There is a new building gracing Eastern University’s campus. Expanding beyond the existing Workman Hall, the newly constructed Templeton Hall is the culmination of a years-long effort to find a new home for the Templeton Honors College. Templeton students are accustomed to crowding into spaces that were not easily conducive to the mission of the Honors College. “Templeton has had to float for 25 years without any space particular to its identity,” Dr. Ronald Matthews, president of Eastern University, said. In addition to housing the Honors College, Templeton Hall is also home to several Eastern departments, including History and English.
On Friday, August 29th, the building was blessed in Clemens Hall with a service featuring prayers from Catholic, Orthodox and Episcopalian clergy, as well as Eastern University’s chaplain Dr. Joseph Modica. Later that same day, the Honors College officially welcomed its newest cohort of students in a matriculation ceremony. “Eastern and Templeton are growing and are looking forward to how we can build on the legacy of the past to welcome in new students and shape lives for the future” Dr. Matthew Moser ’03, a professor in the Templeton Honors College and a former Eastern graduate, said.
Templeton seeks to cultivate excellence, conversation, appreciation of beauty and deep community within its students and faculty. “We think of ourselves not just as a sequence of classes, but really as a community of students and scholars,” Dr. Brian Williams, Dean of the Templeton Honors College, said. Many Templeton students are excited to pursue the mission of the Honors College in this new space. “It’s such a great community, and you’re not on your own. There’s always somebody who’s willing to help you, and that’s a great experience coming into something brand new,” freshman Josie Dowd said. “There’s this whole new building. It’s the 25th year. We’re coming in as freshmen and I feel the pressure of it a little bit. But the pressure is enjoyable. It’s enjoyable to be a part of Templeton’s history,” freshman Jaden Mezetin said.
One of the main goals of Templeton Hall (which, Williams pointed out, was funded entirely without the use of student fees) is to create a space better suited to the needs of the Honors College, featuring classrooms ideal for seminars, common rooms, a library, offices, an auditorium, a courtyard and a stunning collection of art. “It is so beautiful. I am absolutely thrilled to be able to have classes here,” Lainey VanderHost, a freshman in the Honors College, said.
Williams explained that the aesthetics of the building were very intentional. “We wanted the building to be a place where people walked in beauty,” Williams said. Matthews expressed his appreciation for how Templeton Hall was built with both beauty and function in mind, using the new auditorium, Clemens Hall, as an example. “Oftentimes you don’t get good acoustics in a building that is more wedge-like than deep. But because of the hard surfaces, the varied angles, the width of the stage with glass behind and hard surfaces in the back with some carpet, I’ve been pretty impressed with how beautiful the acoustics are,” Matthews, former Executive Director of the Fine and Performing Arts Division, stated.
Templeton also includes space for the use of the music department (such as Clemens Hall), and several non-Templeton classes. “We really imagine this as being a front porch to Eastern for the surrounding community, where they can come to a concert, a lecture or the art gallery” Williams said. “It makes Templeton more shareable. Templeton will not only be understood better by our community, but will also be welcoming in a way that will enrich everyone,” Matthews said.
Moser invited the larger community to enjoy the new building by stating: “Make this place part of your time here at Eastern. Come and fellowship here, learn here and study here. This is not just Templeton’s Hall; it is part of Eastern University.”