As part of an incredible campus experience, MSU prides itself on what our Eagles learn, where they live and where they eat and socialize. Students have access to a wider variety of foods than ever before, so MSU is stepping up its game when it comes to on-campus dining with the new Rocky Adkins Dining Commons, a.k.a. “The Rock.”
Named in honor of state legislator and two-time MSU alum Rep. Rocky Adkins (82), The Rock is a 25,000 square-foot dining facility connected to the East Parking Complex. This $7.2 million-dollar facility is home to The Fresh Food Company, a residential restaurant that features cutting-edge exhibition cooking, authentic ethnic dishes, a culinary twist on traditional American favorites and a wide variety of healthy/vegetarian options.
Throughout the expansive dining facility, students can enjoy the numerous food stations for an array of options. These include the Breakfast Bar with a make-your-own waffle station, personalized pastas at Sauté, signature stir-fry at Mongolian Grill, and international cuisines at DestiNations. Additional stations feature home-style cooking, hamburgers, sandwiches and wraps, hot dogs, pizza, a self-serve salad bar and the Bakery, which serves a full line of fresh-baked goods, soft serve ice cream and cappuccino.
The options in this all-you-care-to-eat dining hall combined with being open as late as 1 a.m. during the week and on Sundays (it closes at 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays) is ideal for students like Mark Pappas, a sophomore quarterback for MSU Eagle Football.
“Typically, there’s a lot of variety,” he said. “Coming in, I wouldn’t expect a smaller campus to have such a nice dining hall. It’s a nice selling point.”
This sentiment is shared by freshman Tiyanna Jones, a nursing student from Cincinnati. She was used to seeing dining facilities like The Rock when taking campus tours of some of the larger universities near her hometown. She first saw the dining hall when it was under construction during her campus tours and now enjoys the clean design and the openness, in addition to the food itself.
“I love that there are more options and it’s more spacious,” Jones said. “You can sit with larger groups of people.”
The Rock, which seats approximately 660 diners, averages between 1,200 to 1,500 visitors per day, according to Bill Redwine (79), assistant vice president of auxiliary services at MSU.
Terry White (89), director of construction and engineering for the Office of Facilities Management, said the community can also take advantage of The Rock’s offerings any time. There’s spacious seating, including some semi-private areas for large groups and community parking spaces behind the building.
“You want to have better relationships with the community wherever you can,” he said. “Anytime you can help improve those relations, it’s a good thing.”
The addition of The Rock, which is across from the award-winning Recreation and Wellness Center and the latest, state-of-the-art Andrews Hall residence hall, is just one more way MSU continues to put students first.
