BATON ROUGE - People gathered in the brand-new Southern University Welcome Center on Monday evening. 

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by Southern supporters, alumni, and current students. It featured both music and dance performances. 

"The Welcome Center is a bright light on our campus," Southern University SJA President Sean Inman said. "When you see Southern University, this is the first place that you come."

Ken Dawson, Assistant Director of Facility Planning, said the $6 million investment has made visiting the school more accessible. 

"Right now, in order for students or visitors to come on campus, they travel all the way back to the police station, which is all the way through campus, to get credentials to travel through campus. That's gonna change now," he said. 

Dawson said the new space will be able to host ceremonies for on-campus activities and also sees community events in its future. 

"This is just the beginning of even greater things to come," he said.