Alumni Association Home > Past Issues > 2002 > January-February 2002	Print View

One of the most vivid memories of my college experience is the fall day when, as an incoming freshman, I first set foot on Northrop Mall. The steps of Walter Library were worn and grooved from the many students who had passed through the building's doors over the years. All around the mall were majestic, columned buildings looking down at me, seemingly proud of the many great minds and great ideas they had been witness to. I felt silently admonished to take this new endeavor the pursuit of knowledge very seriously.

On another beautiful fall day more than 20 years later, I experienced that same sense of awe when the UMAA's national board of directors toured the many construction projects under way on the Twin Cities campus. In 1998 the Minnesota Legislature approved bonding to fund an ambitious building and renovation plan that would support five strategic academic initiatives and position the U to become one of the top public research institutions in the country. But University President Mark Yudof also sought to create a more welcoming environment for students and visitors by upgrading facilities and beautifying campus. Today, stunning new buildings and landscapes are emerging from construction sites across campus. A renaissance is afoot at our alma mater.

Walter Library's historical exterior, weathered and worn through the years, has been restored to its original splendor, and its interior has been entirely rebuilt. Walter will soon house a state-of-the-art facility devoted to the U's digital technology initiative, which includes the Minnesota Supercomputer Institute and a newly created digital library. The Digital Technology Center will help position the U as a national leader in the area of electronic information.

At the other end of the mall stands Coffman Memorial Union. Normally the hub of student activity, it stands strangely silent behind construction fencing while it is restored and updated. Old brick masonry has been removed and new windows are being added to bring in more light. While Coffman will continue to anchor the south end of the mall, we will be able to look through it and beyond to the Mississippi River. The area behind Coffman has been opened up to create Riverbend Commons, an area of student housing, underground parking, beautifully landscaped plazas, and grand staircases that connect Coffman to the river. Next year, new pedestrian bridges will span Washington Avenue, reconnecting Northrop Mall and the University to the river, just as Cass Gilbert envisioned in his 1907 master plan for the U.

Across the river, an arts quarter is taking shape near the Carlson School of Management itself a new, state-of-the-art structure. The gem of the arts quarter is a new art building now under construction. The current art building, a dilapidated facility next to the law school, was purchased by the University for one dollar in the 1960s and, according to President Yudof, "It was worth every penny."

As we passed the newly renovated architecture building, I heard gasps of amazement at the striking copper-clad addition. A critical element of the U's design initiative, this new building will bring together all the units of the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture from across campus. The new addition was designed by Steven Holl, who was named America's best architect by Time magazine this past June.

Throughout the campus, the impact of the investment in the U is evident, as is the leadership of President Yudof. Our university is a warmer, more welcoming place. It has more green space and less asphalt, fresh maroon and gold paint on the Washington Avenue Bridge. This has become a campus we can take pride in. It truly is a beautiful U.

This year the U will ask the state for additional capital $186.5 million, which would be supplemented with $53.2 in University money and fund-raising to continue the campus renewal and to build on our strategic initiatives. And the U is poised to excel. The initial investment has produced spectacular results, but more funding is needed to sustain this great effort. If you have not been to campus lately, come back for a visit and see for yourself. Then join me in contacting our state legislators to urge their support for the University's capital request this year.

To learn more about the capital request and how to help the U, see our Legislative Network page.