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My name is Rodney Swain. I'm the Dean of the College of Letters & Science, and I'm very
honored to be here today for this beam raising ceremony. On October 24, 2012, I stood at
a spot just slightly, several hundred yards from here, to celebrate the groundbreaking
for this new building. At that time, I noted that I was excited to see this new building
construction but that I was even more excited by the groundbreaking science that would occur
in this new space. This is a building of change, a building of innovation, and we will all
benefit immensely from its presence on our campus. This project will house our Physics
Department and what a great opportunity they will have to have facilities that match their
prowess in terms of research potential. It's very exciting for all of us. And also, in
our other sciences - biology, chemistry, our engineering - to have core facilities that
this campus deserves to compete at a national level. And, finally I would just say I hope
you all are as excited as I am that this project is going to be online in about a year from
now, and the things that it will help our campus accomplish. I couldn't be more thrilled
that this kind of investment is happening in the City and not just in bricks and mortar
but in the future of the City. What is now possible that was not possible before because
of the building. We want to be and aspire to be a top-tier research institution as a
result of this ability to interact with our colleagues through the STEM sciences. I can
guarantee that even after this crummy weather we've been having this winter that we'll get
it done on time and on budget, and it'll be a facility that this university can be proud
of for decades and decades to come.