After three years, $45 million, donations from more than 4,300 donors and countless hours of construction, one of the University of Houston’s most ambitious projects is finished.

And on Feb. 15, the UH community will mark the completion of that project — the renovation and expansion of M.D. Anderson Library and The Honors College — with a daylong celebration.

“The expansion and renovation mark the first major improvements to the library in 30 years,” said UH President Jay Gogue.

“They come at a time when the M.D. Anderson Library and The Honors College play increasingly important roles in helping the University of Houston meet the growing educational demands of Houston and in helping us move closer to becoming a leading research university,” he said.

“The dedication comes at a sad time for our university family with the death of Richard J.V. Johnson. Dick and his wife Belle chaired the fund-raising campaign,” Gogue said. “Their leadership helped raise $20 million for the project, which will serve as a highly visible tribute to an extraordinary individual.”

The celebration kicks off with behind-the-scenes tours of the library from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
At 11:30 a.m., the Spirit of Houston Cougar Marching Band, Cougar Dolls and UH mascots Shasta and Sasha will march across campus to the front of the library, where the fun continues with refreshments. The Steel Drum Band will perform starting at noon. A ceremony celebrating the completion of the new wing will be held in front of the library at 5 p.m.

“We really want faculty, students and staff to celebrate this great achievement with us since they, along with many other supporters in the City of Houston, are the ones who made it happen,” said Dana Rooks, dean of libraries.

Donors, including many faculty, staff and students, contributed as little as $1 or as much as $5 million, for a total of $20 million. Those gifts and $25 million from the university financed the building project.

“The library is the jewel in our crown, and its importance as the intellectual heart of the community came through in the dedication of all our constituents,” Rooks said. “The students, faculty and staff have been unswerving in their support. The administration came forward with unprecedented funds to build the library, and the Houston community, along with numerous alumni, showed unprecedented support.”

The building project ended last semester and included the addition of 170,000 square feet of space, 1,800 individual study spaces, 10 group study rooms and 200 new electronic information workstations. The library also received a new facade, a new entrance and a 24-hour study lounge and café. Additionally, the project provided the Honors College, which was located in the library’s basement for many years, with new and expanded quarters on the second floor.

“The things that count most for the life of The Honors College — independent study and collaborative learning and conversation and the formation of friendships among students and faculty — are being greatly enhanced by our Commons area, seminar rooms, offices and kitchen and dining areas,” said Ted Estess, dean of The Honors College. “We are finding, as well, that The Honors College is drawing prospective students in greater numbers.”

Rooks said the library expansion will serve students and faculty for a long time to come.

“We’ve not only increased the space for our print collections, but we’ve also transformed the library of the past into the library of the future,” she said.

Francine Parker
fparker@central.uh.edu