The Lore-Center for Women’s Leadership became official in the eyes of the Stevens community, ushering in administrators, staff, and students into the newly-renovated space during its ribbon-cutting ceremony and subsequent Open House this past Monday.
Guests were welcomed with flutes of strawberry-lemonade and merchandise boasting the Lore-El Program’s newest logo as they made their way through the doors of the old-style Victorian residence. In attendance were several residents of the Lore-El Center as well as several distinguished members of the Stevens administration, including President Nariman Farvardin, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Marybeth Murphy, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Sara Klein, Associate Dean of Students Kristie Damell, and Director of Diversity and Inclusion Susan Metz.
The first floor was temporarily converted into a cocktail hour style reception, complete with an elegant arrangement of fruits, artisan breads, and hors d’oeuvres, and those in attendance were free to explore the new kitchen, the common space on the first floor, as well as selected residents’ rooms on the second floor with resident-assistant Yonaida Brito leading the way.
After the preliminary rounds of exploration, mingling, and trips to the impressive food spread, Vice President Murphy summoned guests into the common lounge area to welcome and thank those who had made the Lore-El Center for Leadership a reality. “I hope that you all will join us as we meet here, as we try to find more ways to be an inclusive institution,” said Murphy, referencing Stevens commitment to expand its female undergraduate population in the coming years. “I will be calling upon many of you to help us because it’s not something that one person can do.”
Vice President Murphy then introduced President Farvardin to give brief remarks. He began by first thanking Vice President Murphy for “championing this effort” and for “reminding me that this is a beautiful space that needed some attention.” Farvardin went on to note how he is proud to have a space dedicated as the “center point for programming and events to promote women at this institution.” Although Stevens has made significant progress from a female undergraduate population of 0% to roughly 30% in approximately 50 years, Farvardin notes that he and the university are committed to raising that percentage to 50%. “We have a venue to support programs that nurture female students, faculty, and staff, which I hope will go a long way and send a message that we are supportive,” said Farvardin. He made note of key stakeholders in the Lore-El Center renovations, including architect Doug Moss, contractor Vinnie Luongo, the administration under Vice President Murphy in Student Affairs, as well as generous friends of the university who provided financial support for the project.
After President Farvardin’s remarks, Yona Brito had the honor of cutting the ceremonial red ribbon, symbolizing the new beginnings of the center.
Doug Moss of Holzman, Moss, Bottino Architecture was also in attendance and commented that three residential spaces within the Center had been removed, allowing for more social space and fluidity between the common lounge area. Alyson Kritz, an interior designer within Moss’s firm, played an important role during the design process. In addition to selecting the color palette, furniture, and ensuring a balance between modern design and old-style Victorian architecture, she also made sure to keep members from the Stevens community involved in the design process from the beginning. “Lore-El residents, administrators, and staff from Student Affairs all collaborated in order to make this vision into a reality,” Kritz stated. “It was a fun project to work on and it is evident that Stevens truly cares about its students.”
The flooring and trim have been stained, the carpet has been placed, and the furniture is ready to be lounged upon; however, the Lore-El Center will be undergoing yet another round of construction this upcoming summer to transform the space behind the building. “We working with Stevens to use the [exterior] space to extend the possibilities of the building,” said Kritz. The work is expected to be complete by the beginning of Fall 2018, but the Lore-El Center is now officially open to serve and provide the needed space for the advancement of women at Stevens.
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