Building for the future Coming of age Although less tangible, professional growth and enhanced academics are a likely outgrowth of the move to Murray. Consolidating related disciplines is a goal of OSU’s long-range plan, Buchert says. “Having faculty and staff in one location where they can coordinate greatly improves the education to students and provides additional research opportunities.” Until now, coordinated teamwork has not been feasible, Wikle says. “These departments, which have a lot in common, will no longer be like parts of an archipelago out there by themselves with limited ability to come together.” Murray’s new seminar rooms, renovated parlor and other common areas will support student and faculty interaction and collaboration. “Sharing space with other departments will be intellectually stimulating,” Recker says. “It’s always good to have opportunities for informal discussions with colleagues from other disciplines. In Murray, this will be a daily occurrence instead of a rarity.” The political science department sees the potential for extensive interdisciplinary collaboration when relocated to Murray Hall. Scott says those prospects expand with the proximity of the psychology department in neighboring North Murray Hall. The sociology department’s move from the basement of the classroom building, home to the department for several decades, is a welcome event for head Patricia Bell. “We’ll enjoy the friendship of our new neighbors and having a place for social interaction. We’re hopeful for the cross-disciplinary collaborations this new residence will inspire.” Bell’s colleague, professor emeritus Charles Edgley, expects the benefits to be intellectual and long-term. “Scattered across campus for so many years, few members of the social science faculty had the opportunity to see each other, much less work together on projects of mutual benefit. This new facility in Murray Hall will change all of that, and generations will thank those who made this progress possible,” he says. “The heightened opportunity for collaboration is a big step in the right direction for the history department,” Williams says. “From a historical perspective, this signals OSU’s development from its beginnings as a landgrant university to a comprehensive university offering first-rate programs and instruction in many disciplines. “It’s a validation of our efforts,” Williams says. Paying homage to history According to Williams, Murray’s renovation also will be a dramatic example of historic preservation, which is an emphasis in the department’s nationally admired applied history program developed by associate history professor William Bryans. Applied history, aimed at public presentation, examines structures, documents and other artifacts to interpret, analyze and teach history. “As a building significant to the university’s past, this is a very appropriate home for a program teaching applied history generally, and historic preservation specifically,” Bryans says. Murray is a well-executed renovation of an older building to serve a contemporary purpose, he says. “Adaptive use is as much a part of historic preservation as bringing a building back exactly as it appeared at a particular point in the past. Buildings are dynamic, and almost all experience changes over time.” Along with exhibits portraying Murray’s history displayed on the first floor, the building itself will stand as an excellent example of the adaptive use practice. “It fulfills an important public component of our department’s mission,” Williams says. “A building of great value in the memory of people who have visited and loved OSU over many decades will now become a showplace for its own history as well as a showplace for the College of Arts and Sciences.” Eileen Mustain Henry G. Bennett, visionary president of OSU from 1928–1961, strived to bring orderly development to the campus with his 25-year master plan. (Centennial Histories Series) College of Arts and Sciences department heads are, from left, James Scott, political science; Patricia Bell, sociology; Randolph Deal, communication sciences and disorders; Dale Lightfoot, geography; and Tom Wikle, associate dean. OSU Special Collections Jana Duffy College of Arts and Sciences 16
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