Onyx Anneau Fall 2021

A BRIGHT NEW FUTURE A note from President Dottie King

Excitement! That is the feeling on campus this fall. There are so many reasons for excitement too. Les Bois Hall (pronounced “lay bwa”) or “The Woods” opened in August and it is the first new residence hall on campus since Le Fer Hall opened in 1924. The new building is also home to the Doherty Dining Center, named after our thirteenth president, the late Barbara Doherty, SP, ‘53, Ph.D. With great care, the names of the residence hall and dining room were chosen, and they illuminate the many ways that we carry the legacy of our College into a bright, new future. Even as we celebrate the opening of a new building, we are hard at work to maintain and restore our historic buildings on campus. Six “stacks” or nine bathrooms are in the process of a major update in Le Fer Hall and one community bathroom has been completely remodeled to date along with six student bathrooms! This adds to our overall progress in the update for Le Fer. The main floor has many new updates along with the kitchens, centers and hallways of the student floors. We are actively raising money to facilitate work in the Cecilian Auditorium which will be renamed after our own Marie Brendan Harvey, SP, ’51 . We anticipate beginning this work later this year. With grant funding, our work will continue in Rooney Center to repurpose space no longer needed by the library. There are projects in Guerin Hall, Hulman Hall and even Knoerle Center too. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is part of the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Historic District. The College along with the Sisters of Providence are proud to share our story along with many artifacts with the Swope Art Gallery in Terre Haute this fall as part of a collaborative exhibit. We are sharing our 180 years of innovation with the community in which we grew. This spirit of entrepreneurship and meeting the needs of today’s students was embodied by Saint Mother Theodore Guerin and her companions, the Sisters of Providence, educators and benefactors who maintained and grew SMWC. It is now entrusted to us for the future. May we faithfully and gratefully continue the good work that was planted here. Woods students assisted with the Opening Celebration and orientation during the first weekend of the fall semester. L to R: Team Leader Dallis Davis, Assistant Team Leader Hunter Reed, Team Leader Mikayla Hudgens, Resident Assistant Preston Mitchell, President Dottie King, Orientation Leaders Alexandra Baver, Morgan Boehler, Hannah Ellis and Kelly Herrera and Team Leader Michael Natt.

Dottie L. King, Ph.D. President

1