Midway University breaks ground on new James A. & Martha R. Brown Library

MIDWAY UNIVERSITY HELD A GROUNDBREAKING for the new James A. & Martha R. Brown Library, expected to open December 2026. From left,  Midway University trustees, Ann Bolton, Belinda Metzger and Felicia Quigg, Joni Douglass, with the James A. & Martha R. Brown Foundation, Donna Campbell, chair of the Board of Trustees, Midway University President John Marsden, Midway University VP of Advancement Tim Culver, Blanton Coates, builder/contractor with Dean Builds, Elizabeth Hunt, architect with Lord Aeck Sargent, Midway University VP of Academic Affairs Tim Campbell, Woodford County Judge-Executive James Kay and Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift. 

 

Midway University completed its fundraising for the new James A. & Martha R. Brown Library in March and held a celebratory groundbreaking followed by a luncheon on Thursday, May 9.   

Midway University President John Marsden said the project “has only been made possible through the extraordinary generosity of many,” nodding “first to our most recent anonymous donor whose visionary gift allowed us to accelerate the construction timeline.” 

 Marsden said the new library will be ready December 2026.   

The library “marks a significant milestone in the university’s commitment to enhancing academic resources and accommodating its growing student population,” according to a press release. 

Marsden explained at the ceremony that the new library is the second of a three-phase student-centered building plan, which will address the on-campus housing shortage caused by the significant increase in enrollment and students who wish to live on campus. 

“The first phase, supported by (Trustee Jan Hunter and her husband Richard), involved converting the second floor of the Little Memorial Library into student housing, which opened in the fall of 2023,” Marsden said. “The new Brown Library is phase two . . . the third, and final phase, will convert the remaining floors of Little Memorial Library into much-needed residential space, and the funding for that is already secured.” 

In conclusion, Marsden acknowledged the long history of the university and its mission.  

“Midway (University) has stood for 175 years – adapting, innovating, and evolving to meet the needs of that time,” he said. “This new library will carry that legacy forward. It will be a place of ideas, discovery, and collaboration – a true academic heart of our campus for generations to come.”