IU School of Liberal Arts

Cavanaugh Hall Celebrates 40 Years of Impact - September 23rd

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Cavanaugh Hall will celebrate its 40^th anniversary with an open house and reunion on Friday, September 23, 2011, 4:30-6:30 pm. The event will feature a special six-story exhibit, "Cavanaugh Hall: 40 Years of Impact," exploring the building’s history, a reception, and comments from Dean William Blomquist at 6:00 pm.

Originally conceived to be 9-stories tall with windows all around, Cavanaugh, the Lecture Center (now Lecture Hall) and the Library (now Taylor Hall) were the first undergraduate buildings on what became the IUPUI campus. Named in honor of Robert E. Cavanaugh, director (1918-1921) of the Indiana University Extension Center in Indianapolis and dean (1920-1946) of its parent entity, the Indiana University Extension Division, the classroom/office building was dedicated on September 10, 1971.

Why was the building’s original design modified? The "Cavanaugh Hall: 40 Years of Impact" exhibit explores this question and includes sections on the people of Cavanaugh, classes, student life, and additional information about Cavanaugh’s physical structure. The exhibit was conceived by students in Museum Studies Professor Elizabeth Kryder-Reid’s spring 2011 "Museum Methods" course and produced by Museum Studies graduate student Genevieve Stotler Wagner with assistance from the University Archives staff, Liberal Arts Office of Development & External Affairs, and the 40^th Anniversary Planning Committee.

Today Cavanaugh primarily houses the School of Liberal Arts, but during its history it also housed the registrar and bursar’s offices, the IUPUI bookstore, the Sagamore student newspaper, Adaptive Educational Services, the Schools of Journalism and Social Work, Herron School of Art courses, and early iterations of the School of Science. As a core undergraduate classroom building, courses from areas as diverse as math, painting, religious studies, chemistry, museum studies, and American Sign Language interpreting have been taught in the building.

"When Cavanaugh opened, it was IUPUI’s first undergraduate classroom building," said William Blomquist, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts. "In many ways, the seed planted at 425 Agnes Street (now University Boulevard) is what grew into IUPUI.  It was the nexus of a dream, where pioneering faculty, staff and students worked in concert  to serve the higher education aspirations of their community. Cavanaugh was not just a building, it was a place of intellectual concourse and exploration, nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit of those who taught, served and learned here.  We are excited to have this opportunity to celebrate 40 years of impact, for the School of Liberal Arts, the campus and the city." 

Students, faculty and staff past and present, alumni, and campus and community friends are invited to celebrate together on September 23^rd, at an event launches a year-long celebration of the 40th anniversary of the creation of the School of Liberal Arts in 1972.

For more information on 40th anniversary events throughout the year, visit http://liberalarts.iupui.edu/40, to RSVP for the September 23^rd open house and reunion, email libarsvp@iupui.edu.

Published on: August 29, 2011