BATON ROUGE — Southern University officially opened a new amphitheater and outdoor classroom on Friday. 

The amphitheater, which can hold up to 1,500 people, was conceived during the pandemic as a way for students to continue learning in an outdoor setting.

The design of the amphitheater reflects the shape of the school's historic campus bell housed inside the John B. Cade Library. 

"Its significance is that it represents the shape of the bell that our enslaved ancestors rang every morning to start the day," Chancellor John Pierre said. "Now this is a place and a beacon of hope."

The $1.7 million project was funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund.