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.
