MACU’s New Heritage Hall to Open This Month

By Chris Moon 

After three long years, Mid-Atlantic Christian University is on the cusp of opening its new classroom building.  

The school in Elizabeth City, N.C., expects its rebuilt Heritage Hall will be available for classes late this month. The original Heritage Hall suffered a partial collapse back in September 2020 during a roofing project. It forced a total rebuild of the structure. 

“The students are really pumped up,” said MACU President John Maurice. 

An official dedication for the new building is slated for Oct. 11. 

Just one group of MACU students—its seniors—even remember the old Heritage Hall, Maurice noted. The remaining students have only experienced taking classes in dorm lobbies, the college chapel, board rooms, and other available spaces on campus.  

The long wait for dedicated classroom space is nearly over. “We’re almost there,” Maurice said. 

‘IT WAS HORRIBLE’ 

It’s been a difficult road for MACU over the past three years. Bad news was layered on top of bad news. 

MACU grappled with the loss of its primary classroom building at the same time it was forced to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Students and faculty have used every available space on campus for classes. The university’s science lab classes have been held at College of The Albemarle, a nearby community college.   

And because Heritage Hall also housed the university’s cafeteria and kitchen, students for two years didn’t even have a dedicated place to gather for meals. During the height of the pandemic, they took their food—which was prepared at a nearby Methodist church—back to their dorm rooms in boxes. 

“It really devastated any sense of community and family,” Maurice said. 

That was reflected in the university’s enrollment, which dropped during that time from 200 to just 105 full-time students at its lowest. Many students transferred out of the university.  

Frustration ran high. 

“Student morale tanked. It was horrible,” Maurice said. 

On top of all that, the university continues to await a settlement from its insurance firm, Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Co., to cover the cost of replacing the old Heritage Hall.  

Disagreements between that company and the college have led to a lawsuit. A court date is scheduled for November.  

Maurice said he couldn’t discuss the matter in detail because of the pending litigation.  

“It’s just been a horrible situation,” he said. 

‘LOVING COLLEGE’ 

But things are looking up.  

The university opened a new cafeteria building—Alligood Commons—in November 2022. That 7,000-square-foot building was the first step in making the MACU campus whole again. 

Now, Heritage Hall is nearly complete.  

The 21,628-square-foot structure will have six classrooms and five science laboratories, along with 20 faculty and staff offices. It also will have a lounge area and two conference rooms.  

The price tag on Heritage Hall was $7.6 million (with furnishings). 

The new cafeteria building cost $2.1 million, Maurice said.  

To make up for a delayed insurance payment, the university raised nearly $2 million in a capital campaign to help cover the cost of the new buildings. MACU also borrowed $6.6 million from The Solomon Foundation to help with expenses and to refinance existing debt.  

All the while, enrollment is rebounding. 

Maurice said the university’s full-time enrollment is back up to 172 students. Sixty-six of them—more than a third of the student body—are new freshmen.  

“They are loving college. They are loving their classes,” Maurice said. “They are all excited to be in the new building.” 

Chris Moon is a pastor and writer living in Redstone, Colorado. 

Images courtesy of Mid-Atlantic Christian University.