Gannon University’s long-standing tradition of growth and community were embodied in the Dedication and Blessing Ceremony of the long-awaited and newly renovated Beyer Hall, which took place in September. The $6.3 million modernization brought previously scattered academic and student organizations together under one roof.
The second floor of the 40,000 square-foot building is home to the Student Government Association (SGA), the Activities Programming Board (APB) and Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE), along with the Interfraternity and Panhellenic councils.
The third floor of Beyer Hall is now home to the Office of Residence Life, First-Year Experience classes, the Student Development and Engagement leadership team and the Barker Globalization Institute, which encompasses all of Gannon’s learning abroad and globalization efforts.
View the Dedication & Blessing Ceremony.
Lizzie Gauriloff, a senior English major and the special events chair of APB, said that the new space took some getting used to, but that it has brought these organizations closer together.
“I’ve met people that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise,” she said. “It’s just going to continue to grow into a great way for organizations to collaborate more and more as the semesters go on.”
One of the main focuses of the Beyer Hall modernization was to emphasize the diversity and uniqueness of Gannon’s global student population. The revised space serves as a place for both global and domestic students to interact in both an academic and social setting.
Gannon’s International Enrollment and Affairs gained a new name when it moved into its new space and is now known as the Global Enrollment and Engagement Divison. This change is a conscious effort on the University’s part to become more inclusive of the global community.
The International Admissions Office, International Student Office and English as a Second Language Program (ESL), which are all under the bigger umbrella of the Global Enrollment and Engagement Division, also gained new names: the Office of Global Admissions and Outreach, the Office of Global Support and Student Engagement, and the Office of English Language and Global Training.
Because Gannon’s Mission emphasizes inclusivity, faith and global understanding of our world, an interfaith prayer and meditation room is available in Beyer Hall for all students, faculty and staff, as well as foot wash stations for Muslim prayer preparation.
Since its formal dedication in April 1962, Beyer Hall has been home to several classrooms and laboratories, as well as Gannon’s ROTC program, now located in the A.J. Palumbo Academic Center, and the Dahlkemper School of Business, now located in the Center for Business Ingenuity.