- The dramatic advances of the Information Age have manifested themselves
in the learning styles of our students, most of whom grew up with computers
in their schools and many of them with computers in their homes.
They surf the Web with the ease of a child climbing on playground equipment.
They correspond with e-mail. Their snapshots are digital.
The Student Learning Center was designed with that technology -- and the students who will use it -- in mind.
This is the largest and most expensive construction project in the history of the University of Georgia. And while it is fitting that we devote these resources to enhancing the academic experience of our students, the size and cost of this building are not what make it significant. This building’s function is far more important than its form.
This Student Learning Center reflects the way our students learn in the new century. Through its electronic library, its wired classrooms, its meeting spaces, its public-access computers, its round-the-clock operating hours -- through all of those features, the Student Learning Center will become a true learning environment for the students at the University of Georgia. This building will serve as a literal and symbolic heart of this university.
Adapted from remarks made at the groundbreaking for the Student Learning Center, September 1, 2000.
