It’s a Girl!
The Nexus Is Officially Named The Diana
April 27, 2009
Barnard College's new center for campus life, known until now as the Nexus, will be called The Diana in honor of alumna Diana Touliatou Vagelos '55, who with her husband, Roy, made a $15 million gift for the new building. The announcement was made this afternoon, on Spirit Day, at “Celebrity Scoops,” where President Debora Spar, Chair of the Board of Trustees Anna Quindlen ’74, and several deans and directors scooped ice cream for students on a picture-perfect day.
"Diana was, among other things, a goddess of female power," said President Spar. "Given the power of this gift to the College, the power of the women who study and graduate from Barnard, and given Diana's generosity and dedicated service, it seemed the perfect name."
The unique translucent white and terra cotta-colored glass building, designed by the architectural firm of Weiss/Manfredi, has already garnered prestigious design awards from organizations such as the American Institute of Architects and ARCHITECT Magazine. It will open at the beginning of 2010 and house an event space, a black-box theater, architecture and art classrooms, dining facilities, and meeting rooms that will be used for events and programming open to the public.
Almost exactly a year ago Roy Vagelos, the former CEO and chairman of Merck, and his wife, Diana, vice-chair of the Board of Trustees, publicly announced their gift at an exuberant “Topping Out” ceremony, complete with fireworks, balloons, and a performance by the Barnard Bacchante. The Vagelos’ gift is the largest ever to the College.
Noting that Barnard is also launching the Athena Center for Leadership Studies, Quindlen said, "We are now goddess central, although given our spectacular students you could argue we always have been."
|
