DELAWARE, Ohio (WCMH) -- After two years without one, Ohio Wesleyan University unveiled plans for a new university library on Friday.
The university raised more than $50 million in just three months to build the new library after mold concerns forced a closure in the summer of 2023. The university ambitiously plans to open the completed library in January 2027, and construction will begin this summer.
Just days into Ohio Wesleyan President Matt vandenBerg's tenure, he made the emergency decision to close Beeghly Library on campus due to moisture and mold. Ohio Wesleyan spokesperson Cole Hatcher said they decided to close the library over the summer to avoid midterm complications. However, it left Ohio Wesleyan without its formal library for several years.
Perkins Eastman and Ohio-based Levin Porter Architects are overseeing the project, which involves renovating the existing library. Once completed, it will also house the Department of Fine Arts with studios, classrooms and gallery spaces.
“Imagine heading to the library to study for a biology final and seeing an art student diligently turning a new piece on a ceramic wheel or watching digital content being created in a state-of-the-art studio,” Levin Porter President Matt Franklin said. “We hope these collisions encourage OWU students to embrace the many benefits of a liberal arts education.”
The library could not be possible without namesake John F. Milligan and his wife Kathryn, who are both 1983 graduates of Ohio Wesleyan. The pair donated $20 million to the project, the largest gift in the university's 183-year history. The Milligans joined five other donors who contributed seven- or eight-figure gifts to their alma mater to help fund the library.
"We know that today’s students need learning facilities vastly different from the libraries of 60 years ago," John Milligan said. "We are thrilled to be able to support the dramatic redesign of the library to create a place for students and faculty to gather, learn, and constructively discuss ideas right in the heart of the campus.”
Also on Friday, Ohio Wesleyan announced it will enter a partnership to provide solar power to the university, the largest carbon reduction and onsite solar energy project in Ohio collegiate history. OWU is partnering with GRP|WEGMAN to reduce its carbon emissions by more than 82% with new solar panels.
A campus committee is currently working to identify the best sites on campus for the solar panels, with the 18-month project expected to begin before fall. The project will generate 8.2 million kilowatt hours of clear energy annually, and will also serve as a hands-on learning opportunity. Students will be able to work with the solar panels as a laboratory, working with renewable energy, sustainability and engineering.
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