A groundbreaking ceremony took place on Oct. 13, 2023, for a new 2,300-bed housing and dining complex to be built near Hoover Avenue and Division Street. It’s the first residential facility built specifically for first-year students since 1963, and the largest project of its kind in the country.

One of the residence halls in the five-building residential complex on Central Campus will be named the Dr. E. Royster Harper Hall, after longtime campus leader Royster Harper, vice president emerita for student life, (pictured above), who championed inclusivity and student well-being.

Harper was on hand to help celebrate the groundbreaking, along with President Santa J. Ono and representatives from the Regents and University leadership.