Spring 2007 Newsletter · Issue 29
A Link Across Generations
Says Brittany Marshall ’08, “I’m really looking forward to the new University Center… there will be more dining options and more student space for student groups and small gatherings. It’ll be great to have one big place to meet up with friends to eat or just to talk.”
The Suzanne Lemberg Usdan Center was begun through a gift in honor of their mother from brothers John Usdan (Class of 1980) and Adam Usdan (Class of 1983).
John Usdan remarks, “President Bennet understood that the exchange of ideas and collaboration between students and faculty was critical to the intersection of the social and intellectual lives of our students. The University Center grew from the recognition that Wesleyan could enrich the experience of our community in a place full of opportunities to bring our campus together.”
Many other alumni and parents have joined, and are continuing to join, this enterprise, including Stephen ’82 and Mary Beth Daniel, who contributed funding to name the Daniel Family Commons, which will occupy the entire third floor of the center and will include a dining lounge, a faculty dining room, a fireplace, and a spacious terrace.
Having followed in the Wesleyan footsteps of his brother David ’77 and their father, D. Ronald Daniel ’52, a former chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, Stephen Daniel notes, “One of the reasons I decided to support the Usdan University Center project was the sense of community behind it, and specifically the sense of community behind a commons. Wesleyan has been an important part of my family’s experience for the past two generations and has provided us a shared context and shared memories. My hope is that the Daniel Family Commons will provide the same shared context to students in the future, and perhaps to families fortunate enough to be able to share the Wesleyan of the future across the generations.“
Neil Clendeninn ’71, MD, and his wife, Mary, recently made a major gift in support of the campaign to name the ballroom space in the renovated Fayerweather—future site of lectures, banquets, and performances—in memory of Edgar Beckham ’58, a beloved faculty member and longtime dean of the college. “Edgar was at the forefront of the movement to create intercultural community on campus,” Clendeninn explains. “He enriched my life with his passion, his example, and his work.”
Dedicating the grand new space as Beckham Hall “is one way we can keep Edgar’s presence on campus to remind us all about his positive influence on Wesleyan, and in liberal education generally.”
Both Usdan and Fayerweather are on track to open in fall 2007. To follow construction progress through photographs and on a live-time webcam, go to www.wesleyan.edu/masterplan/univcenter.html. If you would like more information, including naming opportunities, contact Kelly Roos at (860) 685-2552 or kroos@wesleyan.edu.