Press Releases

William Carey University Holds Groundbreaking for New Gulf Coast campus at Tradtion

FOR RELEASE — Monday, April 7, 2008
For more information, please contact:
Brynn W. Joachim — (228) 297-3767
Gerald Blessey — (228) 396-9622

Harrison County, MS — In ceremonies today, William Carey University broke ground on their new 50-acre campus in the Tradition master planned community, located just north of the cities of Biloxi and Gulfport.

Tradition Founder Joseph C. Canizaro marked the occasion with the unveiling of the Tradition Town Center master plan and announced a new housing initiative for William Carey faculty, staff, and students.

William Carey University will be the first piece of the 655-acre Tradition Town Center. At full build-out, the Town Center will be an economic development center for the entire region — ultimately creating over 7,000 jobs. The first "District" — the University Village - will be followed by a Health & Education Center, Research/Office Center, Mixed Use District, Retail Center, and civic facilities, including the Tradition City Hall.

The new Gulf Coast campus of William Carey University represents a $15 million initial investment. Phase I initial construction will consist of two 3-story buildings of 30,000 square feet each. The main building will house administrative, faculty, and registrar offices, a large open air student lounge, bookstore, the nursing school's lecture, lab & exam rooms; psychiatric study/exam and treatment rooms, and general classrooms. The second building will house a large library and computer lab, 26 classrooms for the university's liberal arts, business, education, and art related classes, and new science labs and classrooms. Additional construction will include seven other buildings totaling 82,000 square foot of classroom space, 700 additional parking spaces, and a campanile (clock tower monument) at the corner of Hwy 67 and Tradition Parkway.

William Carey University is the first component of Tradition's long-term master plan for education. Other elements of this plan include: 1) the establishment of a charter elementary school; 2) the establishment of a high school to help teach building trades to support business and industry; 3) the establishment of an academy for science and humanities; and 4) the formation of a foundation that will explore and teach sustainable development and environmental conservation.

The WCU Family Plan will allow more faculty, staff, and students to live, work, and learn at Tradition. Homes will be made more affordable by providing a significant cost savings through soft second mortgage financing and absorbing a portion of the high cost of insurance.

Stated Canizaro, "We believe that the noble profession of teaching should be celebrated, along with the career choices of William Carey University students, and concerns about affordable housing should not sway decisions about the pursuit of these valuable vocations."

Canizaro added, "We believe that this land should be a home for people from all walks of life. A place for people to grow and achieve higher levels of excellence than they ever imagined. And where we will 'Make A Visible Difference,' leaving the world a better place than we found it."

Tradition Properties, Inc. President Gerald Blessey added, "Today's celebration is more than a groundbreaking. It is another tangible milestone in the development of the Tradition community. And while we have had our challenges, we have never wavered from our central vision that Tradition will be a richly diverse community that aspires to excellence in education, arts and culture, environmental stewardship, health and wellness — leading to a vibrant, enduring quality of life for the community and the region."

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About William Carey University & Tradition

William Carey University offers baccalaureate degrees in the areas of arts, humanities, and science; education; psychology; theatre and communication; business; religion; music; and nursing. A MBA and MSN are offered in nursing education; Med and MS in psychology; and specialist degree in elementary education. The university has campuses in Hattiesburg and Gulfport, currently.

Tradition is the largest master planned community under construction in Mississippi. At full build-out, the 4,800-acre town will be home to over 15,000 residential units, 2 million square feet of commercial development, and 35,000 to 40,000 residents. The community is the vision of world-renowned developer and Biloxi native — Joseph C. Canizaro — and was designed to be a model university community with core values in education, health/wellness, and environmentally sensitive and sustainable development. Over 40% of the community is preserved in common area green space and parks. Other amenities include: community pools, recreation facilities, library, hiking and biking trails, neighborhood retail centers, amphitheater, lakes, state-of-the-art fiber optic network, family care clinic, and St. Patrick High School and William Carey University.