OU celebrated the naming and future opening of McCasland Hall, a new student residence building set to open August 2025, at an event Thursday.
About 100 people attended the celebration held in the Walker Center storm shelter which featured speakers from Residence Life, the McCasland Foundation and university leadership.
McCasland Hall, named after the McCasland family who are long-time donors to OU, will open August 2025 with amenities including over 500 beds, a coffee shop, convenience store, lounge spaces, outdoor spaces and storm shelters. McCasland Hall is one of two residence halls that will replace Adams Center, which was demolished May 2023.
OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said since 1970, the McCasland Foundation has donated over $22 million to the university. The McCasland foundation donated $10 million to build the new residence hall, the largest donation in the foundation’s history.
“Since 1970, they’ve given over $22 million to athletics, business, fine arts, library, urban energy, medicine, arts and sciences and so many more,” Harroz said. “Following a significant gift in 2001, OU’s field house was named in memory of Howard (McCasland).”
Harroz remembered the impact of Howard, his wife Vivian and the McCasland foundation and said he hopes the residence hall can mark the families legacy and impact even more lives. He said projects like this represent the community and impact of OU.
“If we do our job the right way with the benefit of this facility, we can repeat that (McCasland family) story with different family names helping more and more people, ...” Harroz said. “I love to see this physical manifestation of what our unbelievable life changing future looks like.”
OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. during the McCasland Hall celebration on Dec. 12.
Barbara Braught said her grandparents, Howard and Vivian McCasland, created the McCasland Foundation to give back to OU.
Braught said the new residence hall would be named in honor of Tom McCasland Jr. and Mary Francis McCasland Mauer Michaelis, Howard and Vivian McCasland’s children, who have continued their commitment to the foundation. She described Tom and Mary Francis as “life-long learners” who have made a lasting impact on the university and carried on the legacy of their parents.
“Howard and Vivian inspired education in all of us,” Braught said. “Howard used to say, ‘Give back to the communities that have given you all of your opportunities and successes.’ ... We’re trying to transfer that kind of saying down to our next generations.”
David Surratt, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, said the new residence hall is designed to foster community. He said he hopes it can be more than just a place to stay for students.
“More than just a residence hall, it’s a cornerstone of our commitment to fostering a vibrant, supportive, sustainable living environment,” Surratt said. “This residence hall is not just a place to stay; it’s a launchpad for students to explore their potential and achieve their dreams.”
Surratt said the hall was strategically built for first-year students to create memories, build relationships and live in a “home-like environment.” He said, as an administrator and former OU student, he has seen the impact a supportive living environment can have on a student’s success and well-being.'
McCasland Hall on Dec. 12.
“They’re not places just for rest, but they’re a place where students truly begin to forge their own paths and become part of (a) community that will shape their entire college experience,” Surratt said. “As we welcome the first wave of students in McCasland Hall, we’re setting the stage for countless stories of success, friendship and personal achievement.”
Jordan Hickman, business management and public relations junior, shared her transformative dorm experience during her freshman year.
Hickman said much of her success began in the residence hall, where she made connections with her peers. She said her randomly-assigned roommate became her best friend. Hickman said she built a close relationship with her residential advisor.
“We were always supported by our wonderful resident advisor, who wasn’t just someone down a hall, but a mentor and a friend,” Hickman said. “Always there to listen and guide us through all the ups and downs that freshman year holds.”
Hickman said she is still close with many of the friends she made living in the dorms. She said the spaces are designed to bring about connection and belonging among students.
“These spaces hold stories, and these stories are what connect generations of the OU family. For me, my dorm is where I learned what it truly means to be a part of a community; it’s where I discovered how to support, celebrate and love the people around me,” Hickman said. “Spaces like these aren’t just housing students, they’re helping them grow into the students that carry that tradition of loving and celebrating others forward in everything that we do.”
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure and Ana Barboza. Avery Avery copy edited this story.
