No other state university that I the house, the quality of the restora-
know of has such a program. Ours tion, the good sense of focusing on
may even be, as indeed I think it is, students and their needs..."’
the educational environment of the Two of our current undergraduate
future, with small groups of students fellows, Irene Hong and Steven Allen, j
. and faculty gathered in interdiscipli— recently offered the following state-
j nary seminars and experimental work- j ment: “In a large university such as
shops, all the while testing ideas and I UK, the Gaines Center provides a per- L
engaging in debate, presenting and sonal and intimate atmosphere. For all  
projecting concepts in notebooks and members of the UK community with
  on computer screens. Certainly, the hectic schedules, the Center offers an [
structure and scale of university edu- alternative — a place for ref1ection.” A
  cation have drastically altered since I Now, with a well-established and
j Patterson Office Tower was thrust [ widely appreciated academic program
i upward. “Informal and domestic" in place, with public service activities
5 describe the reclaimed campus envi- that reach across the state in influ-
  ronment; "intense and far—ranging" ence, and with three well-appointed
j describe the learning situation. The buildings that face the community,
Gaines Center, celebrating these con- yet define the north end of campus,
j ditions, has no classrooms. Ours has the Gaines Center is an exceptionally
. moveable and arrangeable space, inte- attractive part of the university. As I
j riors where faculty members can casu- approach the buildings each day from
j ally say to students: "Pull up a chair," the parking lot behind Memorial Coli-
l which is the proper greeting in any seum, I think how fortunate I am to
The house ot 218   modern republic ofletters. be able to enter such a place, to think,
East Muxwell os it j My opinion of the unusual qualities talk and write where purpose and pro-
looked before reno- l of the Center has been confirmed portion are so finelyjoined.
vuticn. AI one time it many times over several years. After When, just over 10 years ago, joan
was used by the visiting here in 1991, Dr. W. Robert and john Gaines walked cautiously
Lexington Junior , Connor, director of the National down the littered staircase of the
Chumber of A Humanities Center in North Carolina, state—of-ruin building that I hoped
Commerce os their A remarked: “But the Gaines Center was would be renovated, I moved along
onnuol Hclloween   the surprise. I had little idea of what anxiously. The place was, at very best,
hounted house.   that phrase meant — ‘the beauty of an unsightly mess, victim of neglect
?—·‘·1”'—  -i,   é~·~s__;\ and abuse. "It’s beautiful, isn’t it,
      f _'..`T john?" joan remarked. john quickly
*11   Mm, _   agreed. I sighed in relief. With that
_ >·   ii- 3 i if `fijg       A,»  particular vision which allowed the
  Q U      K. ?  _   Gaines to imagine the building
‘ j .V _ > L _      .V ,   _ restored, they had already imagined y
~_·` ‘     *7, _ · g l _-J?   __, E'- ·   j to fi  V   the value of 3 special l1l1fH2lI1lK1€S pTO· (
- V. ·;»     ’_   ·     iw i' *1/ j ”   gram to the university. Their g€H€1”- j
` _ i   -   . i _    { V ous support, matched by large
. .     ll}   il   Y;   I donations from Mary Bingham and [
, , · · , A .,.— . _ ·~       i 2   ji , Margrite Davis, has allowed the devel-
  _ M _ . T ,   .. V  opment ofa diversified humanities i
  l `.    ‘aE....;;—;, _ _Q_,     ‘ ____   program in what is an ideal academic
·       II  E lg" ` W" ‘  `'``     setting. The Gaines Fellowship pro-
‘ ‘ s   E E       .   gram awards l0 fellowships each year.
i l I   m;,E;_,_»___·__%1 g Q, I    I A special faculty—initiated seminar,
n j   xi   _   _, N which provides 10 student scholar-
-- »   __ Jag?  ships is offered every other year and
_ ·       allows fOr the appearance on campus
` ` - t*·~—¤¤..-... ; ·¢"’ ,_ ·.  ‘   __  of an outstanding scholar whose pub-
8 licuiiutkv .~\lunmus Summer 1994
i