College holds Ground Breaking Ceremony
 The Panola Watchman
 2/26/08

The groundbreaking ceremony for the M.P. Baker Library expansion project underway at Panola College was held Thursday, February 25, 2008.When the project is completed, students and the community will be able to enjoy several new resources.

M. P. Baker Library will include a covered outdoor space, multi-function rooms, a conference room, student lounge, reading gallery, employee workspaces, general use computers, library classroom, study rooms and an area for general collections. Dr. Greg Powell, president of Panola College, said,  “We are very excited about the project. It will be an inviting environment we hope will be fully in use by April 2009.”
The existing size of the library is 11,800 square feet. The new addition will add 20,327 square feet bringing the total size of the completed library to 31,927 square feet.

The cost of the expansion project will be covered through a revenue bond which Panola College will borrow from lending institutions. The revenue bond will be paid back over a 10-year period by revenue raised through tuition and fees and other fundraisers.

"Panola College will establish a "Walkway of Honor," to pay tribute to alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the College," Van Patterson, Director of Institutional Advancement recently announced.  "This is a great way to support our local college and leave an enduring legacy."

"When construction is completed in 2009, these personalized brick pavers will welcome students and parents as they approach the newly expanded M. P. Baker Library. Visitors will stop to peruse the pavers, looking for the names of friends and relatives they recognize." Patterson continued, "I suspect that the walkway will quickly become a unique and popular feature of the campus." Pavers can be purchased to honor relatives, friends, a business, professors, and former students. A paver can also be used to commemorate a birthday, anniversary or graduation day. There are two different sized pavers from which to choose. The clay paver measures 4"x8" and can be imprinted with up to three 15 character lines of text, while the granite paver measures 12"x6" and may be imprinted with up to four 20 character lines of text. The 4"x8" pavers cost $180 each, and the granite pavers are available for $500 each. Proceeds collected will be applied toward the cost of expanding the M.P. Baker Library. 

Brochures containing information about the Walkway of Honor project are available online at www.panola.edu/recruiting/librarycampaign/index.htm . For more information call 903-693-2029.