On Nov. 28, the Gulf Coast Commercial Division joined with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) leadership, local government officials, students, and faculty to celebrate the official groundbreaking of the Immersive Media Performing Arts Center. During the ceremony, Dr. Mary Graham, President of MGCCC, said, “We have multiple ongoing projects across different campuses and I have to say Wharton-Smith is one of the best contractor’s we have worked with so far.”

The 54,508-square-foot, three-story facility will be home to two new programs – Live Entertainment Technology and Simulation and Game Design Technology. It will also have an auditorium built to Broadway specifications, including a 93-foot fly space above the stage for theatrical rigging and lighting. The $18.6 million Center “puts technology and arts in the spotlight,” writes reporter Joyce Philippe, WLOX News Now. Watch this media clip from the groundbreaking.