Ribbon cutting held for newest USI building, the Griffin Center
May 6, 2016
The University of Southern Indiana held a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house for the Griffin Center on Friday, May 6.
The Griffin Center is a 12,700 square-foot meeting and conference space overlooking Reflection Lake and facing east towards campus. The Center's largest venue is the Grand Hall, with space to accommodate more than 130 guests and striking views through floor to ceiling windows. Other available venues include a private study for small committee meetings, an atrium lobby and multipurpose meeting spaces that can be configured for groups of varied sizes and needs. The Center was designed by Hafer.
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The building is named in honor of the Robert E. Griffin family, whose leadership gift to Campaign USI: Elevating Excellence provided the funding for construction.
"The University of Southern Indiana is a good thing for Evansville and the region; it deserves our support and involvement," Griffin said. "We want this to be a good community; we live here, we have families here. Education is an essential part of our community, it's the best investment we can make. The more brain power we keep here in the community, the more the community will advance with the University."
Featured art includes: Bent Twig, a commissioned sculpture that graces the west façade of the building, by John McNaughton, USI professor emeritus of art, and Joan Kempf deJong, assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts; pieces of Steuben art glass that were donated to the University Art Collection by Alan and Susan Shovers; and an oil portrait of Robert Griffin by celebrated Indiana artist Mark Dillman.
"The Griffin Center is a vision fulfilled," said USI President Linda L. M. Bennett. "What has come to fruition is beyond our expectation. Due to the exceptional generosity of the Robert E. Griffin family, the Griffin Center will serve the University for generations not yet born."
For more information about the Griffin Center, contact Sara Rhoades, communication and events coordinator for the USI Foundation, at 812-465-7149 or at skrhoades@usi.edu.