Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Nota Bene: Greer Environmental Sciences Center Time Capsule Ceremony

A little over a year ago, we broke ground for the Greer Environmental Sciences Center. We have watched and waited excitedly as the great beams were put into place, walls and roof work were completed, and systems were installed. Last Friday, we honored the tradition of placing a time capsule within its walls. Holding some of today’s treasures for tomorrow’s discovery, the time capsule contains student reflections, an edition of the Marlin Chronicle, and other items that speak to who we are today as a campus community.

We are grateful to all who joined us for this historic event, including Trustee Emerita Jane Batten, Trustee Emeritus George Birdsong and his wife, Sue, Trustee Butch Everett and his wife, Carol, Trustee Susan Goode, Trustee Anne Shumadine, Trustee and Chair of our Alumni Council, Mavis McKenley ’11, and former President Billy Greer and his wife, Fann.

This 40,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility will be second to none of any institution in the study of marine sciences, ecology, and preservation and sustainability of the natural world. When the time capsule is opened in the year 2042, the Greer Environmental Sciences Center will have served Virginia Wesleyan University for a quarter-century; will have made valuable contributions to the body of scientific research and knowledge pertaining to our natural home on the Chesapeake watershed; and will have become a meeting point for the sharing of ideas and perspective on the environment and many other dimensions of the Virginia Wesleyan academic experience and expertise.

The Greer Environmental Sciences Center honors former president Billy Greer’s advocacy for the sciences and commitment to sustainability. It also marks the College's declaration to society and the larger academic community that Virginia Wesleyan is resolved to be a premier liberal arts institution in the field of environmental science. The Batten Honors College and the Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences will be special beneficiaries of this beautiful building. 

Thank you to those who made the time capsule ceremony possible, especially to Executive Vice President of Hourigan Construction Chris Brandt and our insightful event speakers, Associate Provost Maynard Schaus and Virginia Wesleyan students Rachael Pan and Stephanie Reidell. Photos from this special occasion are available on the Virginia Wesleyan Flickr page at: https://flic.kr/s/aHskTyLrqj.

This is a building for all of us—a building that looks to the future, that will play a central role in the learning and living that define our campus community, and that symbolizes our institutional commitment to environmental study and stewardship. We look forward to opening the Center this summer and dedicating it on Founders Day this fall.