NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt will celebrate the grand opening of its
new Student Life Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house
Wednesday, March 30, followed by a series of events through April 2.
The grand opening coincides with Vanderbilt‘s annual Parent‘s Weekend,
April 1-3.
The ribbon cutting will begin at 4:30 p.m. on the terrace outside the
Student Life Center‘s main entrance. The ceremony will be followed by a
reception and open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Members of the Vanderbilt
community and the public are invited to tour the new home of the Career
Center, International Student and Scholar Services, Health Professions
Advisory Office, and the offices of Honor Scholarships and ENGAGE,
Study Abroad Programs and International Services.
Construction on the $11.4 million facility began in October 2003 and
concluded earlier this month. The Student Life Center is located at 310
25th Ave. S., behind the Schulman Center, and keeps with the
university‘s Land Use Plan, which designates that area as the new
central campus.
The project also includes the renovation of the Branscomb South Dining
Room, which serves as a physical link between the new Student Life
Center and the Branscomb Quadrangle residence hall. In all, the new
facility accounts for 61,515 square feet of usable office, event and
meeting space.
The centerpiece of the new building is the 9,000-square-foot Commodore
Ballroom. Occupying much of the new center‘s first floor, the Commodore
Ballroom features soaring 24-foot ceilings and can accommodate 520
people for a banquet, 800 theater-style and more than 1,200 for a
reception or concert. It also can be divided into three smaller spaces
to accommodate events of varied size and function.
The Commodore Ballroom was, in many ways, the impetus for the new
facility. “For many years, students have needed an on-campus space for
large social events, and the new Student Life Center provides such a
space,” said Steve Caldwell, associate vice chancellor for student
life. “But in addition to that, the new Student Life Center provides
services that were not available before, while improving on a number of
existing ones.”
Also located on the first floor are a student lounge, the Board of
Trust Room, and a wing that consolidates for the first time
International Student and Scholar Services, the Office of International
Services and the Office of Study Abroad Programs. Prior to their
relocation in the Student Life Center, Study Abroad was housed in
Furman Hall and International Student and Scholar Services in the
Zerfoss Student Health Center.
“The fact that the international offices are located in the Student
Life Center — a gathering space for all of the Vanderbilt
community — further supports and advances our efforts and goals,” said
Judy Pennywell, director of International Student and Scholar Services.
“Having a central location for international students, scholars,
employees and American students wanting to study abroad is a step in
the right direction. We now have greater potential and opportunity for
building community among our international and American students and
scholars.”
The second level of the new building will house an expanded Career
Center, the Office of Honor Scholarships and ENGAGE, and the Health
Professions Advisory Office. For more than 50 years, the Career Center
was located in Alumni Hall, and for nearly 30 of those split its space
between the basement and first floor. The Career Center‘s new space
allows for all of its staff, as well as the employer interview rooms
and resources center, to be located on one floor.
“I have waited a long time for new space for the Career Center, and
without a doubt, it was well worth the wait!” said Francene Gilmer,
director.
“The staff being together on one floor has increased our ability to
communicate face to face and allows us to visit with our employers more
often during the day,” she said. “Our student workers enjoy the bright,
open space Ö and the Resource Center is inviting and comfortable for
students to do research or browse through the resources while waiting
to meet with advisers. Residing in the new Student Life Center enhances
our esteem and our professional image as we offer services to our
students.
“We also look forward to developing a working relationship with the
staffs of the Office of Honor Scholarships and ENGAGE and the Health
Professions Advisory Office — with whom we share the second floor — to
further enhance our services to students,” Gilmer added.
Residents of the Student Life Center will be able to show off their new
home during a series of events planned to coincide with the grand
opening.
On Thursday, March 31, a Global Food Fair will be held from 11:30 a.m.
to 2 p.m. on the Student Life Center‘s first floor. The event is
co-sponsored by the International Awareness Committee.
From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., a Business Etiquette Dinner featuring guest
presenter Margaret Ann Pritchard will be held in the Board of Trust
Room. This event is open to students only, and seating is limited.
Interested students can visit the Student Life Center website at www.vanderbilt.edu/studentlifecenter for more details.
On Friday, April 1, the Career Center will host an open house on the
second floor from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. At 11:30 a.m., Rebecca Paul, CEO
of the Tennessee Lottery, will present a guest lecture in the Board of
Trust Room. A reception for Paul will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
The grand opening celebration culminates with Accolade, an annual event
and Parent‘s Weekend favorite that features food, music and dancing and
benefits the Chancellor‘s Diversity Award. This will be the Commodore
Ballroom‘s inaugural event. Accolade begins at 8 p.m., and tickets are
available through TicketMaster.
Meeting and event space in the Student Life Center is open to any
student organization, university department or non-university group.
For more details, campus groups may call the Office of Schedules and
Reservations at 322-2448. Non-campus groups may call Jack Davis,
assistant director of the Student Life Center, at 343-0371.
Media contact: Kara Furlong, (615) 322-2706
kara.c.furlong@vanderbilt.edu