EXPANSION

Visitors, Media Arts Centers Dedicated

		The Van Brunt Visitors Center will serve as the university's official 'front door'

After more than a year of construction, the new Van Brunt Visitors Center and the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, was completed and held two dedications at its new site at 313 N. 13th St.

The Visitors Center, which will serve as the university's official front door, was dedicated in April, with congratulations to the Van Brunt family: Beth and Harry Weigel, Alice and Bob Williamson, Jane Weigel Shugart and Ann Weigel Thornton in remembrance of Winslow and Irene Van Brunt, 1924 NU graduates.

"It provides a welcoming environment for all visitors and will give us, for the first time, a venue in which to tell the story of this wonderful university, its heritage, its accomplishments, and most importantly, its aspirations," center director Annette Wetzel said.

Located in a prominent site on the south edge of the UNL City Campus, construction of the building began in June 2001 and was completed in January 2003.

"My mother and father loved the state of Nebraska and especially the university," said Alice Williamson, one of the Van Brunts' daughters. "They always wanted everyone to feel welcome."

The Visitors Center welcomes guests in the great hall atrium with 45-foot-high-ceilings and birch-paneled walls. The great hall now features a large video wall displaying campus videos and welcome messages. The visitor resource room located just south of the great hall has computer terminals for guests and visitor information about UNL and the city of Lincoln.

The Visitors Center is also the new home to the front door of the UNL Office of Admissions with campus tour and recruitment staff stationed in the building.

The north wing of the building is home of the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, which opened in early January, and was dedicated Sept. 5 in congratulations to benefactor Mary Riepma Ross. In addition to the two state-of-the-art film theaters, this wing also houses the UNL film and new media program, classrooms, labs, film archives and a research library.

Prior to construction of the new media center, a public film theater had been open in the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery on the UNL campus since 1973. It was named after Ross in 1990.

The Ross Media Arts Center is home to a comprehensive exhibition program that acknowledges the moving image as a principal art form. The new facility features two auditoriums for film and video screenings, the most up-to-date screening technology, research library, film and video archives, classrooms for the film and new media program and offices.

Thousands of Nebraskans benefit from the center each year because of its public film screenings. It now offers two shows each evening, with film repertoire including currently released American independent films and films from abroad, documentaries, experimental films and videos, and film classics.

The new media arts center is home to the Department of Theatre Arts' Film and New Media Program and will serve the future Center for Film and New Media Productions. Students use the auditoriums for various courses, including introduction to film history, introduction to film medium, documentary film, women filmmakers, film theory and criticism. The film program includes courses offered by various academic areas, including art, art history, history, music, theater, English, philosophy and journalism.

ROSS MEDIA ARTS CENTER