Simpson College hosted an open house and dedication ceremony for the newly completed Dunn Library.
On Friday, Feb. 16, the board of trustees, President Jay Byers and library staff hosted a dedication ceremony for Dunn. Open to the community, students and Indianola residents alike entered the newly renovated library to celebrate the grand opening.
“A project of this magnitude doesn’t come to fruition without sound strategy, planning, creative agility and a healthy dose of patience and perseverance,” Terry Handley, chair of the board of trustees, said.
Speakers for the dedication included President Jay Byers, Cyd Dyer, Academic Dean John Woell and Simpson education studies student Angel Schewe.
“I’m particularly thrilled with the engagement of the students in remodeled Dunn. They are very excited to be in here,” librarian Cyd Dyer said. “When we opened the doors, their mouths were just hanging open and they couldn’t get around to the different learning spaces fast enough.
After the speakers, President Byers had members of the community and Simpson staff, faculty and students line up on the new stairs to take a picture and be a part of the ribbon cutting.
“It’s about all of us. It’s about all of our students and about all our faculty. It’s about all of our staff. It’s about our entire community, it’s about all of us, so we need to be part of this ribbon cutting together,” Byers said.
Though it took Byers a few tries to get through the ribbon—mirroring the constant delays in the construction of Dunn—the ribbon was finally cut, and the library officially opened.
“This investment will surely benefit Simpson students for generations to come. And all of us on Team Simpson can truly be proud of that,” Handley said.
After the dedication service, the public was set loose to tour the new library and explore the new spaces.
The library has been open to students since the beginning of January and has already seen substantial use within the Simpson community.
“The renovations will have a lasting impact on not only education students but the entire student body for years to come,” Angel Schewe said. “Despite the daunting challenges associated with teaching, the future of education is bright, and there are people who believe in and care about the impact of learning.”
