Charles “Chuck” Scianna and his wife, Rita, pause for a photo before the dedication ceremony for Scianna Hall at William Carey University’s Tradition campus.
William Carey University dedicated Scianna Hall Sept. 14 at its Tradition campus in Biloxi. The multi-purpose building is named in honor of businessman and philanthropist Charles “Chuck” Scianna.
“Chuck Scianna has been very generous to William Carey University and to USM. After the tornado in January 2017, he was the first person to send a very large donation to help in our recovery efforts,” said WCU President Dr. Tommy King.
A Gulf Coast native, Scianna is president and co-founder of Sim-Tex, a leading supplier of oil tubular goods to the oil and gas industry. He and his wife, Rita, live in Texas. Scianna is a retired U.S. Marine and serves on the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation’s board of directors. He has been president of the Waller Economic Development Corporation since 2006.
Chuck and Rita Scianna, and their daughters Ashley and Stephanie, support many charities, including the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, Boys and Girls Country, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Weekley Family YMCA, Reach Unlimited and other educational and youth organizations.
Characteristically humble, Scianna said he did not deserve the honor bestowed on him by William Carey University.
“I got a call from God after the tornado. Actually, I got a call from my niece, who told me a tornado had devastated William Carey. As bad as the tornado was, it was also an opportunity. I asked myself, what are you going to do? When God calls, you participate. I thought, here’s your opportunity,” Scianna said.
“My wife and I don’t give money away. We make investments. I’m a proud Mississippian. When I was growing up, there wasn’t a lot of opportunity to get a job in Mississippi, especially South Mississippi. Education is so important to us because it gives everybody the opportunity to better themselves.”
Scianna Hall is a two-story, 18,000-square foot building. The new home of WCU’s criminal justice program, Scianna Hall includes classrooms, a chemistry lab, the Coca-Cola Student Lounge, and faculty and staff offices. The first floor is dominated by the Belmont Room, a 4,300-square-foot conference center with catering kitchen. The facility is named in honor of Belmont University, which also made a large donation after the 2017 tornado.
“This new meeting space is a game-changer. It is going to enable us to host large gatherings, both for the university and for community organizations,” King said.
“William Carey University was the first organization to locate in the learning and medical city envisioned by Joseph Canizaro and this dedication represents another first – the first expansion of our Tradition campus.”
Another expansion will come in October with the dedication of Sanderson Hall, which will house the William Carey University School of Pharmacy. The accelerated pharmacy program, one of only 11 in the country, admitted its inaugural class of 57 students in July.
