Media Contact:
Marissa Lewis, Marketing Coordinator
(918) 549-2856, mlewis@cmn.edu
CMN Exhibit/Lecture Hall Construction Topping Out Ceremony
The College of the Muscogee Nation (CMN) held a Topping Out Ceremony for the Exhibit/Lecture Hall construction project on June 1, 2023 at the campus in Okmulgee, OK. The building’s main feature will include a four hundred plus seating capacity exhibit/lecture hall that can also serve as a FEMA rated storm shelter. Other spaces of the building will include two classrooms, one STEM Maker Space lab, and faculty offices. The architect for the project is Anishinabe Design of Norman, OK, and the construction manager is Maska Builders of Jenks, OK.
Barrett Williamson, Anishinabe Design, stated “The topping out ceremony is a tradition among builders to indicate the construction is halfway complete with the last steel beam of the structure being set in place. The cedar tree placed on the beam that is raised into place signifies a safe construction site up to this point and continuing forward.”
The ceremony included remarks from President, Dr. Monte Randall, Dean of Academic Affairs, Mekko Tyner, Second Chief, Del Beaver, and National Council Speaker, William Lowe. National Council members in attendance included Randall Hicks, Thomasene Yahola-Osborn, Anna Marshall, Galen Cloud, Joseph Hicks, and Joyce Deere. The CMN Board of Regents were represented by Dr. Dean Hughes and Sharon Mouss.
All attendees of the ceremony including CMN leadership, tribal leadership, faculty, staff, students, tribal construction, CESO, Anishinabe Design, and Maska Builders were able to sign the last steel beam before it was set in place. The beam was raised up with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation flag, U.S. flag, and a cedar tree attached. The ceremony concluded with the last steel beam set in place to complete the building’s structure.
Following the ceremony participants were able to tour the construction site. The main area of the tour was the exhibit/lecture hall. The foundation for theatre style seating was in place to provide a good overview of what the space will look like when it is completed. The building is set to be completed by January 2024 or the end of 2023.
###
The College of the Muscogee Nation is Oklahoma’s premier tribal college offering exemplary academic degree programs and student services preparing leaders in tribal and non-tribal sectors.