Governor O'Malley Marks Opening of the New Camille Kendall Academic Center at the Universities at Shady Grove
Center is the University System's
Newest "Green" Building
ROCKVILLE, Md. (November 9, 2007) - Governor Martin O'Malley and other dignitaries were
on hand today for a ribbon cutting to mark the opening of the Camille Kendall
Academic Center at the Universities at
Shady Grove (USG) in Rockville. The Kendall Center was recently recognized
as a "Public Building of the Year" by the American Institute of Architects (AIA)
of Maryland for its leading-edge green design. Its opening triples the
enrollment capacity of USG to 6,000 students and doubles its facility space to
accommodate more programs and faculty to meet the region's expanding workforce
education needs.
"The opening of the Camille
Kendall Academic Center is a true milestone for the university system on two
fronts," said William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of
Maryland (USM). "Through its green design, it marks the system's commitment to
sustainable practices that help address the challenges of global climate
change. It also testifies to the success of our regional higher education
center concept that is bringing programs from our various universities to
locations where they are critically needed and better serve our citizens."
"The Camille
Kendall Academic Center is a wonderful achievement for the State of Maryland
and for the University System," said Governor O'Malley. "This building is proof
that we can accommodate a growing education system, and at the same time,
create a building from materials that help improve and sustain our environment
and the lives of generations to come."
Governor O'Malley and
Chancellor Kirwan were joined at the ribbon cutting by James Mannarino, chair
of the USG Board of Advisors; Chris Van Hollen, U. S. Representative, Maryland
8th Congressional District; Isiah Leggett, Montgomery County
Executive; Stewart Edelstein, executive director of USG; John Arcilla, a graduate
of the University of Maryland, College Park's Robert H. Smith School of
Business Program at USG; and Clifford Kendall, chair of the USM Board of
Regents, and his wife Camille, for whom the new academic center is named. The
Kendalls have long been advocates for USG and recently donated $3 million through
the auspices of their family fund to endow scholarships for USG students.
The 192,000-square-foot
center adds 45 smart classrooms, 10 computer classrooms, two open computer
labs, two distance learning classrooms, 81 faculty offices, and a
20,000-square-foot library and media center to the USG campus. It has received
LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold-level certification
by incorporating green features such as roof gardens, an energy-conserving HVAC
system, recycled building materials, and the use of sustainable materials such
as wheat board, cork walls, bamboo flooring, and banana fiber tables.
"With the opening of the
Camille Kendall Academic Center we plan to bring new degree programs to USG in
healthcare, education, engineering, and technology-related fields among others
that are critical to the region's continued economic growth," noted Edelstein.
The Universities at Shady Grove is an
innovative model for expanding access to quality higher education in the
Montgomery County region. USG is not one university-it is eight of Maryland's
top public universities providing full- and part-time upper-division
undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs at one central
location. Participating USM institutions include Bowie State University; Towson
University; University of Baltimore; University of Maryland, Baltimore;
University of Maryland, Baltimore County; University of Maryland, College Park;
University of Maryland Eastern Shore; and University of Maryland University
College.
For directions to USG, visit:
http://www.shadygrove.umd.edu/about/directions/.
Contact: John Buettner
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: jbuettner@usmd.edu
