On Friday, August 25, Indiana University Northwest dedicated its $45 million Arts and Sciences Building. IU President Michael A. McRobbie presided over the ceremony that filled the new 500-seat theater. The celebration came nine years after Tamarack Hall, the campus's first building and home to its theater, was destroyed by floodwaters.
By 2012, a plan had been proposed for the facility, and the then-newly proposed building would be shared by IU Northwest and the Lake County campuses of Ivy Tech in a special arrangement intended to encourage Ivy Tech students to finish their bachelor's degrees at IU Northwest.
"All of us look forward to witnessing the many ways in which the programs housed in the Arts and Sciences Building, the courses that are taught here, and the faculty who teach them will help to shape those futures," McRobbie said.
The exterior of the new 126,300-square-foot IU Northwest Arts and Sciences Building rises up three stories and spans a city block. Inside the building, guests take their seats in the new 500-seat theater. Photos by Eric Rudd
A pianist performs prior to the start of the dedication ceremony. McRobbie, bottom left, begins the dedication of the IU Northwest Arts and Sciences Building with a welcome and opening remarks. IU Northwest Chancellor William J. Lowe, bottom right, addresses the crowd. Photos by Eric Rudd
The Wirt-Emerson Visual and Performing Arts High Ability Academy Concert Choir performs during the dedication ceremony. IU Northwest Professor Mark Baer, bottom left, addresses the audience, saying he hopes what is shared in the new space will bring everyone closer together, "in a web of common humanity." IU Northwest Student Government President Gabriela Jaimes, bottom right, addresses the audience, quoting the late Nelson Mandela. Photos by Eric Rudd
McRobbie hands the Arts and Sciences Building key to Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana President Sue Ellspermann. Ivy Tech Community College occupies about 30 percent of the building. McRobbie, bottom left, holds up the key to the Arts and Sciences Building. Lowe, bottom right, McRobbie, Ellspermann and Ivy Tech Community College Lake County campus Chancellor R. Luis Gonzalez hold their keys to the new Arts and Sciences Building. Photos by Eric Rudd
Attendees toured the Arts and Sciences Building following the dedication ceremony. Clockwise from top, a new state-of-the-art science lab, office space for staff to work and a classroom. Photos by Eric Rudd
