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[Dr. Calvin D. Jamison] Welcome to the official
post-COVID dedication and ribbon-cutting

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for the Sciences Building and Phase Three
of the Campus Landscape Engagement Project.

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I'm Calvin Jamison. I'm the vice president
for Facilities & Economic Development

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at THE University of Texas at Dallas
in Richardson.

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It is my honor to open this celebration
with the introduction of our special guests.

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I'd like to first acknowledge our stage party:
President Richard Benson,

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[applause]

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UT System Regent Christina Melton Crain
[more applause]

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City of Richardson Mayor Pro Tem
Arafin Shamsul,

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Provost Ingham Musselman,

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Dr. David Hyndman
Dean of Natural Sciences & Mathematics,

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and Natural Sciences & Mathematics undergraduate
and Student Government representative, Alison Spadaro.

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In addition, I'd like to recognize
representatives from the City of Richardson,

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including City Manager Don Magner,

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Assistant City Manager Charles Goff,
Chief Financial Officer Ken Pfeil,

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and other officials in
attendance from the city.

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Give them a round of applause.

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Also, our architects and contractors
who worked on this project:

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Stantec, Linbeck, and
Peter Walker & Associates.

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The landscape architects,
Melanie Vanlandingham of PW...

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-- Where's she at? Where's Melanie? There she is--
Melanie from PW Landscape Architects,

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Amy Holzle of Stantec,

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Amanda Glasey of Linbeck

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and my Project Control team of
Anthony Calabrese, Brenda Smith, and Hank Welke;

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and of course, the team from Facilities
who ran the first project:

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Not here, but here in the spirit
--he's retired-- Doug Tomlinson,

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Jeremy Head, and Kelly Kinnard.

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Let's give them all
a round of applause.

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And then the project advocate
Bruce Novak,

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who worked very diligently
on this project as well.

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Give them all a round of applause.

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And to my fellow VPs that are here,
faculty, staff, students, community members:

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Thank you all for being a part of

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what is really an outstanding opportunity
for this university itself.

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So ... Amanda ... Raphael ...
thank you guys for being here.

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To Kyle --all of you-- for stepping
in and being part of something very special.

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So give them all a round of applause
for being part of this special day.

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I want to especially thank

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--This is a Chamber of Commerce day,
without a doubt, with this kind of weather--

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and I want to thank the persons who worked
behind the scenes to make things happen,

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led by Dee Lambert. Where's Dee?
Give a round of applause to her and her team,

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and the team out of Dean Hyndman's office
who worked very diligently to make this work.

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In fact, she was so upset about
the fact it may rain.

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I said, "It doesn't rain
on UT Dallas events".

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Just for the record. I want to say this: Today marks
another milestone in the evolution of UT Dallas.

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With more than 33,000
faculty, staff, and students,

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over 15 million square feet
of new and renovated space

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and almost $3 billion of new development
occurring throughout the past couple of decades.

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We have changed the face of this specific area
and indeed the entire campus.

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These two projects, the Sciences Building, and the third phase
of the Campus Landscape Enhancement Project,

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represent the continued support
from our UT System leaders,

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and the generous $18 million investment
from our beloved Margaret McDermott

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equated to over $70 million
in landscape enhancement.

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As you will hear
throughout this ceremony,

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the construction of this facility behind me

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has dramatically enhanced the
academic capabilities of the campus,

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and the transformation of this street
into a new pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare

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--as a golf cart passes by--

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with landscaping, truly helping enhance
the unique beauty of our campus

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as we planted more than 8,000 trees

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--and yes, we counted them all--

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improved the walkability of the campus
from the new Silver Line station north of here

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and at Northside
--better known as "Comet Town"--

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to the main core of the campus,

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and installed a beautiful bridge over Cottonwood Creek
that proudly displays UT Dallas' orange and green

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to the brightness of the night sky.

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So, it's only fitting that we're
here today in true UT Dallas style

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dedicating this extraordinary intellectual edifice

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and student-friendly landscape

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as we continue our extraordinary transformational journey.

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At The University of Texas at Dallas,
we do it big and we do it right.

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So thank you very much
for being here.

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It now gives me great pleasure to welcome
UT Dallas' fifth President, Dr. Richard C. Benson,

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to continue the celebration.
Dr. Benson.

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[applause]

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[Dr. Richard C. Benson] Well, thank you, Dr. Jamison,
and good afternoon, everyone.

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Good afternoon! Yes! Thank you!

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I want to extend my own
welcome to each of you.

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We are especially honored
to be joined by Regent Crain,

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Mayor Pro Tem Shamsul, and our friends
from the city of Richardson.

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As you just heard, this is the
opportunity to celebrate the work

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that was completed in the
midst of the pandemic.

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And if you've been around UTD for a while,

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you know that our campus has gone through
some significant changes over the last few years.

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So today we officially dedicate
the Sciences Building

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and the completion of Phase Three
of our Campus Landscape Enhancement Project.

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The other speakers on the agenda today
will tell you even more, in detail,

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about how these additions
impact our mission at UT Dallas.

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But I want to begin with a quick look
back to where it all began.

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In the 1960's, the founders of Texas Instruments
--Eugene McDermott, Eric Johnson, Cecil Green--

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embarked on an ambitious experiment
to build a community of scholars.

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They established the precursor to UT Dallas,
the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest,

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to conduct fundamental research
and provide graduate-level education

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in science and mathematics.

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Over 2 very busy years, from 1962-64,
research divisions were created

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in Atmospheric & Space Sciences, Geosciences, Mathematics,
Mathematical Physics, and Molecular Sciences.

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Those programs formed the core of research and teaching
when the Center became UT Dallas,

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and until 1970, the campus consisted of only
one permanent structure, the Founders Building.

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As I note, there was not much
in the way of landscaping

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--no center mall, no reflecting pools--
and I've seen early photos of the campus

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and most of the property was still undeveloped

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with little-to-no sidewalks or paved areas,

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and as an aside, then everything became paved
--still no trees.

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So returning to the Sciences Building,
one of our newest instructional facilities,

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how fitting that some of our longest-standing
academic programs have such a terrific modern space.

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I'm especially pleased that our Physics Department
has a wonderful new home.

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It is no secret that UTD aspires
to be one of the world's great universities.

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We know that we can compete with anyone
when it comes to generating impact in research and education.

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And now, because of the work
that has taken place over the last decade

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to transform the look of our campus,

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we can hold our own when it comes to
the aesthetics of anybody's campus.

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And much of the credit goes to
the visionary Margaret McDermott,

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who's great dream for UT Dallas
was to create an an inviting environment

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in which we could all work, study, and gather.

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Phase Three of the Campus Landscape Enhancement Plan
is the latest fulfillment of her great dream.

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So on behalf of our students, faculty, and staff,

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let me express our gratitude to
the late Margaret McDermott, our greatest champion.

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I also want to thank the UT System Board of Regents
for making this new building possible,

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as well as our generous donors who have supported
the School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics.

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We are fortunate to be a part of
The University of Texas System,

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and to be guided by the leadership
of the System's Board of Regents,

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and in particular,
is my great honor now

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to welcome a member of that important group of advocates,
Regent Christina Melton Crain.

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[applause]

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[Christina Melton Crain] Thank you, Dr. Benson
on behalf of The University of Texas Board of Regents.

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I am delighted to be here
to mark this really special occasion

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--and what a beautiful day to do this.

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As both Dr. Benson and Dr. Jamison have said,
UT Dallas has experienced significant growth

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and changes over the last decade.

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The Sciences Building and the third phase
of the Campus Enhancement Landscape Plan

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were approved by the UT System Board of Regents

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to meet the needs of a young university
experiencing meteoric growth,

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and in addition, the Regents provided permanent
university funds amounting to $89 million

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for the construction
of the Sciences Building.

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UT Dallas continues to be an important part
of the state's educational landscape.

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What happens on this campus
is truly making a real difference,

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and as a native Dallasite --third generation--
I am thrilled to say that this is in my backyard.

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So I really love the fact that I personally
can take advantage of this growing campus.

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I join with the rest of my
UT System Board of Regent colleagues,

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as well as other system staff,
in expressing excitement

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for the future of this great university.

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And now, it is my real pleasure to welcome
Richardson Mayor Pro Tem Arafin Shamsul to the podium.

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[applause]

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[Arafin Shamsul] Thank you so much,
Christina Crain. Good afternoon.

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It's my pleasure to join you to celebrate
the cutting of the ribbon for this project today.

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Mayor Dubey is out of town and could not be here.

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So it's unfortunate and fortunate,
because I'm here today.

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[laughter]

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Dr. Benson, on behalf of the City Council,
we would especially like to take this opportunity

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to thank you and your team for your continued partnership
and leadership in the community.

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We very much appreciate the dedication and perseverance
of your faculty and staff

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who do the daily work that has made UT Dallas
the highly-recognized institution it is today.

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We know, and you know it, but we
cannot let it go without saying that

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the Richardson community is so proud
to be the home of UT Dallas

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and to have you as part of our community.

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All of you are part of a tremendous legacy
that continues to be built to this day.

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That is why, every day,
my fellow City Council members and I

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are thankful for the University,
for your work as part of this team,

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and for the students who will
make the future of this community.

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On behalf of the community and the City Council,
congratulations on this project.

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It is an addition and enhancement
that the students and our community

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will enjoy for many years --and I even dare say---
generations to come.

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Thank you.

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[applause]

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I guess I need to introduce the next speaker.
So ... Provost Musselman is going to be the next speaker.

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[applause]

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[Dr. Inga Musselman] Thank you,
and welcome everyone.

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The Sciences Building has been a smart addition
to our campus in two major ways:

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The effects on academics are obvious.

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For example, the Physics Department
used to be in eight different buildings

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and now those labs and classrooms
are mostly under one L-shaped roof,

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adding to the spirit of collaboration
that is the trademark of UT Dallas academics,

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but not as apparent to the naked eye,

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is the energy-efficient lighting
and ecologically-friendly materials

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that earned this beautiful building LEED Gold status
from the US Green Building Council.

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The Sciences Building is surrounded by
drought-resistant plants and an irrigation system

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that combine to reduce water usage by 57%.

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More than 22% of the building materials
are from recycled content,

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including concrete, steel, framing,
drywall, and flooring.

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LEED, which as many of you know stands for
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,

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is considered the premier credentialing system
for sustainable construction.

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Eight buildings and one parking garage
at UT Dallas have earned LEED certification

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and the Sciences Building is one of four
that have attained Gold status,

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which is the second-highest rating.

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The others are the
Engineering & Computer Science West Building,

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the Davidson Gundy Alumni Center,
and the Bioengineering and Sciences Building.

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But we don't limit our focus to the buildings.

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We also put a lot of thought into how
the pathways that connect these structures

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fit with our Campus Landscape Enhancement Project.

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Our location is a perfect example
of that commitment.

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If you had been here four years ago,
you would have been sitting in a well-traveled street.

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But when the Sciences Building opened in 2020,
This portion of Rutford Ave. was transformed

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into a pedestrian promenade.

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It makes walking through campus a safer, cleaner,
and all-around more pleasant experience.

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The Campus Landscape Enhancement Project
also has enhanced our academics.

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Surveys have shown that students
often point to the beauty of a campus

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as a deciding factor for choosing UT Dallas.

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Academic rankings and prestige
are a big draw, of course,

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but our environment also has helped
spark the dramatic enrollment increase,

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and it has been a big part of our story
for the last 15 years.

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Just like the Sciences Building,
it all fits together smartly.

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I would now like to invite to the podium
Dr. David Hyndman,

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Dean of the School of
Natural Sciences & Mathematics,

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to talk about the impact of the building
on his school. Dr. Hyndman.

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[applause]

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[Dr. David Hyndman] Thank you for the introduction,
Provost Musselman.

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Thank you President Benson,
Dr. Jamison, Regent Crain,

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and others that are making this all happen today.

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I'd also like to put another shout-out
to the staff that made this happen.

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You may think events like this just happen
without a lot of behind-the-scenes work,

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but it takes a village to put these on

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and I'd really like to thank that group.

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Please give them another round of applause.

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[applause]

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I want to say a few words
about this remarkable building.

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It's incredibly important to us
as the School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics.

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It serves as a clear testament of progress
within the school,

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provides space for students, faculty, and staff,

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and also hosts a series
of world-class research labs.

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And those labs are predominantly operating
on research funds.

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And one really great piece of news
for the school--

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In the last year alone,
our research grants doubled.

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We are already on a very positive trajectory,
but that's a pretty remarkable change,

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and Physics has been one of the
key contributors to that,

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Especially, we have a
Center for Space Sciences,

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and that Center for Space Sciences has been involved
in a huge number of NASA missions through time.

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Actually, every early mission
that went into space

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had something that was manufactured here,

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including the mission to the moon,
and the Mars Rover.

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--so it was remarkable science,
that as was stated earlier,

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we're a founding school of UT Dallas,

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and $27 million of grants in the Physics Department
in the last five years

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--and that doesn't even count a new $40 million grant
for this Geospace Dynamics Constellation.

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This Constellation --we have a significant impact
on building parts for this--

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based on the expertise we have in heliospherics.

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And what this will do is,
it's going to study the upper atmosphere,

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which protects all of us from
radiation from the sun

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--so incredibly important mission.

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So if you go around and you tour
through the building at all,

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you'll see some things that look
a little bit odd, some old instrumentation.

00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:22.000
--these are actually prototypes
of things that were sent to space.

00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:24.000
So we still have some of those
available to see.

00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:28.000
We also have a world-class center
in Quantum Information Science

00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:33.000
and that team got a $5 million grant
to expand this realm,

00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:37.000
and actually hire new faculty,
and get them set up here on campus.

00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:39.000
Some of the other
new things on campus:

00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:41.000
We're hosting a sustainability initiative.

00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:44.500
We have a new department name
for what was Geoscience.

00:19:44.500 --> 00:19:49.000
It's now Sustainable Earth System Science
--just in January that went through.

00:19:49.000 --> 00:19:52.000
And with that, we have
new interdisciplinary hires

00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:57.000
that are really going to be here to help
solve some of the Earth's emerging problems.

00:19:57.000 --> 00:20:01.000
We're also creating
some new curricula with that

00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:04.000
and hope to really grow the number of students
in that important area.

00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:12.000
Another area that we're growing right now is,
we're working on a new Biomedical Sciences degree program.

00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:14.000
It's not going to be a department.

00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:19.000
We're actually almost ready to actually push
that new degree program through the system,

00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:22.500
and so hopefully next year
that'll be up and running.

00:20:22.500 --> 00:20:25.500
We look at the number of students
that come for various departments here;

00:20:25.500 --> 00:20:29.000
A lot of them are Pre-Med, Pre-Dental,
and Pre-Professional,

00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:33.500
so this degree program is really designed
to fit their needs and interests.

00:20:33.500 --> 00:20:37.000
So, let me come back to the building
for a minute.

00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:41.000
What this does is it opens up
research and student opportunities,

00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:46.000
to not just our students, but we teach things
to students from all across campus.

00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:50.000
So having them come and experience
the latest science initiatives,

00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:52.000
in this building,
is a wonderful thing.

00:20:52.800 --> 00:20:57.000
It also provides a hub to navigate
our promising future in STEMM.

00:20:57.000 --> 00:21:01.000
Of course, we are a STEMM university
with M being Management --the extra M.

00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:05.000
I want to thank you all again for coming today.

00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:12.000
And with that, I'd like to hand it off
to our wonderful student speaker, Alison Spadaro.

00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:20.000
[applause]

00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:23.000
[Alison Spadaro] Thank you, Dean Hyndman.
Good afternoon, everyone.

00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:25.000
I'm honored to share a student's perspective

00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:31.500
on the completion of the Sciences Building
and the Campus Landscape Enhancement Project.

00:21:31.500 --> 00:21:36.500
When I first started at UTD as a freshman,
the world was under quarantine.

00:21:36.500 --> 00:21:39.000
I was on campus, but none of my classes were in person.

00:21:39.000 --> 00:21:43.000
For my first year, and a good portion of my second,

00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:46.000
life on campus was a pretty isolating experience,

00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:48.000
as it was for much of the rest of the world.

00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:54.000
That's why spaces like the Sciences Building
right around us,

00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:57.500
and the beautifully enhanced landscape
all around us, are so important.

00:21:57.500 --> 00:22:02.000
For us, this is more than
just a beautiful building.

00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:07.500
The Sciences Building gives students a glimpse
into the future of what's to come on campus.

00:22:07.500 --> 00:22:13.000
It's modern design shows that UTD
is a forward-thinking university of the future

00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:16.000
that will continue to push boundaries
for years to come.

00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:21.500
It also provides many opportunities
for students to connect with one another

00:22:21.500 --> 00:22:24.500
and form bonds that'll last
for the rest of their lives.

00:22:24.500 --> 00:22:31.000
For me, that connection comes from gathering with
friends and fellow Physics students in the physics lounge.

00:22:31.000 --> 00:22:36.000
There, professors, graduate students,
and undergraduates frequent the space

00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:41.000
--always groups of people chatting, or working on
school work, or making their morning coffee.

00:22:41.000 --> 00:22:45.000
It's a space where students can work together
to understand their coursework,

00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:49.000
where they can ask questions freely
and learn from their peers.

00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:55.000
At universities like this,
spaces like these are absolutely vital.

00:22:55.000 --> 00:23:02.000
My fellow Natural Sciences & Mathematics students
also love the additional spaces in the Sciences Building

00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:07.000
to meet and study, as well as the lab spaces
where we can immerse ourselves in our research.

00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:11.500
Even students who aren't in STEMM
like to spend time over here.

00:23:11.500 --> 00:23:16.000
They come for the giant staircase
that's right behind, us inside the building,

00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:18.000
as well as the food options in the market

00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:24.000
--which I'll definitely say has saved my life
in between back-to-back classes--

00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:28.000
as well as the courtyard right over there.

00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:33.500
Now, I'm graduating this year, but this building
makes me hopeful for the future.

00:23:33.500 --> 00:23:38.500
Shared spaces like these build community
and help students form social bonds

00:23:38.500 --> 00:23:41.000
that are absolutely essential to their success.

00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:45.000
I'd like to thank all the administration
and all other campus leaders

00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:50.000
who championed this facility
and supported us with this amazing building.

00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:53.000
And now, I'm pleased
to welcome back to the podium

00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:57.000
Vice President for Facilities & Economic Development,
Dr. Calvin Jamison.

00:23:57.000 --> 00:24:01.000
[applause]

00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:03.000
[Dr. Calvin D. Jamison]
Thank you so much, Alison.

00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:06.000
I'm going to ask you guys to indulge us

00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:12.000
because we have the time now
to officially cut the ribbon --on two projects.

00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:18.000
The logistics are important here,
and as my colleagues know,

00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:25.000
we want to make sure we get it done pretty quickly,
but also seamlessly, if we can.

00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:29.000
So after the stage party goes over

00:24:29.000 --> 00:24:32.000
--we're going to cut the ribbon
on the Sciences Building first--

00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:34.000
have a couple of photos over there as well,

00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:39.000
followed by colleagues from
the City of Richardson,

00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:46.000
and then members of the Advisory Board
for Natural Sciences, and then the science team.

00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:51.500
Then we're going to shift quickly to the
Landscape Enhancement, taking shots there as well,

00:24:51.500 --> 00:24:57.000
and then we're going to celebrate
with some refreshments afterwards.

00:24:57.000 --> 00:24:59.000
So let me just say simply this:

00:24:59.000 --> 00:25:05.000
It has been an absolute pleasure for our team
to work on a project like this.

00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:12.000
The downside of the pandemic:
no one's on campus when we work through it;

00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:17.000
the good side of the pandemic:
we got a lot done in a very short period of time,

00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:20.000
and it made things work, and
we were able to plant more trees.

00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:22.000
And as many of you know,
I always say this:

00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:25.000
I'm from Virginia, where we have real trees,

00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:30.000
so when we plant these shrubs here in Texas,
eventually they will be real trees,

00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:34.000
but in the meantime we create an atmosphere
that people can be proud of.

00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:44.000
So to all of you, I say simply this:
We get one opportunity in life to really do something special,

00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:48.000
and on this particular campus,
which is so very, very young,

00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:52.000
we've had an opportunity to create
tradition and culture every day,

00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:57.000
and it comes from creating a positive experience
for our faculty, staff, and students.

00:25:57.000 --> 00:26:02.000
So with that in mind, I'll ask that
the members of our stage party,

00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:08.000
if we could move over to the ribbon-cutting area here,
we're going to cut the ribbon.

00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:11.000
and then, Dee, you're going to come
and tell who the next one's going to be,

00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:14.500
and then everybody get prepared
to move forward.

00:26:14.500 --> 00:26:16.500
--again, two ribbon-cuttings--

00:26:16.500 --> 00:26:19.000
We're going to work through it
pretty quickly,

00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:21.000
so bear with us, and then 
we'll have a little fun.

00:26:21.000 --> 00:26:23.000
Thank you.
[applause]