Pride wasn’t a sin last week on the Dominican University campus as the school honored its illustrious past and celebrated a bright future with the grand opening of Parmer Hall.
Earlier that week, construction workers labored diligently to vacate the structure after 17 months of construction on the 124,000-square-foot, four-story Academic and Science building.
The university welcomed its newest addition with a full flourish of pomp and circumstance melding old and new. As the ancient tones of flutes, bells and trumpets echoed against the brand new glass of the building’s two-story atrium, richly gowned faculty walked slowly across the long balcony and down the main staircase, each holding either a rose or candle, traditional symbols at Dominican.
The new building had been the dream of Dominican President Donna Carroll since she came to the university in 1996. It is the key component of a $50 million, 10-year capital campaign. It was the generosity of John and Carolyn Parmer, though, that made Carroll’s vision a reality-they donated $25 million of the building’s $38 million price tag.
Cardinal Francis George joined a host of school officials, faculty, village and other dignitaries, including U.S. Cong. Danny Davis (7th Dist.) and River Forest Village President Frank Paris. As the dignitaries settled into their chairs, Carroll praised the “fruition of the dreams of many and a tribute to the work of many hands.”
Cardinal George called the new building a place that would allow Dominican to explore “the wisdom of the past and the discoveries of the future.”
Carroll beamed as George blessed the inlaid university shield on the foyer floor. After George’s blessing, the crowd sang the school’s anthem, “Proudly Dominican,” which celebrates their two primary values-“Caritas,” or compassion, and “Veritas,” truth.
Carroll, who spent most of the summer recovering from a broken metatarsil bone in her foot, said she was struggling to fully articulate what so many others have worked so hard to accomplish.
“I guess it hasn’t sunk in yet,” she said afterward, adding that she felt a sense of humility and pride at the thought of the trust so many placed in her to see the massive and complex project to fruition.
“Being a university president is about the trust the community places in you, in its health and happiness and future,” she said. “When people give you their confidence, it’s a big responsibility.”
Parmer Hall, Carroll said, is many things. But perhaps most importantly, it is an indication of the personal and academic excellence Dominican strives to embody.
“It’s such a proud symbol of a notable institution with a great future,” she said.
-Bill Dwyer