Blue Mountain Christian University will hold the ribbon-cutting for its new Center for Grace and Healing on Friday, Nov. 6, at 11:30 a.m. The ceremony is part of the school’s combined Founders Day and Homecoming weekend in Blue Mountain. The BMCU Alumni Association posted the full two-day schedule on Oct. 9. It lists the ribbon-cutting and building tours right after the 10 a.m. Founders Day chapel service.
The $15 million health science building will be the new home of BMCU’s School of Nursing and will add space for the natural sciences. The university broke ground on May 2, 2025. It is the first new academic building on the Tippah County campus since Fisher Washburn was completed in 2005.
Center for Grace and Healing nears the finish line
The university posted a construction update on its official Facebook page on Oct. 9. It said the lecture hall seating is finished and the elevator equipment is installed. Crews are still working on laboratory cabinetry, interior finishes and site improvements. Outside, workers have set cast stone columns and soffit panels and finished a scripture wall in the outdoor classroom.
“Each milestone brings us closer to opening this exciting new facility for our students,” the university wrote.
According to BMCU, the building will include:
Eight classrooms and 16 faculty and staff offices
Simulation labs for nursing students
Science laboratories
A conference room
Worsham Brothers of Corinth is the general contractor, working with Oxford Architecture of Nashville and Stamps Design Group of Knoxville. USDA Rural Development is supporting the project. At the groundbreaking, BMCU President Dr. Barbara McMillin said, “We praise God for the opportunity that this new facility affords us for educating healthcare professionals.”
The building opening comes during a transition year at the top. In late September, BMCU announced that McMillin will retire in June 2027.
Founders Day and Homecoming schedule
The alumni association’s calendar fills both days with events for alumni, students, families and the Blue Mountain community.
Friday, Nov. 6
10 a.m. – Founders Day chapel
11:30 a.m. – Ribbon-cutting and tours of the Center for Grace and Healing
1-3 p.m. – Games, ice cream truck, digital scavenger hunt and photo booth
2-3 p.m. – Bluegrass concert by Murphy Ridge Band at the Palmer-Donnell House
3-4 p.m. – Games and prizes in the Student Union
6 p.m. – Volleyball vs. UT Southern
Saturday, Nov. 7
10-11 a.m. – Campus tours, including the Center for Grace and Healing
10 a.m.-noon – “Fun + Familiar Faces on the Green,” with games and visits with former and current faculty and staff
11 a.m.-1 p.m. – Puttupelo mobile putt-putt
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Charcuterie competition
1 p.m. – Women’s basketball vs. Tougaloo
4 p.m. – Homecoming court presentation
6 p.m. – Sneaker Ball in Ray Dining Hall featuring the Human Spotify Guy
Alumni giveaway runs through Oct. 12
To promote the weekend, the alumni association is giving away tickets to Pumpkin Patch Farms in Blue Mountain. To enter, like the association’s original calendar post on Facebook and tag four BMCU friends. Entries close at midnight on Oct. 12. Two winners, each receiving four tickets, will be announced Wednesday, Oct. 14.
For the latest details, alumni and visitors can follow Blue Mountain Christian University and the BMCU Alumni Association on Facebook.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
