Stephen F. Austin State University

Who: Students, faculty, staff, community What: Grand opening of the Stephen F. Austin State University Student Center When: 2 p.m. Sunday, April 22 Where: Main entrance on Vista Drive

Grand opening of SFA Student Center

The grand opening of the $32 million SFA Student Center will be at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Students will be stationed throughout 95,000-square-foot addition to talk about the building's features and answer questions. Refreshments will be served.

Amenities of the new student center include a 383-seat movie theater, a three-story atrium and a multi-outlet food court. Other features include a convenience store, a Commercial Bank of Texas banking center, ATMs, a TV room, study lounges, two ballrooms, 19 meeting rooms and a post office with 10,000 post office boxes. Terrace seating overlooks an outdoor pedestrian plaza.

Students began discussing the need for the new student center in 2001 at a leadership retreat. In spring 2002, the board of regents authorized the appointment of a committee to study the feasibility of adding square footage to the existing facility.

Committee members, half of whom were students, visited seven other universities for insight and ideas. Architects worked with information gathered from student focus groups and public forums to develop the design for the new student center.

On March 5, 2003, students turned out in record numbers to support the fee referendum for the proposed expansion project. With the approval of the Texas Legislature and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the first phase of construction began May 17, 2004. Sunday's open house is a celebration of the completion of the project. The main entrance to the facility is on Vista Drive.