Monday, Jul 27, 2020
Dear Rider University Community,
It has been some time since I updated our community regarding the Westminster Choir College transition. Substantial progress has been made on both campuses to relocate Westminster to Lawrenceville, and I want to share some of those details with you.
We are in the final stretch of preparing for Westminster’s move from Princeton to Lawrenceville. The first round of movers started transporting items from Princeton to Lawrenceville on July 14. I want to thank all of the faculty and staff members who have been assisting with packing offices and other spaces, as well as coordinating the many logistics of the move.
I also want to share a facilities update.
Gill Chapel
All teaching spaces within Gill Chapel are scheduled to be completed and ready for the first day of classes, August 31. Some additional landscaping and exterior work will be completed shortly thereafter. This facility will feature a contemporary, multi-purpose and flexible space to accommodate a variety of teaching and worshipping needs.
Fine Arts
This summer, existing spaces are being renovated to become dedicated to Westminster Choir College. Four classrooms (including one for music education and three piano classrooms) are scheduled to be ready for the first day of classes. The new Presser Voice Lab, as well as a specialized rehearsal space for the Westminster Concert Bell Choir, are also on schedule for the first day of classes. The latter will accommodate the choir's extensive collection of handbells and Malmark Choirchime instruments, and it will feature sound attenuation that will protect student hearing during rehearsals and minimize sound transfer to adjacent offices and classrooms.
Daly’s
In addition to the current music classrooms connected to Daly’s, we are expanding the music teaching classrooms to include a new music computing lab, a piano lab, two organ practice rooms and an organ faculty studio, all of which are under construction. These spaces are on track to be ready for the first day of classes.
Omega House Faculty Music Studios and Offices
Pianos will be moved into faculty offices in early August and faculty will be able to organize their office space before the semester begins.
Moore Library
All materials from Talbott Library needed to support the Westminster curriculum will be moved to Moore Library before the first day of classes. This includes items such as sheet music, active volumes and archived material. Over one half-mile of new shelving has been installed in Moore Library to house this material.
Some lesser-used and specialty materials will remain at Talbott Library for the time being but are available if needed. We anticipate all of this material to permanently move to Moore Library during the academic year. The new circulation desk inside Moore Library is set to be ready for the first day of classes.
Overall we have experienced only minor disruptions to our construction and renovation projects due to impacts from the coronavirus pandemic. While we do not anticipate any further challenges, as we have all learned over the past several months, COVID-19 continues to be unpredictable. Should the virus force these projects to slow down before the start of the new academic year, we will make every effort to accommodate the teaching and learning needs of our students to the very best of our ability.
In closing, I want to acknowledge the myriad of emotions our faculty, staff, students and alumni are experiencing as Westminster Choir College transitions to its newest home in a long and illustrious history. While I know there are many treasured memories rooted in Princeton, I hope you will be open to creating new memories for Westminster in Lawrenceville. I remain optimistic and hopeful that we can come together in the spirit of community and collaboration, to envision a new era for Westminster Choir College and its talented family of educators and students.
Sincerely,
DonnaJean Fredeen, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs