UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 7, Page 4
October 17, 1991
'Dream come true'; Arsht Hall meets needs of older adult learners

     It's enough to make you wish your life away-at least those
years until you're 55 and old enough to join the University's
Academy of Lifelong Learning and enjoy its new home on the
Wilmington campus-Arsht Hall.
     This new $6 million building being formally dedicated
tomorrow-home to the academy during the day and used in the evening
for continuing education courses-has a distinctive design
reminiscent of the historic barn nearby. Pitched roofs with
circular windows and lots of glass give the building an airy
feeling and help it blend well with the pastoral setting of the
Wilmington campus, located off Pennsylvania Avenue.
     The Academy of Lifelong Learning, the University's
intellectual cooperative for persons of retirement age, was one of
the honorees in this year's statewide Superstars! in Education
competition.
     "I don't want to go to school now unless it's in a place that
is charming, pleasant and attractive," Roxana C. Arsht, who is
taking courses in Shakespeare and computing at the academy this
fall, said.
     She and her husband, S. Samuel Arsht, have been active in the
academy since 1983. Their $2 million donation made the building,
which bears their name, "a dream come true," she said. Their
initial gift of $1 million opened the campaign for the new facility
in 1988 and a second million successfully closed the fund-raising
effort earlier this year.
     University President David P. Roselle calls the Arshts "two
true University treasures."
     Of the new facility, Roxana Arsht said, "It's all I envisioned
and more. At the academy, we think of ourselves as family, and this
really is like a home away from home. It's a building where you
won't get lost. You won't feel overwhelmed."
     What you will feel is impressed when you enter the center and
see its spacious two-story lobby with imposing beige-brick
fireplace. The room is furnished with comfortable chairs,
upholstered in heather tones of blue and lavender, a color scheme
that is echoed in carpeting and furnishings throughout the
building.  Large windows and a high vaulted ceiling add to the
feeling of light and space in the lobby. Doors on one side open
onto a patio area-the perfect place for hosting receptions.
     The patio, in turn, overlooks the historic Goodstay Gardens
with such eye-appealing plantings as the Magnolia Walk-a pathway of
38 pink magnolia trees leading to a circular pool and fountain.
     The gardens, a 16-acre landscape tract, once enjoyed a
reputation as one of the finest small gardens in the area. Artist
Howard Pyle, who spent part of his boyhood nearby, recalled it as
"such a garden as you will hardly find outside of a storybook."
     The University has hired a consultant to investigate restoring
the gardens and Arsht, herself petite, made sure the patio walls of
the new building were low enough to provide a good view.
     Both the Arshts and Richard B. Fischer, associate provost and
director of the Division of Continuing Education, praise the
building's architect, J. Paul McGowan of Washington, for
effectively incorporating suggestions from academy members to make
the building specially suited to the needs of older adult learners.
The plans were carried out by builder E. DiSabatino of Wilmington.
     The stairs, for example, are wide, have a gradual incline and
are covered with a special, non-skid tread to ensure a sure
footing.
     "I think this is the finest building existing in the U.S.
today built expressly for the learning needs of older adults,"
Fischer said. "There are a lot of special considerations for the
environmental needs of adults, such as the safety tread on the
stairs, the lighting, the PA system in every room and the color
scheme."
     "Academy members specifically wanted larger classrooms, access
to more than one large classroom at a time and handicapped
accessibility," Florence Garrett, program coordinator, said.
     In addition to the lobby and offices for the academy, the
ground floor houses two music rooms where members with musical
interests have worked hard to ensure proper acoustics. There are
also several classrooms that can seat from 30-55, depending on
chair arrangement. Some of the rooms can be subdivided with folding
wall partitions. All are furnished with comfortable blue, green and
grape-colored chairs and mini-blinds cut specifically to the shape
of the windows, which follow the v-shape slope of the roof.
     Large, white marker-boards, as opposed to traditional green
chalkboards, are another touch that make the rooms seem airy and
light.
     A snack bar, food preparation area and classroom-turned
lunchroom are also on this floor. The snack bar has a homey feel
and offers a tempting and well-packaged choice of salads and
sandwiches attractively arranged on iced beds of lettuce. There are
a variety of drinks and also vending machines for those who prefer
a quick snack. Groups and individuals using the center for
receptions or conferences can have full meals catered from the
kitchen in nearby Goodstay.
     The lunchroom can seat 60 and there is a nearby classroom that
may at times be used to handle overflow.
     Directly off the lobby on the first floor is the Samuel and
Matilda Cannon Reading Room, donated by the Arshts' daughter,
Adrienne Arsht Feldman, in honor of her grandparents. The room will
eventually house a computer terminal, giving academy users direct
access to DELCAT, the University's computerized card catalog, Arsht
said.
     Many of the other rooms in the building were donated in honor
of academy members and their relatives and friends. A large
classroom, for example, was donated by the fund-raising committee
chairperson Robert W. Grimble and his wife, Shirley P. Grimble. A
200-300-seat auditorium/multipurpose room, with vaulted ceiling and
large windows overlooking a county golf course, is named for its
benefactor, the late Edwin C. Buxbaum, a founding member of the
academy who died in 1989.
     Buxbaum was honored in 1986 by the University for his
contributions to the academy with the Medal of Distinction.
     Other rooms are donated to the memory of Frances V. Krapf and
Charles Blake. The Spivey room has been donated by Jane and Bert
Spivey in memory of their daughter, Susan Elizabeth Spivey.
     Academy members gave nearly $700,000 in addition to the Arsht
gifts to the campaign, which also attracted donations from local
businesses and foundations, notably Crystal Trust and the Fair Play
and Borkey-Hagley foundations.
     The Buxbaum room and the patio are areas that James N. Moore,
general manager of the Wilmington campus, said he thinks will often
be requested by outside groups who want to use the center for
seminars, conferences and receptions. University students, alumni
and employees can book the center for private events like wedding
receptions, Moore said.
     The second floor continues the attractive classroom theme.
There is also a stately board/meeting room where members of the
Academy Council and various subcommittees can meet around a massive
table, while sitting in comfortable, well-padded chairs covered in
a grey-flecked upholstery.
     A small suite of offices on the second floor may someday be
used as a gerontology center, Garrett said.
     The art studios are on the second floor with special lighting,
that, once again, academy members recommended. The lighting is as
close to natural light as can be simulated. The studio also has
light-weight, easy-to-move tables, bright blue folding chairs, a
large sink and cubby holes for projects and supplies.
     Throughout the building there is, in Garrett's words, "great
storage space."
     Arsht Hall is the first building the University has ever built
in Wilmington, Fischer said, and it has great potential for
increasing community outreach.
     "The significance of this building for the University and its
presence in Wilmington is considerable," he said. "It will allow
the University to continue to extend and grow. We hope to use it
for small concerts and other public events. The building will help
the University extend its resources to the community, in keeping
with its mission as a land-grant institution."
     The effect of the new center can already be seen on the
Academy of Lifelong Learning. With close to 1,350 academy members
beginning fall classes in September, membership is up 25 percent
over last year.
     The Academy of Lifelong Learning celebrated its 10th
anniversary in New Castle County last year, and a Southern Delaware
academy was formed two years ago. Eleven years ago, academy
membership totaled less than 100; membership is expected to climb
to nearly 2,000 during the next five years.
     "People are so entranced with this building. It's like
Christmas in September," Roxana Arsht said. "I think it's time to
start raising funds for an annex."
                                        - Beth Thomas