A Visit to Dartmouth College
By Michael Schade
I recently had the opportunity to return to Dartmouth College. I had not been on the campus for several years and it was really nice to be back. The occasion was the Collis Center Reunion & Celebration. Holly Sateia, the Director of Collis when we started working there in 1991, invited us to celebrate with the donor, past directors, supporters and students.
The event was held in Common Ground, the restored main room at Collis. The building looked great; some recent renovations including an enlarged servery and the addition of air conditioning, make the facility even more functional. Tony Atkin’s initial design concept, a large, central atrium carved out of the center of the building, still serves as a great connector, and is in many ways the heart of the campus. Many of the speakers at the event spoke of their relationship to the Collis Center, and how significant it was as part of their professional or student experience. Although there was some mention of the building, most of the emphasis was on the activities, events, and people that make the place so special. This was a good reminder of what is most important about our profession.
While on campus I had a chance to visit our three residence hall projects: McCulloch, Hitchcock, and Fahey-McLane. It was great to see that our projects are holding up well and have become integral components of the campus fabric. And not to be missed were the events taking place as part of the Annual Woodsman Competition; certainly not something we get to see too often in Philadelphia.
