Faulkner University hosted an official groundbreaking ceremony for its new Academic Resource Center (ARC) on April 10, 2026, at 9 a.m. on the Montgomery campus. A historic day for the university, the groundbreaking heralds the official start of one of the most significant construction projects in the university’s history to date.
“There will be students who walk through these halls of this Academic Resource Center whose lives will be changed forever, not just academically, not just intellectually, but spiritually,” said Faulkner Vice Chancellor Wayne Baker. “God has blessed this place for 84 years and may he continue to do so.”
University President Mitch Henry, members of the Faulkner University Board of Trustees, cabinet members and distinguished guests were in attendance.
Construction of the Academic Resource Center, or ARC, is officially underway. The facility is designed as a state-of-the-art hub for collaboration, innovation and student success. The project is part of Faulkner University’s capital campaign, Where Faith Shapes Futures, a more than $53 million initiative aimed at expanding and enhancing campus facilities.
The project has been made possible through ongoing contributions from the Faulkner community and generous support from key anonymous donors, including the two largest gifts ever received by the university. Lathan-McKee Architects have developed designs and plans for the ARC with collaboration and input from faculty, students and staff.
“It is great for us to stand here with reverence to know that the purpose of education at this institution is to help develop moral character of young people for not just this generation and generations to come,” Faulkner President Mitch Henry said. “This building will be the most used building on this campus, at least for the next 50 years. It will be that way because of what it contains.”
The approximately 62,000-square-foot facility will include the Gus Nichols Library collection, student services, student learning areas, collaborative spaces, academic coaching services, student technology services, virtual learning environments and a veterans center. Plans also include laboratories and studios for high-demand programs such as computer engineering, digital media and health sciences, as well as high-tech classrooms designed to connect students across Faulkner’s campuses in Montgomery, Mobile, Huntsville and Birmingham.
Of the special guests in attendance, Vicki Blackwood partook in the groundbreaking ceremony as the granddaughter of Gus Nichols, the namesake for Faulkner’s Gus Nichols Library. The physical library was removed and the site where it stood is now the future home of the ARC. The Gus Nichols Library collection is being housed on campus and off site in storage waiting to take up residence as the main component of the ARC. The original dedication ceremony of the Gus Nichols Library was held in 1969.
Former Faulkner president and chancellor Billy Hilyer concluded the groundbreaking and dedication ceremony with a prayer.
“We recognize that we are encompassed about by a great cloud of witnesses. Those who have gone before us, who have blazed the trail and cleared the way, laid the foundation for all that we’re able to do today,” Hilyer said. “We thank you Father for all of this. We remember and give you thanks for our founders … For their vision, for their faith, for their courage and for their steadfastness as they moved forward. We thank you Father for all that they did and all of their work.”
Site preparation and excavation for the ARC are currently being completed by Sitepros, with construction bids still in progress. The project is expected to be completed in early fall 2027. Larry E. Speaks & Associates are the engineers on the project.
