Dedication: Saturday, November 23, 2002
Remarks for the Dedication
of the Trinity Center
Mrs. Lila O’Brien Sullivan ‘68
Member, Trinity College Board of Trustees
I am delighted to bring greetings and congratulations this morning on behalf of the Trinity College Board of Trustees. As an alumna, member of the Class of 1968, I am proud of this magnificent new building, a statement of Trinity’s vitality and vision for the future. As a parent of daughters who are also avid athletes, I know how important an excellent intercollegiate sports program is for women making choices about colleges today.
When the trustees decided to make this investment in Trinity’s campus, we knew it would be a great reach for Trinity. The Trinity Center is the first major construction project since Kerby Hall in 1965. Since that last building project at Trinity, the world of higher education changed dramatically --- coeducation became the norm, Title IX revolutionized higher education for women and especially women’s collegiate sports, and technology became pervasive on modern campuses. Throughout the 1990's, as Trinity developed strategic plans to shape its future, the trustees knew that Trinity would have to develop new facilities and renovate its existing buildings in order to be competitive in the 21st Century. The Trinity Center is only the first part of an ambitious master plan to modernize the entire campus.
We chose to start with the creation of the Trinity Center for Women and Girls in Sports for several reasons. First, historically, Trinity’s leaders knew as early as 1914 that a gymnasium was necessary, but other important building projects came first, so the gym remained a dream. The Trinity Center completes a vision for this campus that has roots in the early part of the last century.
Second, the trustees also came to believe that for Trinity to continue the women’s college, Trinity must make a bold statement about the future shape of women’s education, especially here in the nation’s capital where Trinity is now the only university with a focus on women’s education. We wanted the Trinity Center to be far more than a gym and a pool. I think you will agree that this remarkable athletic complex is very different from the conventional sports facilities you might see on other campuses. We believe that this great new Center is a stunning new symbol of Trinity’s commitment to excellence and leadership in women’s education far into the future.
For all of my colleagues on the Board of Trustees, and for our Board Chair Peggy O’Brien who truly wished to be here today, many thanks to the many individuals who turned our dream into this beautiful reality. Special thanks to the architects: Wayne Hughes and all from the Hughes Group; Philip Renfrow and all from Geier Brown and Renfrow. Thanks as well to everyone with the Forrester construction team; to Mike Catlett and Advanced Project Management; to all of the skilled tradespeople and laborers whose hands literally built this facility.
Very special thanks as well to the many benefactors here today, and all of those whose gifts made this project possible. We are deeply grateful for your great generosity, and please know that your investment in Trinity’s future is one of the best investments you have ever made.
I would be remiss in my role as the Trustee Chair of the Development Committee if I didn’t also mention that happy as we are this morning, we still have a way to go to reach our campaign goal and meet the Kresge Challenge. Especially for my alumnae sisters who are here today: when you leave campus after this celebration, please call all of your Trinity classmates and friends and tell them about what you have seen and felt today. And then, please tell them to join you in pledging financial support to reach our campaign goal. The campaign stands at $10.7 million; we must reach $12 million. Completing this campaign and meeting the Kresge Challenge will be yet another milestone in Trinity’s march toward the future.
Thanks to everyone for your great work and wonderful support of Trinity!