Last modified: Friday, September 16, 2011
IUPUI to celebrate 40th anniversary of first undergraduate classroom building
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 16, 2011
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus next week will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the opening of its first undergraduate classroom building.
An open house and reunion marking the opening of Robert E. Cavanaugh Hall will take place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23 at Cavanaugh Hall, 425 University Blvd. The event will also launch a year-long celebration of the 40th anniversary of the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, which was created in 1972.
In this archival photo, students and community leaders are introduced to the new campus plan, depicted in a three dimensional model, that included a Building A (Cavanaugh Hall), lecture hall and library. An additional building, a student center, was proposed but not built.
The anniversary celebration will feature a reception, comments from School of Liberal Arts Dean William Blomquist and the opening of "Cavanaugh Hall: 40 Years of Impact," a special six-story exhibit exploring the building's history.
"When Cavanaugh opened, it was IUPUI's first undergraduate classroom building," Dean Blomquist said. "In many ways, the seed planted at 425 Agnes Street (now University Boulevard) is what grew into IUPUI. It was the nexus of a dream, where pioneering faculty, staff and students worked in concert to serve the higher education aspirations of their community."
Cavanaugh Hall and the buildings now known as Lecture Hall and Joseph T. Taylor Hall -- then the Lecture Center Building and the Library Building, respectively -- were the first undergraduate buildings built on the IUPUI campus.
Named in honor of Robert E. Cavanaugh, who served as director of the Indiana University Extension Division from 1921 to 1946, Cavanaugh Hall, Lecture Hall and Taylor Hall were dedicated on Sept. 10, 1971. Then Chancellors Herman B Wells and Maynard K. Hine and Indianapolis Mayor Richard G. Lugar presided over the formal dedication, according to the IUPUI press release announcing the event.
Today Cavanaugh Hall primarily houses the School of Liberal Arts, but during its history it has also housed the registrar and bursar's offices, the IUPUI bookstore, the Sagamore student newspaper, Adaptive Educational Services, the Schools of Journalism and Social Work, Herron School of Art and Design courses and early iterations of the School of Science.
Campus and community friends are invited to join IUPUI students, faculty, staff and alumni for the anniversary celebration.
