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Inside Gallaudet - Gallaudet University
The campus community got its first official look at the new James Lee Sorenson Language and Communication Center (SLCC) at a September 3 ribbon-cutting ceremony.
All new campus buildings are a cause for celebration, but the opening of the SLCC has been a particularly anticipated event because it is the first building in the University's history to be designed by and for deaf people, through the use of architectural principals that are specific to their communication needs. It also lays claim to being the University's first "green" building, gaining the distinction of being certified as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) structure.
The community opening was an ideal venue to display the building's visu-centric qualities. The spacious, well-lit atrium where the event was held provided a remarkably clear and unobstructed view for the audience, which crowded all three floors to see President Davila, Provost Stephen Weiner, and Board of Trustees members Cheryl Heppner and James Macfadden cut the ribbon, and watch Drs. Davila and Weiner give their remarks about the great potential the SLCC holds for present and future generations of deaf people.
The unique features of this much anticipated building drew the interest of local media, as well. Channel 5 (Fox), Channel 7 (ABC), and NewsChanel 8 were on hand prior to the 3 p.m. ceremony to film segments for their early evening news reports. They were given a tour of the building by Dr. MJ Bienvenu, co-chair of the SLCC Planning Committee and an associate professor in the Department of ASL and Deaf Studies—one of the departments that is housed in the new building.
Davila began the event by welcoming new and returning students and faculty to the start of the 2008-09 academic year, and gave them an update on an eventful summer that was highlighted by the University's accreditation being reaffirmed by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Davila recalled that when he arrived at Gallaudet in January 2007 as the University's ninth president, and the SLCC was in the planning process, that he was impressed by the level of community involvement in designing the building. What's more, he said, the campus community and its supporters were willing to make a financial commitment through the University's capital campaign, The Campaign for Gallaudet's Future, to ensure that the SLCC project secured the necessary funding. The unity displayed by the Gallaudet community through every step of planning and construction is symbolic, said Davila: "It represents so much more than just a building. It represents the strength of Gallaudet and what is good about Gallaudet."
The SLCC project was launched in November 2004 with a $5 million donation to the University from Sorenson Media and the Sorenson Legacy Foundation. James Lee Sorenson is chairman of Sorenson Development, Inc., and a new member of Gallaudet's Board of Trustees. Although he was unable to attend the ribbon cutting, Sorenson sent a videotaped message in which he praised the University for its exemplary teaching and research practices, and said he was "truly honored" to play a role in the creation of the SLCC. He expressed his appreciation for being able to work with "two great leaders"—Davila and former University President I. King Jordan—from the building's conceptual phase to its completion. Sorenson also said that he was honored to have been selected as a trustee and that he "takes the responsibly seriously."
Weiner spoke of the vast potential the SLCC holds for Gallaudet and the deaf community. The collaboration between academic departments will offer many innovative programs that will attract new students to the University, and the research and scholarship taking place there will "really get the word out of the great things that Gallaudet does,' he said.
The list of individuals whose combined efforts have led the SLCC project to completion is a lengthy one, but there were a few key people who Weiner chose to recognize at the opening. First on the list were Bienvenu and fellow co-chairs Thomas Allen, director of Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2), and Cathy Sweet-Windham, special assistant to the president for board and external relations. Next, he shared his appreciation with Dr. Cynthia King, dean of Academic Technology, Library, and Archive Services; Becky Hill, project manager for Heery International; Mickey Fields, director of Facilities; and the chairs of the departments that are now located in the SLCC—Hearing, Speech, and Language Sciences, ASL and Deaf Studies; Communication Studies; Linguistics; and VL2.
Weiner also extended special thanks to former provost Jane Fernandes, "for her steadfast leadership and continued belief in what this center could and will do for Gallaudet."
Following the ribbon cutting, Davila invited the guests to tour the SLCC "and see what a truly great building this is!"
The campus community got its first official look at the new James Lee Sorenson Language and Communication Center (SLCC) at a September 3 ribbon-cutting ceremony.
All new campus buildings are a cause for celebration, but the opening of the SLCC has been a particularly anticipated event because it is the first building in the University's history to be designed by and for deaf people, through the use of architectural principals that are specific to their communication needs. It also lays claim to being the University's first "green" building, gaining the distinction of being certified as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) structure.
The community opening was an ideal venue to display the building's visu-centric qualities. The spacious, well-lit atrium where the event was held provided a remarkably clear and unobstructed view for the audience, which crowded all three floors to see President Davila, Provost Stephen Weiner, and Board of Trustees members Cheryl Heppner and James Macfadden cut the ribbon, and watch Drs. Davila and Weiner give their remarks about the great potential the SLCC holds for present and future generations of deaf people.
The unique features of this much anticipated building drew the interest of local media, as well. Channel 5 (Fox), Channel 7 (ABC), and NewsChanel 8 were on hand prior to the 3 p.m. ceremony to film segments for their early evening news reports. They were given a tour of the building by Dr. MJ Bienvenu, co-chair of the SLCC Planning Committee and an associate professor in the Department of ASL and Deaf Studies—one of the departments that is housed in the new building.
Davila began the event by welcoming new and returning students and faculty to the start of the 2008-09 academic year, and gave them an update on an eventful summer that was highlighted by the University's accreditation being reaffirmed by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Davila recalled that when he arrived at Gallaudet in January 2007 as the University's ninth president, and the SLCC was in the planning process, that he was impressed by the level of community involvement in designing the building. What's more, he said, the campus community and its supporters were willing to make a financial commitment through the University's capital campaign, The Campaign for Gallaudet's Future, to ensure that the SLCC project secured the necessary funding. The unity displayed by the Gallaudet community through every step of planning and construction is symbolic, said Davila: "It represents so much more than just a building. It represents the strength of Gallaudet and what is good about Gallaudet."
The SLCC project was launched in November 2004 with a $5 million donation to the University from Sorenson Media and the Sorenson Legacy Foundation. James Lee Sorenson is chairman of Sorenson Development, Inc., and a new member of Gallaudet's Board of Trustees. Although he was unable to attend the ribbon cutting, Sorenson sent a videotaped message in which he praised the University for its exemplary teaching and research practices, and said he was "truly honored" to play a role in the creation of the SLCC. He expressed his appreciation for being able to work with "two great leaders"—Davila and former University President I. King Jordan—from the building's conceptual phase to its completion. Sorenson also said that he was honored to have been selected as a trustee and that he "takes the responsibly seriously."
Weiner spoke of the vast potential the SLCC holds for Gallaudet and the deaf community. The collaboration between academic departments will offer many innovative programs that will attract new students to the University, and the research and scholarship taking place there will "really get the word out of the great things that Gallaudet does,' he said.
The list of individuals whose combined efforts have led the SLCC project to completion is a lengthy one, but there were a few key people who Weiner chose to recognize at the opening. First on the list were Bienvenu and fellow co-chairs Thomas Allen, director of Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2), and Cathy Sweet-Windham, special assistant to the president for board and external relations. Next, he shared his appreciation with Dr. Cynthia King, dean of Academic Technology, Library, and Archive Services; Becky Hill, project manager for Heery International; Mickey Fields, director of Facilities; and the chairs of the departments that are now located in the SLCC—Hearing, Speech, and Language Sciences, ASL and Deaf Studies; Communication Studies; Linguistics; and VL2.
Weiner also extended special thanks to former provost Jane Fernandes, "for her steadfast leadership and continued belief in what this center could and will do for Gallaudet."
Following the ribbon cutting, Davila invited the guests to tour the SLCC "and see what a truly great building this is!"