UW President Tom Buchanan held back tears today as the Dave Bostrom, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, revealed the name of what will become the new performing arts building on campus--the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts.
Buchanan says he is speechless about the dedication. But when it comes to the center, he offers plenty of praise.
“We are just completely jazzed over this event,” he enthused.
Buchanan says he sees the new space for music, theatre, dance and cultural programs as the completion of a two-phase enhancement of the arts at the university, which began with the dedication of a new fine arts building last year.
Half of the $30 million-dollar budget was granted by the state legislature, and the other half came from trustee-approved revenue bonds.
Buchanan says he believes the building will enrich Wyoming as a whole.
“I’m as convinced that this is as important as the engineering facility hopefully will be in the future,” he says, “This is part of being a complete university, is focusing on the arts and humanities, just as much as we focus on engineering and business and health science and education, it’s all of it combined that makes UW great.”
Buchanan says he hopes the facility will be up and running by the fall of 2014.