Four years after EF-3 tornado hit campus, Jacksonville State's Merrill Hall is dedicated

Miranda Prescott, The Gadsden Times
·2 min read
The new Merrill Hall, which houses Jacksonville State University's College of Business Administration, replaces the one destroyed by a tornado four years ago.
The new Merrill Hall, which houses Jacksonville State University's College of Business Administration, replaces the one destroyed by a tornado four years ago.

In March 2018, Jacksonville State University was struck by an EF-3 tornado that left several major structures on the college's campus damaged in some array.

One of those buildings was Merrill Hall, a centerpiece of the campus since it was built in 1970. However, because of the tornado damage, the old building was deemed unsalvageable, which resulted in JSU making the decision to rebuild it on the grounds it originally stood on.

On Monday, JSU officially dedicated the building in a ceremony that also recognized former state legislator Hugh D. Merrill, whose name it bears.

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A Georgia native who later relocated to Anniston, Merrill "was instrumental in helping to change the status of JSU from a teachers’ college to a state college and ultimately to a respected university," according to a news release from the university.

"He also served as president pro tempore of the board of trustees for the university for 12 years – 1968 until 1980," the release said.

Members of the JSU administration and the Board of Trustees officially cut the ribbon on the new Merrill Hall.
Members of the JSU administration and the Board of Trustees officially cut the ribbon on the new Merrill Hall.

Merrill was a cousin of Alabama's current Secretary of State, John Merrill, who attended the dedication ceremony for the new building.

The new Merrill Hall features a 105,000 square foot facility that has several updated amenities such as "a 300-seat auditorium, three-story atrium and common space, 12 academic classrooms, a Finance Lab, an in-house Career Development Center, job interview rooms, team working areas for group projects, faculty and staff offices and a Dean’s Suite."

“We settled upon a design that honors the original building but provides all the new features and latest technology not available when the building was first constructed in 1970,” said JSU President Don C. Killingsworth Jr. “The result was a modern twist on the historic campus icon.”

Currently, Merrill Hall is the headquarters of operation for JSU's College of Business and Industry and houses several different departments such as Applied Engineering, Communication, Management and Marketing and Finance, Economics and Accounting. Students have been taking classes in the new Merrill Hall throughout the 2021-2022 academic school year.

The College of Business and Industry is accredited by AACSB International and offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees through its programs, including a top-ranked online MBA.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Four years after an EF-3 tornado hit campus, JSU reopens Merrill Hall