the west side of Hedgcock. The public is invited to attend.

NMU President David Haynes and Board of Trustees Chair Garnet Lewis will deliver opening remarks. They will be joined for the shovel ceremony by Gene Carroll, a partner with Neumann/Smith Architecture; Tim Kippenhan, vice president of Miron Construction; Amber Lopota, ASNMU student body president; and Luke Oberdorfer, NMU graduate student.

The facility will meet LEED certification standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council and replace the existing Jamrich, where more than 40 percent of university classes are held. The new building will house classrooms and four academic offices: criminal justice, English, sociology/social work /anthropology and math/computer science. It is scheduled to open in fall 2014.

Please note that site-preparation activities have closed about half of parking lot 28 between Hedgcock and the LRC through the end of the semester. A new parking lot has been developed southeast of the existing Jamrich. Another option is lot 21, located behind the Art and Design Building and accessible by Center Street.

            For more information on the project, visit www.nmu.edu/newjamrich.