Meet Me at the Tower? You'll Be Able To, Soon, at OU

A $6.5 million gift will allow for the construction of a 151-foot bell tower in the heart of the Oakland University campus.

The gift from longtime university benefactors Hugh and Nancy Elliott will fund the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the clock tower, which will be built next year.

The future Elliott Carillon Tower will be accompanied by a water fountain, a garden and complementary landscaping. A groundbreaking has tentatively been scheduled for April, and details of its construction are still be worked out.

"Oakland University has made great strides in recent years to become a distinctive, respected and nationally recognized institution of higher learning," said President Gary Russi in a press release.

"The Elliotts' remarkable gift will certainly come to symbolize the pride our community has taken in what we've accomplished, as well as the promise of even greater success in the future."

The Elliots, of Rochester, have been involved in campus giving and programs for the past 10 years.

"Every major university in the U.S. has a bell tower and now Oakland is going to have one," Nancy Elliott said. "It's just going to be a fun thing to be able to say 'meet me at the tower.'

"I wanted this bell tower to make a statement, to be a central focus on the campus. And, it had to be designed not just as something pretty, but so that students could use it as a meeting place and somewhere they could gather." 

For more about the gift, watch this video interview here.