The University Record, August 14, 1995
Social Work breaks ground for new home
By Jared Blank
“The time has come to lay a foundation for our castle in the air.”
School of Social Work Dean Paula Allen-Meares invoked Henry David Thoreau to kick off the Aug. 3 groundbreaking ceremony for the new building that will house the School of Social Work and the International Institute.
The five-story, 122,000-square-foot facility also will be home to the largest social work library in the world. The new building, located at the corner of South and East University avenues, will be completed in 1997.
Speakers lauded the opportunities for increased interdisciplinary work because of the location of the new facility.
“The School of Social Work has been of great importance to the nation and, indeed, to the world, itself,” said President James J. Duderstadt. “It has been a bellwether for innovation and change in society through its teaching, research and public service programs.”
Duderstadt said he expects the central location of the new facility to induce further innovation. Because the building will be physically connected to the School of Education Building, he looks forward to new, interdisciplinary projects between the two schools. “The school will be well placed to make further contributions to the field of urban education” and nearly every area of the University, he said.
