Duff Center Construction to Close Pedestrian Path

In order to accommodate the construction of the Jim and Thomas Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation Building, the redirected pedestrian pathway between Shoemaker and Faser Halls alongside Thad Cochran Research Center will close on Feb. 28.

The pathway will remain closed until the completion of the project and will only open during home football games.

Construction crews with Yates Construction broke ground on the site in October 2021.

The center, located on All-American Drive across from the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, will be home to classrooms and labs for biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering and physics. The 202,000-square-foot building will feature technology-enabled active learning, a 3D visualization lab, and fabrication and testing equipment in addition to additional traditional lab space

Jim and Thomas Duff, the brothers and owners of Duff Capital Investors, committed $26 million to build the new facility designed to boost science, technology, engineering and mathematics education

The total cost for the center is estimated to be $175 million. It’s the largest construction project for the Oxford campus.

The Gertrude C. Ford Foundation, of Jackson, committed $20 million to the facility and also pledged another $5 million for the gardens that will surround the building, including a commemorative area honoring renowned author William Faulkner.

Other support for the center’s construction comes from the state of Mississippi and many other alumni and friends of the university.