Rain is a good thing, enjoyable even, according to Carson-Newman University President Dr. Charles Fowler, but when it threatens to impede completion of a project – especially one that involves housing students – well, not so much. “We were hoping to have a 110,000-square-foot residence life facility ready to occupy this fall,” Fowler told Morristown Rotarians at their Aug.
14 meeting. “It’s going to be rooms for 524 students. It’s the first traditional dorm that we’ve built at Mossy Creek in 60 years.
The contractor has lost 72 days due to weather, so that’s just a little bit much to overcome. Maybe in a few weeks, a month or so, we’ll be able to get in it,” he said. Freshmen will arrive on campus Aug.
22 a week from Thursday, with 524 of them assigned to temporary housing, a prospect that Fowler described as “exciting.” The rest of the news from campus was a mix of success stories and the need for more patience regarding ongoing endeavors. In 2023, Carson-Newman added to its outdoor recreational facilities with a tournament-quality disc golf course along Mossy Creek.
A nearly complete student recreational park – its progress also affected by rains – will include two outdoor pickle ball courts, two full regulation basketball courts, three beach volleyball courts, a regulation soccer field and a regulation softball field. The first home football game of the season is set for Thursday, Aug. 29, offering players new turf on the field, along with a r.