Last Friday, blazers, khaki pants, and cocktail dresses overwhelmed a part of campus during the dedication of the Suzanne Lemberg Usdan University Center. Alumni and staff toured the center and were generally pleased with its appearance.
The West African Drum Ensemble provided backing music while the dedication ceremony was conducted in stages, with each part of the building receiving its own ribbon cutting ceremony.
Donors and alums spoke highly of the building.
“The building itself is an example of good people coming together,” Moira James ’78 said enthusiastically.
At the official dedication of the building, President Roth led off, saying that the center was “a crucial and perfect part of the Wesleyan University campus.”
University Center Director and Dean of Campus Programs Rick Culliton followed President Roth in praising the new building. He put the success of the Center in the hands of the student body, saying that although former President Bennett and others played a huge role in its construction, it’s the students who will “bring the center to life.”
To give a student’s perspective on the new campus center, member of the student-led Usdan Advisory Committee and Psi Upsilon President Chris Goy ’09 gave his take on the new campus center.
“[The Usdan Center] serves as an example of a commitment from the trustees, the alumni, and the university— to no longer throw money at a problem, but to put in the hard work to follow,” Goy said. “That will truly define something as a place we all can be proud of.”
The Usdan University Center was originally planned by the administration as a way to revitalize the campus community and create a central hub of activity for the student body.
It was originated as part of the master construction plan of former campus President Doug Bennett, which included the construction of such buildings as the Center for Film Studies, Fauver undergraduate housing, and the Freeman Athletic Center, as well as the renovation of Clark Hall,
the University Chapel, and the ’92 Theater.
With planning beginning in the summer of 2000, and major construction concluding in 2007, the dedication of the Usdan Center is one of President Bennett’s final marks on the school.
The Usdan family wanted their mother’s name to be part of that legacy.
Suzanne Lemberg Usdan was a social activist and a member of countless organizations designed to benefit artistic and cultural communities. Such organizations include the Park Avenue Synagogue, Carnegie Hall, and Bennington College. She was also a founding member and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, a children’s day camp.
Jim Dresser, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, introduced the Usdan family for the ribbon-cutting.
“They love Wesleyan, and we are so lucky we have their affection,” Dresser said.
John, Adam, and Esme Usdan closed the program, each speaking of their mother’s accomplishments and her desire to help out in the community. The building represents her legacy of “doing as much as you can to give back.”
In the final moments before the ribbon was cut, Esme Usdan praised her two brothers, who she said had more to do with the project than her.
“I know my mother would be very proud of the two of you,” she said.
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