Emily McElroy, dean of the McGoogan Library of Medicine, was the featured guest at Monday’s all-campus forum hosted by UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D.
McElroy recounted a recent milestone in the renovation of the library and construction of the new Wigton Heritage Center. As library staff held a “watch party,” construction workers removed concrete from the building’s façade to make room for natural light, as requested by students.
Dr. Gold also shared a similar anecdote about his own view of the ongoing construction.
“It’s really majestic, as the pillars of University Tower are becoming indoor architecture,” he said.
The renovated McGoogan Library will likely re-open to the public as a physical space, on time and on budget, in late July, with a grand opening in August, McElroy reported.
But, despite construction, the library has never been “closed.”
“Our partnerships are thriving,” McElroy said.
“We are just as busy as ever.”
The library continues to be embedded in each college and to offer services to faculty and staff and outreach to all Nebraskans.
But look forward to not just a renovation, but a “complete transformation,” Dr. Gold promised.
The Wigton Heritage Center will feature museum-quality exhibits on Omaha Medical College alumna Dr. Georgia Arbuckle Fix, likely the inspiration for TV’s “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” and Nebraska hero Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, the first Native American to earn a medical degree.
“We’re focusing on stories of people,” McElroy said.
While addressing the audience in the Sorrell Center and online, Dr. Gold also:
- Gave an update on the university’s legislative priorities and where they likely stand two-thirds through this year’s unicameral session.
- Touched on news of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. Dr. Gold said UNMC’s efforts are a shining example of our public-private partnerships, and celebrated that all 57 who stayed in quarantine at Camp Ashland are now home, well and grateful. But, Dr. Gold agreed with those who predict the virus will eventually become pandemic. “The question is how best to prepare the country without alarming people,” he said.(The two articles referenced by Dr. Gold at the forum are from Virology Down Under and the New York Times.)
- Congratulated winners in the recent Impact in Education Awards and noted he is looking forward to the upcoming Distinguished Scientist honors.
- Recapped University of Nebraska President Ted Carter’s recent visit to campus: “He was wowed,” Dr. Gold said. “The more I get to know him, the more impressed with him I am.”
- Noted that updates on Strategic Planning and the Breakthrough Thinking Conference are on the horizon for April 1 at the Scott Conference Center.