12-03-2009, 11:00 PM
FROM THE JC PRESS
One of Johnson City’s biggest landmarks has a new name.
East Tennessee State University’s Memorial Center, also known as the Mini-Dome, is now the ETSU/Mountain States Health Alliance Athletic Center. The name change was unanimously approved by the Tennessee Board of Regents at its quarterly meeting in Nashville Thursday. The Regents govern ETSU and other universities and colleges in the state.
ETSU spokesman Joe Smith said MSHA is the largest regional corporate donor to the university, having given in excess of $8.4 million, primarily for the College of Medicine. Other institutions on campus that have received money via MSHA include the College of Nursing, the College of Pharmacy, the physical therapy program, the social work master’s degree program and the Buccaneer Sports Network.
The MSHA addition to the name was a way to recognize the health network’s support of ETSU, Smith said. MSHA is considered a Diamond Society member of the ETSU Foundation, a designation meaning MSHA has cumulatively given between $5 million and $9.9 million.
Dennis Vonderfecht, president and CEO of Mountain States, said in a news release the two institutions were integrally linked and that he was proud for MSHA to be part of ETSU athletics.
“Having outstanding health care providers is key to the success of our organization, and ETSU has consistently been able to produce some of the best doctors, nurses, and allied health personnel we can find anywhere,” Vonderfecht said in the release.
Hundreds of ETSU student and resident physicians train at MSHA facilities each year, ETSU President Dr. Paul Stanton Jr. said in a news release.
“Mountain States Health Alliance has been a true friend to East Tennessee State University for many years, particularly in the support of our health sciences programs,” Stanton said in the news release.
The new name takes effect immediately. Memorial Center was not named to honor any one particular person, as is the custom when naming buildings at ETSU, so no one’s name is being removed from the building, Smith said.
Constructed in 1976, the Athletic Center was first occupied in 1977 and used primarily as an intercollegiate athletic facility. It is still used for sports and now houses a center of excellence and has been used by the College of Medicine and others on the ETSU campus.
Smith said appropriate signage indicating the new name will be installed at some point.
“We look to having some kind of naming ceremony in 2010,” Smith said.
Smith did say that though Memorial Center has been stricken from the building’s name, it will probably always be known as the Mini-Dome.
MSHA is a network of hospitals based in Johnson City and providing care to residents of 29 counties in Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina, according to its Web site.
One of Johnson City’s biggest landmarks has a new name.
East Tennessee State University’s Memorial Center, also known as the Mini-Dome, is now the ETSU/Mountain States Health Alliance Athletic Center. The name change was unanimously approved by the Tennessee Board of Regents at its quarterly meeting in Nashville Thursday. The Regents govern ETSU and other universities and colleges in the state.
ETSU spokesman Joe Smith said MSHA is the largest regional corporate donor to the university, having given in excess of $8.4 million, primarily for the College of Medicine. Other institutions on campus that have received money via MSHA include the College of Nursing, the College of Pharmacy, the physical therapy program, the social work master’s degree program and the Buccaneer Sports Network.
The MSHA addition to the name was a way to recognize the health network’s support of ETSU, Smith said. MSHA is considered a Diamond Society member of the ETSU Foundation, a designation meaning MSHA has cumulatively given between $5 million and $9.9 million.
Dennis Vonderfecht, president and CEO of Mountain States, said in a news release the two institutions were integrally linked and that he was proud for MSHA to be part of ETSU athletics.
“Having outstanding health care providers is key to the success of our organization, and ETSU has consistently been able to produce some of the best doctors, nurses, and allied health personnel we can find anywhere,” Vonderfecht said in the release.
Hundreds of ETSU student and resident physicians train at MSHA facilities each year, ETSU President Dr. Paul Stanton Jr. said in a news release.
“Mountain States Health Alliance has been a true friend to East Tennessee State University for many years, particularly in the support of our health sciences programs,” Stanton said in the news release.
The new name takes effect immediately. Memorial Center was not named to honor any one particular person, as is the custom when naming buildings at ETSU, so no one’s name is being removed from the building, Smith said.
Constructed in 1976, the Athletic Center was first occupied in 1977 and used primarily as an intercollegiate athletic facility. It is still used for sports and now houses a center of excellence and has been used by the College of Medicine and others on the ETSU campus.
Smith said appropriate signage indicating the new name will be installed at some point.
“We look to having some kind of naming ceremony in 2010,” Smith said.
Smith did say that though Memorial Center has been stricken from the building’s name, it will probably always be known as the Mini-Dome.
MSHA is a network of hospitals based in Johnson City and providing care to residents of 29 counties in Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina, according to its Web site.