Alumni News Spring 2010

Change service requested Spring 2010 1000 Main St., Chadron, NE 69337 NSCS Board approves demolition of Kline Campus Center By Justin Haag easy choice, especially because the building’s construction Chadron State College has it is such an integral part of type, with a largely glass gotten the go-ahead to vacate the campus. However, she exterior and open ceilings, and demolish its Kline Campus welcomes the savings during a offers poor energy efficiency. Center, which has had a history time of budget shortfalls, and Most recently, the Kline of structural problems and en- said the decision will improve Center has housed CSC’s print ergy inefficiency. the fiscal strength of the shop, tutoring services, confer- The Nebraska State College college. encing, information services, System Board of Trustees, Park said the administration instructional resources, col- meeting at Peru State College considered “mothballing” the lege relations and the region’s on Friday, March 26, voted building, but fears it would Educational Service Unit. The unanimously in favor of the continue to deteriorate and building’s employees, who were college’s plan to designate the would be too expensive to alerted to the change at the end former student center as sur- bring back into use at a later of last year, have begun moving plus property and tear it down. date. to other facilities on campus. Although the cost of demoli- “Although the removal of The programs housed in the tion is estimated at $150,000, the building will create a large building typically occupy spac- The Kline Campus Center at Chadron State College is slated for the institution will soon realize physical gap on our campus, es that were designed for other demolition, possibly as early as this summer. (Photo by Justin Haag) a financial benefit by closing it will give us substantial cost purposes, Grant said. The op- tural problems were noticed completion. It housed CSC’s the aging structure, said Dale savings and an opportunity to erations of the student center soon after the building’s con- cafeteria, bookstore and even Grant, CSC vice president for beautify that space,” Park said. moved into a new building in struction. The southern half of a bowling alley. Faculty voted administration. He projects the “We have been looking into the early 1990s, and many of the building, which was com- to equally participate with college will save $80,000 per other exciting possible uses for the offices previously in Kline pleted in 1961, was closed in students in paying for the year from utilities and main- that area.” have been relocated to other 1979 and demolished in 1987 structure with a $10 fee per tenance, and said the build- The removal of the Kline locations during the past 10 because of settling problems. semester. ing may be torn down as soon Center was listed in CSC’s years. They include the office The north half, the portion still Historical accounts indi- as this summer unless another official master plan in 2001. of financial aid, the alumni and standing, was constructed in cate the original plan to place community entity is willing to In addition to the structural foundation offices, and the col- 1966. the Kline Center north of renovate and lease it. problems, Grant noted the lege’s journalism program. The building was constructed the Administration Building CSC President Janie Park exterior of Kline is severely Despite winning an architec- after a push from students and on what is now known as the said the closing and demolition deteriorated and its interior tural award for its design more faculty for a student center, Dean’s Green was hotly con of the Kline Center is not an continues to worsen. He said than four decades ago, struc- and was highly popular after continued on page 11 Events Center will make CSC 3-for-3 in athletic recruiting Vision 2011, the comprehensive fund-raising campaign designed to By Justin Haag programs. We have respectable Building, the brick barrel- position Chadron State College for its second century, has three initia- Chadron State College programs led by coaches who roofed building constructed tives: capital, endowment and annual fund. The Alumni News will Athletic Director Brad Smith do everything they can with in 1963 that is home to the highlight an aspect of the campaign in upcoming newsletters. This said the institution’s NCAA what they’ve been given.” school’s basketball, volleyball edition features the Events Center portion of the capital campaign. sports programs excel at two Smith admits, though, CSC and strength programs. of the three attributes poten- falls short compared to most of “Our coaches have a tough tial college student-athletes its peers in the third attribute time recruiting because the should consider when choosing on his list -- facilities. While facility is not anywhere com- a school. the first two may be the most parable to the other teams in “First, and foremost, a stu- important, Smith said prospec- the Rocky Mountain Athletic dent needs to consider academ- tive student-athletes put just Conference and the region,” ics. CSC has a wide variety of as much or more emphasis on Smith said. outstanding programs with ex- the quality of facilities when it The urinals in the women’s cellent faculty, staff and admin- comes to choosing a college. locker room serve as a stark istration,” Smith said. “And, At the top of CSC’s list of reminder of the building’s era secondly, students need to look facility needs is the aging Ross of construction – an era before Events Center at the integrity of the athletic Armstrong Physical Education continued on page 8 CSC Alumni News 2 Letter from the President Former art professor Dear Alumni, led interesting life A person who had many Minn., four summers while As another school year draws to a close, the end is drawing near unusual experiences, Dr. he was in high school and for one of Chadron State College’s most prominent buildings. Noel Gray, died suddenly in college, building and rac- Chadron on Dec. 26 after ing hotrods on dirt tracks As is reported on the front page of this edition, we have taken clear- throughout the southern half steps to prepare for the closing and probable demolition of the ing snow of Minnesota, flying both pro- Kline Campus Center, which has encountered structural prob- at his peller-driven planes and jets lems since its construction in the 1960s. If another community home in during the Korean War and entity does not come forward with a plan to renovate and lease Chadron. training Korean pilots, mostly the building, we will take steps to have it torn down as early as He was through pantomime because of this summer. 78. Gray the language barrier, he said. Janie Park retired in He climbed Devil’s Tower in There’s a good chance you have fond memories of the Kline 1997 af- Wyoming in 1984. Center, whether you remember it as the institution’s student center or as one of its other many uses ter teach- At Chadron State, he was through the years. Because it was a building largely constructed “for the students and by the stu- ing at Noel Gray an ardent football fan. When dents,” the demolition of the building will be particularly saddening to many members of the alum- Chadron he retired from CSC, he said ni and others in the CSC community. State College for 32 years. He he had missed just two home earned his bachelor’s degree in games during his 32-year ten- I can assure you this was not an easy decision to make. In fact, it has been 20 years since it was first fine arts from CSC in 1958 ure. He had continued the slated for demolition in the facilities’ master plan in 1990. When the new Student Center was con- after he had attended two col- string the past 13 years. A few structed in two phases from 1988 to 1992, the Kline Center’s intended purpose came to an end. The leges in Minnesota. years ago, the CSC Athletic south side of the building was torn down in 1987 and early 1988. The demolition of the north por- He was always busy at CSC. Department gave him a per- tion was postponed until now and college staff has made good use of the building in the intervening For at least 15 years during sonalized jersey. years despite its declining condition. one semester or the other, he He earned master’s degrees traveled 50 miles to Harrison from Montana State University Unfortunately, in today’s fiscal climate, the college cannot afford to renovate the deteriorating build- to teach weekly art courses at at Bozeman and Wisconsin ing or pay for its high cost of maintenance and utilities. The estimated savings of $80,000 per year night. He also accompanied State-Superior and a doctor- will go far in helping other areas on campus. Mack Peyton 11 summers on ate in art education and per- the 10-day outdoor education ceptual psychology at Illinois When the building is removed, we will turn the space into a beautiful landscaped focal point for stu- workshops in the Wind River State University at Normal. dents and for the community. Mountains of Wyoming. In the His dissertation involved re- 1970s, he filled all the offices search on whether art made Sincerely, in the Nebraska Art Teachers students more creative. Almost Association, including two no one had explored the topic, years as president. but throughout his life he did Gray’s other experiences in- many things others seldom at- Janie C.

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