New Limestone University Facility To Be Named Hines & Riggins Center

Set to soon become the academic and social hub of its campus in Gaffney, Limestone University has announced that its recently constructed 65,000-square-foot building will be known as the Hines & Riggins Center.

The three-story facility includes Limestone’s new library, student center, and more. It is being named for the families of former Limestone University Board of Trustees Chairman Randy Hines and current Board Chairman David Riggins, two alumni who have given much of their time, provided leadership to the Board of Trustees, and made significant monetary gifts to the University.

The Hines & Riggins Center will be open when students arrive to campus in mid-August to begin the fall semester. The center will be officially dedicated during a special ceremony on Friday, Sept. 24, at 2 p.m., as part of Limestone’s 2021 Homecoming festivities. More details on the dedication ceremony will be announced soon.

The construction of the building was made possible through a loan as part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Program.

The Hines & Riggins Center has been constructed in an area just off the front campus between and behind Montgomery Hall and the Carroll Fine Arts Building.

The new student center on the first floor of the Hines & Riggins Center includes a common area, public art gallery, community meeting space, and additional student dining areas. The state-of-the-art library portion located on the second and third floors of the Hines & Riggins Center includes advanced computer and audiovisual technology, reading areas, classrooms, and student work areas. Limestone’s Student Success office will be relocating on the second floor of the building.

“We are overwhelmed with the support that we have received from Randy and Susan Hines, and David and Hope Riggins,” said the University’s President Dr Darrell Parker. “They are dedicated to the success of Limestone and its students. Their leadership vision was essential in pursuing the funding to build this new facility. Their financial commitments are transformational in supporting Limestone’s growth and future prosperity. The Hines & Riggins Center will be one of the most important student recruitment and retention tools that Limestone has ever enjoyed.

“Limestone is about to embark on a path to growth unlike anything we have ever experienced. And this new building helps us stand ready for that challenge,” Parker continued. “We are very grateful for the extraordinary commitments we have received from the Hines and Riggins families and the differences they make in the lives of our Saints. As tireless advocates for our students, our campus, and the communities Limestone serves, it is truly fitting that this new centerpiece of our University display their names and stand in perpetuity as a testament to their leadership. It is our sincere hope that our other alumni and friends will join them in supporting Limestone in the months and years ahead.”

A member of Limestone’s graduating class of 1974, Riggins is a Gaffney native now residing in Charlotte. He is the President/Owner of D.P. Riggins & Associates, Inc., a Charlotte-based company that he founded in 1982. D.P. Riggins and Associates, Inc. has grown into a leading sales agency that specializes in custom metal and plastic component parts for Original Equipment Manufacturers. In May of 2018, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from his alma mater. As a special inductee, Riggins joined the Limestone Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017. He and a classmate were the driving forces behind the creation of intramural and club sports at Limestone, and that idea evolved into men's basketball and men's golf becoming varsity-sponsored sports for the 1973-1974. They also played an important role in adopting “Saints” as the school's official athletic nickname.

A native of Cliffside, NC now residing in Sandy Springs, GA, Hines is owner of the R.M. Hines Group, which serves clients throughout the country with their marketing and branding needs as part of the ProForma Network. He graduated from Limestone in 1979. In July of this year, Hines completed his most recent term on the Board of Trustees by serving as its Chairman. He was inducted into the Limestone Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001 in recognition of being behind the most successful run in Limestone golf history. Upon graduation he went to work at Limestone in the Admissions Office and served as head coach for the men’s golf team. During his tenure as golf coach, the program was built into a national power that captured the 1984 NAIA National Championship and recorded two other top four finishes. Hines was named NAIA District 6 Coach of the Year in 1981, 1982, and 1983. After guiding that 1984 golf team to Limestone’s first-ever National Championship, he was named National Coach of the Year. Hines also received an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from Limestone in December of 2015.

“This is all about Limestone and what it has done for me and my family and countless other Saints,” Hines said about being a part of the new building’s name. “Susan and I are tremendously honored by this distinction, but it takes a real team of leaders and supporters to make Limestone the outstanding institution that it has become. Limestone students deserve a space that matches their ambition and affords them every opportunity to be successful. This new building provides such an environment.”

“I have been so incredibly blessed to be a part of the Limestone family for many decades, Riggins said. “My wife, Hope, and I are humbled to have our name associated with this beautiful new building at Limestone. This new facility will empower our outstanding students in remarkable ways. My brothers, Stanley and Steve, and myself are all graduates of Limestone who greatly benefitted from the education we received. It is important now that all of us work together to ensure that the University continues to provide equal educational and social opportunities of the highest quality for everyone. Please join Hope and I in prayer for our students’ successful futures and for Limestone’s continued success.”

Once the Hines & Riggins Center becomes operational next month, the current A.J. Eastwood Library, which opened in the 1960s, will begin the process of being re-purposed for other needs as Limestone expands its existing programs and adds new initiatives.