Gov. Parris N. Glendening (left) helped his daughter Bri cut the ribbon during the dedication ceremony of Glendening Hall on the St. Mary's College of Maryland campus. Also attending the ceremony were (from left) Del. John Bohanan, SMCM President Jane Margaret "Maggie" O'Brien, Chair of the SMCM Board of Trustees James P. Muldoon, SMCM Board of Trustees Building and Grounds Committee Chair Michael O'Brien, SMCM Student Trustee Jeremy Pevner, and Secretary of the Maryland Department of General Services Alvin C. Collins. (Photo: Darrin Farrell)
ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. (Oct. 21, 2008)—Former Gov. Parris N. Glendening's little daughter Bri grappled with big scissors while cutting the ribbon at the dedication for the new building named for her father during Family Weekend at St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM). Parris N. Glendening Hall will house the college's student services offices in one convenient location. In keeping with the SMCM commitment to environmental stewardship, 25 percent of the building's construction materials and furnishing are recycled. When the building opens in spring 2009, it is projected that its energy-efficient systems and fixtures will reduce energy consumption and water use by 30 percent.
Glendening talked about how vital a liberal arts education is in shaping future discussion in a difficult world by asking "what ought to be." "It is here at St. Mary's College with the liberal arts program, with the focus on humanities, and on our place in the world, that we prepare people to ask those questions....Many of these students will return to their communities with intellectual and moral seeds planted here to ask different questions-to ask the 'ought' questions, or the 'why not' ques-tions….These are the minds that are being trained here. These are the citizens that will be produced on these historic grounds."
While he was in office, the former governor's support of the Maryland Heritage Project was instrumental in funding the building's construction.
SMCM President Jane Margaret "Maggie" O'Brien said in her welcoming remarks: "Why Glendening Hall? In 1999, then-Gov. Parris Glendening, through his leadership, was instrumental in procuring a significant investment in St. Mary's College and Historic St. Mary's City through the Maryland Heritage Project. This was an investment of $65 million in new and renovated facilities for the two institutions. It was the cornerstone of a 10-year plan to manage the growth of the physical campus using environmentally sensitive building products and sustainable land use practices. This new student services building is the first college project completed under the Maryland Heritage Project. What better way to honor and thank him for this tremendous legacy?"
Michael O'Brien ('68), chair of the SMCM Board of Trustees Building and Grounds Committee, in his opening remarks commented on the difference the building will make in the lives of students. He said, "In addition to enabling vast improvements in the delivery of services to students, this building has transformed the landscape….As a building that promotes preservation of campus green spaces, reduces pollution into the St. Mary's River, and encourages pedestrian traffic, the building is in many ways an outgrowth of smart growth principles championed by Gov. Glendening."
Sunny Schnitzer ('09), president of the SMCM Student Government Association, elaborated on the building's purpose of making life more convenient for SMCM students: "Glendening Hall does a number of wonderful new things for the student body. Most directly it collects all of our necessary ser-vices into one area-a one-stop shop…but this building represents much more than its tangible im-provements and additions to the campus."
Schnitzer described different future scenarios in which students could transact all their business in one place: "I thought of a person walking into a few different offices, grinning from ear to ear. This person walks out of the international education office and into the residence life office to cancel housing for the next semester. From here, this same student walks immediately to the business office with a check that is written for an amount that mirrors what he or she pays here at St. Mary's College, despite the fact that he or she has just been accepted into one of our signature study abroad pro-grams….Glendening Hall represents the passionate dedication of the college and the state to accessibil-ity of higher education."
Attending the Oct. 4 celebration were Thomas V. "Mike" Miller Jr., president of the Maryland State Senate; Alvin C. Collins, secretary of the Maryland Department of General Services; and Maryland General Assembly Del. John Bohanan. J. Frank Raley, retired state senator and SMCM Trustee Emeri-tus, also attended. James P. Muldoon, chair of the SMCM Board of Trustees, directed the dedication ceremony.
Source: St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM)