The sun shone brightly over the Morris Family Center for Law & Liberty complex as Houston Christian University President Robert Sloan, members of the Morris family and executive council, past and present board of trustees and staff from Brookstone Construction, donned hard hats and held shovels to break ground for construction of Founders Hall II, the final building in the Morris Family Center for Law & Liberty complex.
“It is a very important and greatly needed space,” said Dr. Sloan. “The classrooms and offices that will be provided here will create a domino effect around campus, helping all of us in many different ways.”
The ceremonial groundbreaking, held April 2, 2024, marked the final phase of a construction project that will enable Houston Christian University (HCU) to provide more space for students and faculty as a part of HCU’s Institutional Strategic Plan to grow its student population to 10k students by the year 2030.
A lone drone hovered silently in the sky above capturing the milestone occasion. It was a day of both celebration and reflection; absent, for the first time in HCU’s history, was the presence of the University’s Founding Father Dr. Stewart Morris, Sr. following his passing weeks earlier at the age of 104.
Although not physically present, Dr. Morris’ spirit and vision for progress remained alive and well as each shovel pierced the ground to make way for the University’s future growth.
Dr. Chris Hammons, Director of the Morris Family Center for Law & Liberty, described the complex’s mission to ensure students and visitors understand and appreciate the nation’s history and founding principles before inviting HCU Chair Rev. Garry Blackmon to open the occasion with prayer. Rev. Blackmon thanked God for giving Dr. Morris a giving spirit and willingness to support Christian education, both financially and through his guidance, and offered a dedicatory prayer over the construction project.
“We pray for those who will labor in the construction in this new space in the coming months … and may it be a beacon of light and a hope to all that would come on this campus,” said Rev. Blackmon.
The approximately $7 million-dollar, 18,438 sq. ft. building will mirror the size and dimensions of the adjacent three-story Founders Hall I, named in honor of the University’s founding fathers. The new academic building will be comprised of nine classrooms, seven faculty offices and a conference room. The space will provide additional room for faculty to teach a range of courses.
“This entire Center has attracted a lot of attention for the University. We’ve gained great visibility from it,” said Dr. Sloan, noting the Morris Family Center for Law & Liberty’s selection as a Houston Business Journal 2023 Landmark Award winner in the education category. Lisa Morris Simon and Stewart Morris, Jr. closed the groundbreaking ceremony with their thoughts on their father’s impact in shaping the landscape of HCU and their appreciation for the University their father founded and nurtured throughout his life.
“We love what’s going on at Houston Christian University. We love the new name. We love the fact that they teach the principles of the founding fathers, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, free enterprise. These are things that are so fundamentally important to our country, but now you’ve got the cornerstone of architecture for the campus here,” said Stewart Morris, Jr.