William Carey University will conduct a service in Bass Memorial Chapel Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the tornado.
The service will be held at the chapel on campus and will be the first event held there since the repairs were completed. During the EF-3 tornado that took place a year ago, all but one building on campus was damaged.
“I really anticipated that we would have a loss in enrollment, however, the tornado kind of bonded the students together and there is kind of this ‘can do’ mentality that is apart of Carey, but especially since the tornado,” said Scott Hummel, Executive Vice President and Provost at William Carey University. “We speak of ‘Carey strong’ that is much more than just a slogan for us. We’ve actually had an enrollment increase in the spring, the summer, and this fall we had a 4.4% enrollment increase, one of the largest in the state of Mississippi. New students are coming at record numbers for us and the students are just determined. It almost hasn’t mattered that you have to weave your way around construction.”
Hummel added that the buildings are all expected to be finished by the summer of 2018. During the service, attendees will hear an update on recovery, student testimonies, be able to participate in music, and a time of prayer.
