A&M to dedicate new student center

Texas A&M University-Texarkana will dedicate and officially open the Lois and Cary Patterson Student Center at 11 a.m. today.

Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp will address the crowd on the front lawn of the center, 7101 University Ave., Texarkana, Texas.

“We are thrilled to be dedicating this beautiful facility this week,” A&M-Texarkana President Dr. Emily Cutrer said in advance of the public event. “The Lois and Cary Patterson Student Center will serve our students in many ways … Every inch of this building was designed with students in mind, from the regulation basketball court to the seating and lounge areas. We truly expect this to become the living room of our university. It’s the place everyone will want to be, and we are beyond thankful to have this facility for our students.”

The Student Center includes spaces for recreation, intramural sports, a fitness center, Ace’s Place café, the biomechanics and motor skills labs for kinesiology and athletic training and classrooms. It features retractable seating for 1,500 patrons, coaches’ quarters,

the athletic director’s office and 12 faculty/staff offices.

The $11 million facility is 38,000 square feet. It was funded through a public-private partnership with Eagle Lake Development of Texarkana, Texas. The company owns the building and the university will pay for it over a period of time.

Tours will be available immediately following the ceremony. For more information on the center, contact Joe Sloan, student engagement coordinator, at 903-334-6725 or jsloan@tamut.edu.