The environmental department’s home gets a major upgrade
On Oct. 18, 2019, Wofford administration broke ground to begin the construction of the Chandler Center for Environmental Studies. The new 17,535 square foot building replaces the Sam O. Black Science Annex (BSA), originally built in 1946.
The Chandler Center is named in honor of J. Harold and Delores Wilson Chandler, longtime Wofford supporters. Mr. Chandler is a 1971 Wofford graduate, graduating summa cum laude and valedictorian. He was the Wofford football quarterback and team captain, as well as a Wofford Athletic Hall of Fame member. He also served on Wofford’s Board of Trustees from 1988 to 2000 and 2004 to 2016.
The BSA was supposed to be a temporary annex to the Cleveland Science Hall but lived on until 2019, while the Cleveland Science Hall was demolished in 1959. In its 73 years on campus, the BSA hosted labs in psychology, geology and physics, as well as chorus and band rehearsals. For the past decade, the BSA housed the en- vironmental studies department and the office of Wofford’s photographer, Mark Olencki.
The 73 year old Black Science Annex had some things that needed updating, like window AC units in the classrooms. Anna Fulbright ‘21, an environmental studies major said the Black Science Annex “really has a special place in my heart, but I am so glad to be able to hear the professor instead of struggling to hear with those old window AC units.”
Annie Smith ‘22, also an environmental studies major, said the Chandler Center “is definitely much larger, and easier to get lost in than the BSA was, that’s for sure.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I really became attached to the BSA, but I don’t miss the inconsistent heating and air or the thin walls,” Smith said.
In 2018, professors in the environ- mental department were asked how much room they would need in their new building. Amy Telligman, assistant professor of environmental studies, said that the department took this as an opportunity to “put together a narrative describing our vision for what we wanted for the new building, not just square footage, but other features such as a building that modeled [the] best practices in sustainability, where the actual structures shape sus- tainable behaviors.”
Almost two years later, the finished construction of the Chandler Center has students and faculty of the environmental department excited about their new home, and looking forward to the future. “It makes the major feel a bit more important to campus, and it feels as though we aren’t just hidden away in a corner anymore,” Smith said.
Smith also hopes that the Chandler Center will make “students and prospective students more interested in some of the courses that the environmental program has to offer.”
Fulbright said that the new building is “a great home base for environmental majors that will allow the multidisciplinary department to really grow.”
In line with the values of the environmental department, the Green Globe Certified building has features of sustainability, including a partial green roof, solar panels, rainwater collection, a reflective white exterior for heat island mitigation and more.
Smith: “I really hope that the building being Green Globe Certified will make the administration look into the benefits of having a sustainable building on campus, and make them look more into how that could impact future building projects and renovations.”
Not only are the large windows of the Chandler Center a feature of sus- tainability, they also allow for natural light to flood into the classrooms and provide views to the outside. The seminar room, which can be seen from the front of the building, features floor to ceiling windows, through which Old Main can be seen. The room has quickly become a favorite for Smith and Fulbright, and a close second for Telligman, topped only by the food lab.
Telligman said that she is looking forward to using the food lab for “creating shared meals from produce we grow in the sustainable agriculture class (ENVS 334) and also for having meals tied to units we’re learning about in Sustainable Food Systems (ENVS 313).”
During the 2019 groundbreaking ceremony, Kaye Savage, professor of environmental studies and director of the Goodall Environmental Studies Center, said “here, a year from now, the Chandler Center for Environmental Studies will support interdisciplinary exploration, creative process solving, community based learning and our work toward a resilient, flourishing society that respects Earth’s intricate system.”
Today, classes are being held in the environmental department’s new home. Students and professors are learning their ways around the building and adapting to having more space than the Black Science Annex provided, while enjoying the upgraded heating and air conditioning system.
