> Groundbreaking Gallery Slideshow

Remarks by Dr. Michael Adams, University of Georgia President, at the Tate Student Center Expansion and Renovation, Thursday, April 19, 2007

“This is indeed a great day at UGA, for today we kick off the construction of a building which, to paraphrase President Lincoln, will be “of the students, by the students and for the students.” Tate II will further the legacy of Dean Tate, as Ali said, and it will greatly expand the services, spaces and opportunities offered to UGA students.

“I, too, want to thank the student advisory board for the work it has done on this project. Frankly, I don’t think the members of the board have gotten the credit they deserve for the hours they have put in, the reading they have done and the decisions they have been asked to make.

“It is through efforts like theirs that real progress is made, and on behalf of the University of Georgia, I thank you.

“Dr. Bennett has done a very good job of guiding Tate II to this point. He is a passionate advocate for UGA’s students, and I appreciate his dedication.

“Tate II fits into the vision of the UGA master plan, which is a vision of lively, busy campus at virtually all hours of the day and night. The best campuses are great because they are full of people, not because they have pretty buildings or nice lawns. Those things are important, but pretty campuses serve no purpose if they are empty.

“The Student Learning Center, of course, has had a tremendous impact on the academic – and, I hear, social – life of the campus. It pleases me greatly when I drive through campus after a late evening event and see the lights on and students streaming in and out of the SLC. It says to me that students are taking the academic challenges of this great university seriously.

“But I have always advocated a balanced approach to college life. When I look back on my undergraduate days at Lipscomb, I remember some classes and some professors, but I also have wonderful memories of friends and late nights and solving the world’s problems from my dorm room.

“It is the total student experience that turns recent high school graduates into young people ready to make a difference in the world.

“Years from now, many of you will come back to campus and bring your children to Tate II. You’ll tell them you were here before this building was built, and they won’t believe you. You’ll tell them about how much fun you had in it once it was built, and they’ll think you’re old. But don’t let them deter you.

“What happens outside of class is almost as important as what happens in the classroom. The friends you make in your four years – yes, I said four years – here are the friends you will have for life. The choices you make here will, in many ways, shape your future.

“You are among the very best college students in America, and we want you to have the very best facilities as well. I am excited about Tate II and excited about the future for the University of Georgia.

Thank you.”