In ceremonies today, William Carey University broke ground on their new 50-acre campus in the Tradition master planned community, located just north of the cities of Biloxi and Gulfport.

Tradition Founder Joseph C. Canizaro marked the occasion with the unveiling of the Tradition Town Center master plan and announced a new housing initiative for William Carey faculty, staff, and students.

William Carey University will be the first piece of the 655-acre Tradition Town Center. At full build-out, the Town Center will be an economic development center for the entire region – ultimately creating over 7,000 jobs. The first “District” – the University Village - will be followed by a Health & Education Center, Research/Office Center, Mixed Use District, Retail Center, and civic facilities, including the Tradition City Hall.

The new Gulf Coast campus of William Carey University represents a $15 million initial investment. Phase I initial construction will consist of two 3-story buildings of 30,000 square feet each.

The main building will house administrative, faculty, and registrar offices, a large open air student lounge, bookstore, the nursing school’s lecture, lab & exam rooms; psychiatric study/exam and treatment rooms, and general classrooms.

The second building will house a large library and computer lab, 26 classrooms for the university’s liberal arts, business, education, and art related classes, and new science labs and classrooms. Additional construction will include seven other buildings totaling 82,000 square foot of classroom space, 700 additional parking spaces, and a campanile (clock tower monument) at the corner of Hwy 67 and Tradition Parkway.

William Carey University is the first component of Tradition’s long-term master plan for education. Other elements of this plan include: 1) the establishment of a charter elementary school; 2) the establishment of a high school to help teach building trades to support business and industry; 3) the establishment of an academy for science and humanities; and 4) the formation of a foundation that will explore and teach sustainable development and environmental conservation.

The WCU Family Plan will allow more faculty, staff, and students to live, work, and learn at Tradition.

Homes will be made more affordable by providing a significant cost savings through soft second mortgage financing and absorbing a portion of the high cost of insurance.

Stated Canizaro, “We believe that the noble profession of teaching should be celebrated, along with the career choices of William Carey University students, and concerns about affordable housing should not sway decisions about the pursuit of these valuable vocations.”

Canizaro added, “We believe that this land should be a home for people from all walks of life. A place for people to grow and achieve higher levels of excellence than they ever imagined. And where we will ‘Make A Visible Difference,’ leaving the world a better place than we found it.”

Tradition Properties, Inc. President Gerald Blessey added, “Today’s celebration is more than a groundbreaking. It is another tangible milestone in the development of the Tradition community. And while we have had our challenges, we have never wavered from our central vision that Tradition will be a richly diverse community that aspires to excellence in education, arts and culture, environmental stewardship, health and wellness – leading to a vibrant, enduring quality of life for the community and the region.”