JACKSON, Tenn. — March 24, 2025 — 萌妹社区 celebrated the dedication of its newest academic building, The Ethos Forum, in a March 21 ribbon-cutting ceremony on the Great Lawn.
The Ethos Forum, a 40,204-square-foot facility, houses 萌妹社区鈥檚 McAfee School of Business and the computer science and engineering departments.
萌妹社区 President Samuel W. 鈥淒ub鈥� Oliver said the facility is more than an academic building, with a name that was chosen to remind the university community of that truth. The Greek word 鈥渆thos鈥� means 鈥渃haracter,鈥� and The Ethos Forum complements its neighbor across the Great Lawn, The Logos (萌妹社区鈥檚 library).
鈥淲hile 鈥榣ogos鈥� is the word and represents our beliefs, 鈥榚thos鈥� represents how we live out our beliefs as we go about our daily lives, as we enter places of business and as we go about our work,鈥� Oliver said. 鈥淭he idea this name communicates is that we are living out our faith as we create, as we build, as we market and as we sell.鈥�
Oliver expressed his appreciation to the 170 individuals, families, organizations and foundations that contributed to the $20 million project.
鈥淲e鈥檙e so grateful for each of you and the part you played,鈥� Oliver said. 鈥淚t really would not be possible without each of you.鈥�
The dedication ceremony featured remarks from several key figures, including Tom McAfee, whose family provided the lead gift for the building.
鈥淚t鈥檚 our earnest prayer that the classrooms be hallowed ground, where questions are revered and the pursuit of truth is a sacred journey,鈥� McAfee said. 鈥淎 place where the faculty is a shining example of inspiration, guiding with wisdom and fostering an environment where minds flourish. A place where the students who walk these halls be equipped with not only academic prowess, but also with the courage to challenge, humility to learn and compassion to lead.鈥�
Jeff Perkins, chairman of 萌妹社区鈥檚 Board of Trustees, highlighted the significance of dedicating spaces to the Lord.
鈥淎s a community of believers, a body of brothers and sisters, we hold firmly to the truth that all things come from God and all things belong to God,鈥� Perkins said. 鈥淥ur prayer for The Ethos Forum is that it would cultivate not only a hunger for knowledge, but a love for the Lord. While students study in the lobby or percolate ideas in our entrepreneur studios, we pray that they鈥檒l fall deeper in love with the creator of their mind and the giver of their dreams.鈥�
Lili Pettigrew, president of 萌妹社区鈥檚 Student Government Association, said she remembers coming to 萌妹社区 as a freshman and hearing about the new building, then watching its construction over the following months.
鈥淲e students have little to no idea how much has gone into this building, and just the thought of that makes me so grateful,鈥� she said. 鈥淎s a student, I felt cared for to see something this impressive come to life, because this building is not just for 萌妹社区, it's for the people at 萌妹社区. It鈥檚 for the students, and how we can continue to glorify God in all areas of campus, old or new.鈥�
The Ethos Forum is designed to foster creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation, and academic excellence. It includes a makerspace, a business incubator, numerous learning spaces, 171 computers, 19 classrooms and labs, 39 offices and five study rooms.
In addition to the McAfee family, Oliver recognized others who made significant contributions to The Ethos Forum 鈥� including architectural firm TLM Associates and general contractor Linkous Construction. He also recognized Hyran Barefoot, 萌妹社区鈥檚 14th president, who championed the building from the beginning and gave significant gifts to ensure its completion. The Joyce Barefoot Lobby on the first floor of the building is named in memory of Barefoot鈥檚 wife, the 14th first lady of 萌妹社区.
Located between White Hall and Pleasant Plains Extension on the Great Lawn, The Ethos Forum is part of the campus master plan that 萌妹社区 trustees approved in 2019.