Some 400 guests celebrated the opening of Carson-Newman University’s Ted and Drama Russell Center with an Aug. 8 ribbon cutting ceremony. Shown, from left, are Robert Key (C-N); David Reynolds (Home Federal); Brian Norris (Home Federal); Doug Kennedy (Johnson & Galyon); Hong Tjoa (chair, C-N board of trustees); Dawn Varnedoe (Russell Foundation); Ted Russell; Drama Russell; C-N president Charles A. Fowler; Arlisa Armstrong (USDA); Chris Hampton (USDA); Kirk Morris (USDA); Megan Chafin (BarberMcMurry); and Ondes Webster (C-N).
JEFFERSON CITY — Carson-Newman University officially opened the doors to its first new academic building in over a decade on Aug. 8. Hundreds gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Drama and Ted Russell Center, home to the University’s School of Health Sciences. Along with a ribbon cutting, guests took part in self-guided tours of the facility.
“What a wonderful day in the life of our university,” said Carson-Newman President Charles A. Fowler, following the day’s event. “Celebrating this significant new chapter of health sciences at Carson-Newman with family and friends truly makes it special.
“We are excited for what God’s going to do within these walls as our outstanding faculty and students experience one of the region’s premier educational facilities devoted to preparing servant-leaders for the healthcare field.”
Located on North College Street and Branner Avenue, the center honors Knoxville’s Drama Russell and her husband Ted, a 1962 C-N alumnus and a 2010 recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration.
The state-of-the-art facility serves as the new home for C-N’s nursing program and consists of three levels spanning 48,000 square feet. The center includes classroom space, simulation labs, health assessment labs, general skills labs as well as classrooms that are equipped to foster educational instruction marked by Christ-centered excellence.
In addition to nursing, the Drama and Ted Russell Center will be home to Exercise Science and will offer a food service area, The Garden Bistro, multiple student lounges, collaboration areas, as well as a covered outdoor terrace. B&R
