Union University photo
JACKSON — A weather event, likely a microburst carrying heavy rain and intense winds, caused major damage to the west end of Union University’s Penick Academic Complex April 3 around 8:30 p.m.
No students or personnel were injured. Union canceled all classes and activities in the PAC on Friday as contractors and engineers assessed the damage and university leaders made plans for how to manage the disruption.
“I want to start by saying our hope is in Jesus Christ,” Union University President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver told the Union community April 4 in a special worship service in the Brewer Dining Hall. “Our hope isn’t in buildings. We believe the truth of Scripture, as Psalm 20:7 reminds us, some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
Richard Newman, building consultant for Elite Contractors, said after an initial investigation, his structural engineer determined that a microburst with wind speeds of more than 100 miles per hour compromised the roof over the art department and the old Wellness Center. An exterior wall also caved in, and water began pouring into the PAC.
Newman said the damage was not a result of a faulty roof or maintenance issues. The roof on that section of the building was replaced in 2024. An Elite Contractor crew late Thursday night tore down an exterior wall in the affected area of the PAC to prevent water from pooling on the roof and causing further damage.
The old Wellness Center space was empty, as Union opened a new and expansive Wellness Center in a different part of the building in August. Plans were to use that vacant area for a new academic space, but the space had been unused for several months.
“I praise God that if any part of the PAC roof was going to fail, the very best place for it to fail was the old Wellness Center that no one has been in for seven months and didn’t have anything in it,” Oliver said.
When the roof gave way, it broke a water line for the building’s fire suppression system, causing additional water to pour into the PAC and ruining the floors in both the Fred DeLay Gymnasium and the activities gym. Several faculty members were displaced from their flooded offices. The most heavily damaged areas were the offices for art; languages, literature and writing; social work; and athletics.
The total square footage of the PAC, the largest building on Union’s campus, is about 225,000 square feet. About 7,500 square feet of the building will be demolished because of structural instability. About 100,000 square feet were flooded and will require major cleanup efforts over the next few months.
Classes in the flooded parts of the building will be relocated for the remainder of the semester. Professors whose offices were flooded will also be provided temporary offices in other locations across campus.
Classes and activities in the unaffected portion of the PAC will resume on Monday. Oliver said he hopes the entire facility will be ready for full use by the start of the fall semester.
