Noel Studio for Academic Creativity Dedication is Oct. 29
A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Oct. 29, will mark the official dedication of the Noel Studio for Academic Creativity, located in the John Grant Crabbe Library.
President Whitlock, Noel Studio Director Dr. Russell Carpenter and Carrie Cooper, Dean of Libraries, will be among the speakers for the 1:30 p.m. program, which will be followed by a reception.
The program is free and open to the public.
The Noel Studio offers a variety of spaces that allow students to develop their communication skills through critical and creative thinking: invention spaces where ideas are born, presentation practice rooms, a presentation suite for delivering and refining oral communication, breakout spaces for spontaneous collaborative group work or creative work with manipulatives, conference space for networking with colleagues on campus and remotely along with practicing and capturing group dynamics, and a discovery classroom for orientations, guest speakers, conferences, and instruction sessions.
The space bears the name of Ron and Sherrie Lou Noel of Union, Ky., long-time supporters of the University whose $1 million-plus gift helped make the $2.8 million facility possible.
The Noel Studio also houses a permanent collection of artwork with a connection to EKU or the University’s primary service region by Kentucky artists.
Through a partnership with LexArts, the EKU Libraries sought out artists and has so far selected and placed 17 pieces of original art by artists from Richmond, Lexington, Berea, Columbia and Danville. The mediums of the artwork vary greatly and include acrylic, welded steel, glass, and dyed and felted wool fiber. One work, by EKU staff member Stacey Street, even features pieces of window pane glass from the 1935 John Grant Crabbe Library addition found during the renovation of the Grand Reading Room.
The Noel Studio embodies EKU’s Quality Enhancement Plan, which calls for the University to develop informed, critical and creative thinkers who communicate effectively. It is unique in its integration of services, all in a technologically sophisticated environment, designed to enhance students’ writing, speaking and research skills and inspire individual and collaborative learning.
Published on October 25, 2010