By Steve Gilliam, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 4-10-08
Dr. Charles Sullivan (left) and UNC system President Erskine B. Bowles applaud Chancellor Patricia A. Sullivan.
GREENSBORO, NC – Since it opened in 2003, the science facility that The University of North Carolina at Greensboro received through the state higher education bonds has simply been called the “Science Building.”
That changed Thursday, April 10, when the Board of Trustees unveiled a new name – The Patricia A. Sullivan Science Building.
The announcement took place following the final trustees meeting of Sullivan’s tenure as chancellor at UNCG. Following adjournment, the board came to the site where a crowd of more than 250 was waiting.
News accounts of the ceremony were featured by:
“Pat, for your dedication; for the excellence of your leadership; for your love of this campus, its faculty, staff and students; and for your love of the sciences – the UNCG Board of Trustees can’t think of a better way to honor you and your legacy, than to name this building for you,” said Trustees Chair Stephen C. Hassenfelt. “From this day on, students who come and go through its doors will know it as the Patricia A. Sullivan Science Building – and they will know of the many ways you helped to improve the education that they will receive at UNCG.”
UNC President Erskine B. Bowles was on hand with another surprise. He told Sullivan that she is receiving The Old North State Award and presented her with an award certificate signed by Gov. Mike Easley. The Old North State Award recognizes “dedication and service beyond expectation and excellence to the Great State of North Carolina.".
Sullivan and Bowles pose with the new sign in front of the science building.
Its inscription reads: "You have recognized that the real focus in life is to do more, to be more and to give more. It is above all else to matter and to count...to stand for something and to make a difference."
Sullivan said she was humbled, even embarrassed, by the magnitude of the tribute. “Knowing that this building now carries my name stirs a combination of emotions that are difficult to describe,” she said. “I strongly feel that I have not defined this university; rather it has defined me. I have not single-handedly impacted UNCG; but it has made a profound impact on me. And as much as I love the sciences and believed in the need for this building, I did not lay these bricks. I did not draft the blueprints. Nor did I hire each professor or recruit each student who walks these halls, advances knowledge and makes important discoveries.
“The sciences have rewarded me. This university and all the wonderful people associated with it have rewarded me. And today, you’ve rewarded me with an incredible honor. I hope you know what you, as members of the Board of Trustees, have meant to me, both professionally and personally. It has been a true pleasure to team with you in fostering the advancement of UNCG and of our 17,000 students. Again, thank you, not only for this tremendous tribute, but for your dedicated service to the university. I am deeply grateful for both.”
Sullivan became UNCG’s first woman chancellor on Jan. 1, 1995. She is the institution’s ninth chief executive and is currently the senior chancellor in the UNC system. She came to Greensboro from Texas Woman’s University, where she was vice president for academic affairs and had served a year as interim president.
UNCG broke ground for the 172,000-square-foot science building in March 2001, shortly after voters approved the $3.1 billion N.C. Higher Education Bonds in the November general election. UNCG received $160 million as its share of the bonds. In a ceremony attended by Gov. Mike Easley and then-UNC President Molly Broad, UNCG dedicated the $47.7 million building in October 2003. It is UNCG’s first, largest and most expensive bond project and is one of the most modern facilities in the state for science teaching and research.
Sullivan’s namesake building is home to the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, relocated from the now-remodeled Petty Building, which was built in 1939. The Department of Biology has additional office space and teaching labs, and the Department of Anthropology has a physical anthropology lab. Roughly 2,600 chemistry and biology students – both majors and non-majors – take classes in the building each year. Its 1,300 classroom seats have helped UNCG handle its growing enrollment, which topped 17,000 students at the start of fall 2007 semester.
Key instructional features of the building include one data connection for every two students at lab benches, lab equipment that stores data directly into computers, a nuclear magnetic resonance facility for analyzing compounds, and modern audio and visual equipment for teaching.
In addition to classrooms, the facility has 25 teaching laboratories, the 300-seat Jaylee M. Mead Auditorium, two lecture halls, six seminar rooms, support labs, prep rooms and storage space. In addition to advanced science courses, general biology and general chemistry are taught in the building for science and non-science majors alike. Chemistry and biochemistry professors have particularly enjoyed the building.
The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry has its own library, with journals, books and access to on-line databases. Students from introductory to advanced levels in biology have access to a 1,500-square-foot teaching greenhouse on the fourth floor. An adjacent 360-square-foot area for advanced students contains five plant growth chambers for conducting experiments under tightly controlled conditions.
A public reception to honor Sullivan will be held Tuesday, May 13, in Cone Ballroom of Elliott University Center.
In December, Sullivan, announced plans to retire, effective July 31. Her time at UNCG has produced major progress, which includes the following:
• Enrollment has grown from 12,600 to more than 17,100 – an increase of almost 36 percent.
• More than 33,000 students have received undergraduate and graduate degrees from UNCG during her years. And more than 3,000 students will graduate from UNCG this academic year.
• Research dollars have grown from $12.7 million in 1994-95 to $36 million last year – an increase of 180 percent.
• Major new initiatives have been started, such as the Gateway University Research Park and the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, cooperative projects with North Carolina A&T State University.
• And approximately $500 million in new construction and renovation has been added, including the newly named Patricia A. Sullivan Science Building.
