Gainesville State College leaders of past and present gathered at noon Jan. 28 to celebrate the grand opening of the $8.2 million expanded and renovated student center.

The 54,000-square-foot building will serve as the “living room” of the college’s Oakwood campus and a “one-stop shop” for students.

The facility houses student service offices such as admissions, financial aid, the enrollment services center and the registrar’s office. The building also features cozy study lounges, a computer lab, a television lounge, a cyber cafe, a multicultural resource center, a bookstore, a student dining commons and a multi-station cafeteria.

The new center also contains a ballroom with a 200-person capacity. The ballroom and multi-purpose area was named in honor of Herbert W. Robinson, who served for 13 years as the dean of students and dean of college relations at then Gainesville Junior College from the late 1960s through the 1970s.

Robinson also taught political science at Gainesville State College during his retirement until 1990.

Tom Walter, vice president of student development and enrollment management at Gainesville State College, credited Robinson as being an important part of the beginning of the school. Walter said Robinson guided much of the college’s focus on student success.

Robinson, a 92-year-old Dawsonville native, was present at the dedication ceremony.

“I certainly don’t deserve this, but I certainly appreciate it,” he said.