SUNY Potsdam to Break Ground on Donor-Funded Greenhouse Friday

SUNY Potsdam Celebrates 'Thank A Giver Day,' Culminating in Groundbreaking for New WISER Greenhouse

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SUNY Potsdam will break ground on the new WISER greenhouse (pictured) on Friday, Oct. 2 at 4 p.m.

POTSDAM, NY (10/01/2015)(readMedia)-- The SUNY Potsdam campus will be festooned with maroon-colored tags on Friday, Oct. 2, to draw attention to the myriad programs and opportunities that donors have made possible over the College's nearly 200-year history.

Thank A Giver (TAG) Day

As the College celebrates its first-ever Thank A Giver (TAG) Day, the campus community will find tags affixed on everything from donated artwork and science equipment to classrooms and centers. Student scholarship recipients will don pins, and special signs will draw attention to scholarship gifts and program funds that have been established through charitable giving as well.

Students will be invited to sign a special "thank you" banner and show their appreciation on social media throughout TAG Day. The celebration will culminate with the posting of one last tag, during a groundbreaking ceremony for a pending construction project that has been fully funded by generous donors.

Greenhouse Groundbreaking

SUNY Potsdam will celebrate the groundbreaking for the new Wagner Institute for Sustainability and Ecological Research Greenhouse in a ceremony at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, near the entrance to Stowell Hall on Barrington Drive. All are welcome to attend.

The lead donors, Robert Wagner '75 and his wife Wendy, will be on hand for the ceremony. President Kristin G. Esterberg and Potsdam College Foundation President Lynne Boles '74 will be joined by Glenn Johnson, chair of the biology department, as well as faculty member Rob Ewy and student Michal Weaver. Representatives from the lead contractor, Continental Construction, will also be in attendance.

The WISER Greenhouse at SUNY Potsdam will provide the campus with a research-grade facility with four growing zones, which will also serve as a focal point for initiatives to build a greener campus and community. The institute's mission is to support creative, science-based research into issues of sustainability and ecology, and to serve as a nucleus for the sustainability movement in the North Country.

Construction of the greenhouse will commence in October 2015, with a projected completion date of April 2016. Continental Construction of Gouverneur, N.Y., will be the general contractor for the project. Additional gifts in support of the greenhouse construction were received from Frederic Pratt '75 and Jana Pratt '76. In addition, the Alcoa Foundation has awarded funding to support programs in the new facility.

Along with the new greenhouse space, WISER will allow students to engage in experiential learning in classes and programs, investigating issues of climate change, sustainable agriculture and biodiversity. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/biology/wiser.

For more information about Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam, visit www.potsdam.edu/campaign.

WHO:

SUNY Potsdam

WHAT:

Groundbreaking Ceremony for WISER Greenhouse

WHEN: Friday October 02, 2015 at 04:00PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
WHERE: Barrington Drive (near Stowell Hall)
SUNY Potsdam
44 Pierrepont Ave.
Potsdam, New York 13676
NOTES:

This event will take place outdoors, near the existing greenhouse. Parking will be made available near the student union.