Parris N. Glendening Hall will house the college’s student services offices in one convenient location. In keeping with the SMCM commitment to environmental stewardship, 25 percent of the building’s construction materials and furnishing are recycled. When the building opens in spring 2009, it is projected that its energy-efficient systems and fixtures will reduce energy consumption and water use by 30 percent.
Glendening talked about how vital a liberal arts education is in shaping future discussion in a difficult world by asking “what ought to be.” “It is here at St. Mary’s College with the liberal arts program, with the focus on humanities, and on our place in the world, that we prepare people to ask those questions.
While he was in office, the former governor’s support of the Maryland Heritage Project was instrumental in funding the building’s construction. SMCM President Jane Margaret “Maggie” O’Brien said in her welcoming remarks: “Why Glendening Hall? In 1999, then-Gov. Parris Glendening, through his leadership, was instrumental in procuring a significant investment in St. Mary’s College and Historic St. Mary’s City through the Maryland Heritage Project.
This was an investment of $65 million in new and renovated facilities for the two institutions. It was the cornerstone of a 10-year plan to manage the growth of the physical campus using environmentally sensitive building products and sustainable land use practices. This new student services building is the first college project completed under the Maryland Heritage Project. What better way to honor and thank him for this tremendous legacy?”
Michael O’Brien (’68), chair of the SMCM Board of Trustees Building and Grounds Committee, in his opening remarks commented on the difference the building will make in the lives of students. He said, “In addition to enabling vast improvements in the delivery of services to students, this building has transformed the landscape. As a building that promotes preservation of campus green spaces, reduces pollution into the St. Mary’s River, and encourages pedestrian traffic, the building is in many ways an outgrowth of smart growth principles championed by Gov. Glendening.”
Sunny Schnitzer (’09), president of the SMCM Student Government Association, elaborated on the building’s purpose of making life more convenient for SMCM students: “Glendening Hall does a number of wonderful new things for the student body. Most directly it collects all of our necessary services into one area—a one-stop shop, but this building represents much more than its tangible improvements and additions to the campus.” “Glendening Hall represents the passionate dedication of the college and the state to accessibility of higher education.”