For Immediate Release August 18, 2005

For More Information Contact: Diane Brown, 317-274-7711 habrown@iupui.edu

Groundbreaking Ceremony for IUPUI Campus Center: Sept. 30

Render of the Campus Center, as seen from University Place Hotel

INDIANAPOLIS – Construction site fencing is up and campus excitement on the rise as Indiana University-Purdue University prepares to break ground to build a $50 million Campus Center.

An official groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30 on the campus plaza adjacent to Cavanaugh Hall at the southeast corner of University Boulevard and Michigan Street.

Indiana University President Adam W. Herbert will preside over the ceremony. Other speakers include IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz, Vice Chancellor of Student Life and Diversity Karen Whitney and IUPUI Undergraduate Student Government President Jennifer Delaney.

In the making for a number of years, construction of the center is a “huge step forward in building campus community,” said USG President Jennifer Delaney.

“I see the construction of the campus center as the heart of our student life, and because of our urban campus and diverse student population we need a place to come together,” Delaney said. “The campus center will be an icon for students to come together; I believe this will really help build a positive sense of community.”

Festivities for the groundbreaking ceremony will include 15-minute prelude and postlude performances by the Electronic Music Ensemble from the IU School of Music at IUPUI. Music will also include a carillon (bells) selection performed by music students and faculty.

Groundbreaking organizers chose to include the bell music as a tie-in to the future building’s most prominent external feature, a 179-foot bell tower of limestone and glass.

Campus Center amenities will include a bookstore and a 600-seat dining area. The facility will provide learning spaces for students, faculty and staff, along with space for planned meeting events. In addition, the center will house offices for admissions, the bursar, financial aid, and other student support and leadership functions.

“We have worked very hard for the past several years to build a greater sense of community on this campus,” said Michelle Verduzco, director of Campus & Community Life, and coordinator of the groundbreaking committee.

Having a campus center and multiple venues to gather our IUPUI campus community is going to greatly increase the strength of this community. I liken it to a family finally having its very own home. I think ownership of your own place greatly increases your pride and connection to that place.”

Construction of the four-story Campus Center is scheduled to begin as soon as the demolition of the Bowers Building, which now occupies the building site, is complete. The demolition project, which began August 8, is expected to take four to six weeks

In July, IU Trustees awarded Hunt Construction Group the general construction contract for the Campus Center. Indianapolis Electric Company and Greiner Brothers, respectively, won contracts for the construction of the building’s electrical and mechanical systems.

Construction of the facility is considered an integral component of IUPUI’s goals for student success.

“We know that the more students get involved on campus – with other students, with faculty, with organizations – the more successful they will be,” said IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz. “With 95 percent of our students commuting, we must work harder to help them get involved. Thus the Campus Center is not only a beautiful building – it is where students become more successful.”

Visit the Web site http://www.life.iupui.edu/campcntr/ for additional information.

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