RALEIGH, N.C. – William Peace University (http://www.peace.edu), a private four-year university located in downtown Raleigh, has announced its second phase of campus renovations, which will focus on the university bookstore and offices for student services and residential life and housing. Both facilities will be relocating to the former maintenance and facilities building located in the center of campus, with the bookstore moving to the first floor and the student services and residential life and housing offices to the second. The Belk Dining Hall Building, which formerly housed the bookstore and student services, will now serve as home to an expanded student union in addition to the dining hall. The construction process and renovations are expected to begin immediately, and they will be overseen by Davidson and Jones Construction Company and Smith Sinnett Architecture.

This phase of renovations follows the 2012 board of trustees’ approval for campus improvements, including the athletic center, student center, bookstore and President’s House. The second phase of campus renovations are expected to be completed by fall 2013.

“We are proud to announce with the support of the William Peace University Board of Trustees that the second phase of campus renovations are underway,” said Debra M. Townsley, Ph.D., president of William Peace University. “These improvements have been carefully considered and are a wise decision for our institution. We look forward to seeing the final results and enjoying them with students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors alike.”

On Jan. 19, 2012, the William Peace University Board of Trustees approved a multiyear plan of significant campus improvements. The first phase of these improvements, which included the renovation of the Hermann Athletic Center, was completed prior to the start of the fall 2012 semester.

Money for the improvements came from donations, the William Peace University capital campaign and external financing. Gifts from alumnae and friends of the university are supporting the projects as well.

ABOUT WILLIAM PEACE UNIVERSITY:
William Peace University is located in the heart of Raleigh, North Carolina. It was founded in 1857 as Peace Institute, offering education for boys and girls in primary grades and to women from high school to college. Peace, an all-women’s college, became a four-year baccalaureate college and graduated its first bachelor’s students in August of 1996. Exclusively an all-women’s institution for its first 152 years, Peace began offering coeducational evening courses through the William Peace School of Professional Studies in 2009. In 2011, Peace College transitioned to William Peace University and welcomed its first coeducational class to its day program in fall 2012. Its mission is to prepare students for careers in the organizations of tomorrow. On average, more than 90 percent of the university’s graduates are placed in jobs or graduate school within one year of graduation. For more information, please visit http://www.peace.edu.

RALEIGH, N.C. – William Peace University (http://www.peace.edu), a private four-year university located in downtown Raleigh, has announced that its Hermann Athletic Center, which was recently renovated, opened its doors on Thursday, Sept. 20. The Hermann Athletic Center, built in 1963 with a gift from Grover M. Hermann and family, marked the first building upgraded through the university’s campus improvement initiative. The facility includes the gym featuring a new floor, a fitness center, weight rooms, home and visiting locker rooms for both female and male athletes, a field house for spring training and intramural space, a training room and athletic offices. The athletic center was designed to meet the needs of intramural sports participants as well as athletes who compete for William Peace University in the NCAA Division III USA South Athletic Conference.

Along with the standard training and fitness equipment, the university now offers the CrossFit program to students, faculty and staff. A fitness program that has swept the United States, CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for police academies, tactical operation teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and countless elite and professional athletes nationwide. Led by Kevin Daniels, assistant director of athletics and head volleyball coach, the program is designed for universal scalability, making it suitable to all committed individuals regardless of their experience in exercising.

“We could not be more excited to have opened the doors of the Hermann Athletic Center,” said Debra M. Townsley, Ph.D., president of William Peace University. “The expanded facility offers more programming and activities for our students, including the popular addition of intramural sports. Just as we are approaching and assessing a number of our campus facilities, it is important that we keep our athletic center up to date and aligned with the needs of today’s student body.”

“For nearly all universities, the athletic center serves as a gathering place for students to congregate, work out, train and cheer on our student athletes,” said Daniels. “More than any other generation before, today’s students have a keen understanding of the value that comes from a healthy diet and exercise regiment. The renovated athletic center, along with training programs like CrossFit, will assist our athletic department in ensuring that students are fully equipped with the tools needed to fully execute and customize their training while on campus.”

ABOUT WILLIAM PEACE UNIVERSITY:
William Peace University is located in the heart of Raleigh, North Carolina. It was founded in 1857 as Peace Institute, offering education for boys and girls in primary grades and to women from high school to college. Peace, an all women’s college, became a four-year baccalaureate college and graduated its first bachelor’s students in August of 1996. Exclusively an all-women’s institution for its first 152 years, Peace began offering coeducational evening courses through the William Peace School of Professional Studies in 2009. In 2011, Peace College transitioned to William Peace University and welcomed its first coeducational class to its day program in fall 2012. Its mission is to prepare students for careers in the organizations of tomorrow. On average, more than 90 percent of the university’s graduates are placed in jobs or graduate school within one year of graduation. For more information, please visit http://www.peace.edu.

Environmental Water Conservation Program Will Include New Showerheads And Sink Aerators, More Efficient Toilets

RALEIGH, N.C. – William Peace University (http://www.peace.edu), a private four-year university located in downtown Raleigh, has announced that it has launched the Rainwater Harvesting System Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF) Grant Project, a $710,000 campuswide environmental water conservation program. The grant will support the installation of a cistern which is projected to supply campus with 90% of the irrigation water needed.

In addition to the CWMTF, William Peace University will install new showerheads and sink aerators as part of its "going green" initiatives. The aerators and showerheads are free of cost to the university, with the latter occurring in exchange for the old ones on campus, courtesy of the City of Raleigh. In addition, the university is receiving rebates for replacing toilets with water-saving models going from 3 gallons per flush to 1.2 gallons per flush.

John B. Cranham, associate vice president of buildings and grounds for the university, is overseeing the implementation of the program, which is being funded by a grant from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. The CWMTF awards money as grants allocated by the legislature from tax dollars for implementing projects that further the goal of the U.S. Clean Water Act. Besides the CWMTF, William Peace University’s other partner on the project is the NC State University Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. The project’s contractor is Mid-Atlantic Infrastructure Systems, Inc., headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C., whose work will be performed out of the company’s office in Durham, N.C.

"We are pleased that as part of our ongoing upgrades for the campus, we will be able to be more environmentally friendly and use our water more efficiently," said Debra M. Townsley, Ph.D., president of William Peace University. "I am excited about the upcoming improvements, and I know John and his facility staff members will make these changes swiftly and unobtrusively for the university’s students, employees and guests to enjoy."

"This ambitious project will make a noticeable impact on lowering the water usage on campus once it is complete," said Cranham. "As the student body of William Peace University continues to expand, conservation measures such as this will reduce our overall operating costs while providing students and staff with water service equal to or more than what they are enjoying at present."

ABOUT WILLIAM PEACE UNIVERSITY:  

William Peace University is located in the heart of Raleigh, North Carolina. It was founded in 1857 as Peace Institute, offering education for boys and girls in primary grades and to women from high school to college. Peace, an all women’s college, became a four-year baccalaureate college and graduated its first bachelor’s students in August of 1996. Exclusively an all-women’s institution for its first 152 years, Peace began offering coeducational evening courses through the William Peace School of Professional Studies in 2009. In 2011, Peace College transitioned to William Peace University and will begin admitting male students to its day program in fall 2012. Its mission is to prepare students for careers in the organizations of tomorrow. On average, more than 90 percent of the university’s graduates are placed in jobs or graduate school within one year of graduation. For more information, please visit http://www.peace.edu.

NEW MEDIA CONTENT:

William Peace University Twitter:

http://twitter.com/WPeaceU

William Peace University Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/WPeaceU

William Peace University YouTube Channel:

www.youtube.com/WPeaceU

Four-Year Baccalaureate University Reveals New Signage At Ceremony On May 23

RALEIGH, N.C. – William Peace University (http://www.peace.edu), a private four-year university located in downtown Raleigh, has announced that it unveiled its new street signage during a ceremony held May 23. The signs, which formerly read Peace College, were changed to William Peace University, marking the university’s name change that took place in 2011. Located at the main gate, the main parking lot and on the corner of Peace Street and Halifax Street, the new signage was revealed by Debra M. Townsley, Ph.D., president of William Peace University. The reveal gathered countless supporters of the university including, faculty, staff, board of trustee members, students and the local community.

 
"Today marks an exciting time for William Peace University, its students, faculty and staff," said Townsley. "We are proud that our name change now will be visible to family, friends and the local community as they walk by and through our downtown campus." 

ABOUT WILLIAM PEACE UNIVERSITY:           

William Peace University is located in the heart of Raleigh, North Carolina. It was founded in 1857 as Peace Institute, offering education for boys and girls in primary grades and to women from high school to college. Peace, an all women’s college, became a four-year baccalaureate college and graduated its first bachelor’s students in August of 1996. Exclusively an all-women’s institution for its first 152 years, Peace began offering coeducational evening courses through the William Peace School of Professional Studies in 2009. In 2011, Peace College transitioned to William Peace University and will begin admitting male students to its day program in fall 2012. Its mission is to prepare students for careers in the organizations of tomorrow. On average, more than 90 percent of the university’s graduates are placed in jobs or graduate school within one year of graduation. For more information, please visit http://www.peace.edu.

NEW MEDIA CONTENT:

William Peace University Twitter:

http://twitter.com/WPeaceU

William Peace University Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/WPeaceU

William Peace University YouTube Channel:

www.youtube.com/WPeaceU

In January, the Board of Trustees announced some really exciting news about campus improvements! Along with announcing the renovation of the Hermann Athletic Center to allow for more wellness and athletic space for students, the relocation of the bookstore and expansion of the student center to include an updated dining hall, coffee shop, student game and lounge space in addition to student government offices, we also announced that we will begin the process of relocating the President’s house closer to campus.

We wanted to keep the Peace community informed on the process of relocating the President’s house closer to campus. This morning, the sale of the house was complete.

President Townsley notes, "I have enjoyed living at the President’s house in North Raleigh, but I am excited the Board of Trustees has decided that the William Peace University President should be living closer to downtown. This is a return to tradition for Peace as housing for the president in the past was always located near campus prior to its present location. We are in the process of looking at different options now and will update you on the location of the new home when a decision is made."

Four-Year Baccalaureate University To Renovate Hermann Athletic Center, Expand Space In Student Center, Relocate Bookstore And President’s House

RALEIGH, N.C. – On Jan. 19, 2012, the Board of Trustees of William Peace University (http://www.peace.edu), a private four-year university located in downtown Raleigh, approved a multiyear plan of significant campus improvements, including the athletic center, student center, bookstore and President’s House.

The Hermann Athletic Center, built in 1963 with a gift from Grover M. Hermann and family, will be the first building upgraded and will include a fitness center, weight rooms, home and visiting locker rooms for both female and male athletes, a field house for spring training and intramural space, a training room, offices, and a dance/aerobics studio. These changes will accommodate the university’s students and expansion of three men’s sports teams beginning in the fall of 2012. Presently, William Peace University participates in NCAA Division III in the USA South Athletic Conference in six women’s sports.

For the student center, the bookstore will relocate from Belk Hall to allow for more meeting and recreational space. Renovations there will include an updated dining hall, coffee shop, student game and lounge space, and student government offices. The bookstore will move to the current location of the maintenance offices, which will be remodeled to ensure that students have access to the supplies and books that they need. The maintenance offices will in turn be relocated to a building on the back campus.

The Trustees have voted to bring the President’s House, which is currently located near North Hills, back to downtown Raleigh, in an effort to increase meeting and entertainment space for students, faculty, staff, alumnae and community members. The President’s House has served the university well in its location near North Hills since it was established in 1979. However, the Trustees believe a downtown Raleigh location will better serve these needs over the long run.

Additional long-term planned improvements by the university include investments in energy-saving devices, its website and other information technology initiatives that will produce considerable cost savings in operations in the future.  Execution of this plan will begin in Spring 2012 and is expected to take several years.

"The Board of Trustees believes these investments are wise ones for the university to make to stay competitive and remain a top school of choice for students interested in an affordable, quality post-secondary education, and I concur with their decisions," said Debra M. Townsley, Ph.D., president of William Peace University. "The upgrades will offer great advantages and convenience that our faculty, staff, alumnae and visitors will appreciate as well, and we look forward to seeing these improvements once they are finished and ready to be enjoyed."

The total estimated cost for the improvements is $6 million, which includes all planned upcoming renovations on campus.

Money for the improvements came from donations, the William Peace University capital campaign and external financing. Gifts from alumnae and friends of the university are supporting the projects as well.

ABOUT WILLIAM PEACE UNIVERSITY: 

William Peace University is located in the heart of Raleigh, North Carolina. It was founded in 1857 as Peace Institute, offering education for boys and girls in primary grades and to women from high school to college. Peace, an all women’s college, became a four-year baccalaureate college and graduated its first bachelor’s students in August of 1996. Peace began offering coeducational evening courses through the William Peace School of Professional Studies in 2009. In 2011, Peace College transitioned to William Peace University and will begin admitting male students to its day program in fall 2012. Its mission is to prepare students for careers in the organizations of tomorrow. On average, more than 90 percent of the university’s graduates are placed in jobs or graduate school within one year of graduation. For more information, please visit http://www.peace.edu.

NEW MEDIA CONTENT:

William Peace University Twitter:

http://twitter.com/WPeaceU

William Peace University Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/WPeaceU

William Peace University YouTube Channel:

www.youtube.com/WPeaceU

Peace College rededicated the Lucy Cooper Finch Library yesterday! Those who made the $3.8 million expansion and renovation project possible were heartfully thanked for their contributions.

The ceremony was held in Dinwiddie Chapel, where the library was originally dedicated 40 years ago tomorrow!

Click here to see pictures from the Rededication Ceremony!

Click here to see pictures from the reception

Members of the Finch and Gaddy families, students, alumnae, trustees and faculty and staff will be among those in attendance for the outdoor rededication ceremony. The ceremony will be followed by tours of the building and a reception.

ABOUT THE LIBRARY: The expansion and renovation project completed during the summer was the first major renovation of the library since it was built. The project added 2,200 square feet of space and completely renovated the building’s interior.

Among the project’s features is the creation on the main floor of a "learning commons" with pods of computer workstations. The new library houses an information technology help desk and all of the college’s tutoring programs. It also features the "Peace Perk" coffee bar and lounge.

Though the renovation and expansion is complete, the college is continuing to raise the matching funds to secure a $350,000 challenge grant made by the Kresge Foundation of Troy, Mich. Gifts made to the library project before Dec. 31 will count toward the Kresge challenge. The library fundraising drive is part of Peace’s $30 million "Promise of Peace" Campaign.

ABOUT THE FAMILY: Finch Library is named in honor of 1922 Peace graduate Lucy Cooper Finch, who along with her husband, George Finch, donated $100,000 toward the 1969 construction of the library. Lucy Cooper Finch’s family has long ties to Peace. The relationship began with her mother, Emily Faucette Cooper, who graduated with the Class of 1890. Lucy Cooper Finch was an active alumna and served on the college’s Board of Trustees from 1953-1971. Her daughter, Lucy Finch Gaddy, obtained degrees from Peace’s high school and college programs, graduating in 1961.

Gaddy and her husband, Charlie Gaddy, served on several Peace governing boards. Lucy Finch Gaddy served on the college’s Board of Visitors and on its Alumnae Association Board. Charlie Gaddy, who served as a trustee for 18 years and as a member of the college’s Foundation Board for 15, led several capital campaigns for Peace.

In honor of the Gaddys, their sons, Fin Gaddy of Manteo and Will Gaddy of Asheville, made a leadership commitment in support of the library renovation project in 2008.

PEACE COLLEGE DETAILS: Peace College, a four-year arts and sciences college for women, was chartered in 1857 and opened its doors in 1872. Peace students consistently have rated the school highly in the National Survey of Student Engagement. In NSSE’s most recent survey, seniors’ ratings placed Peace College in the top 10 percent of schools nationwide in all five categories of the survey.

DIRECTIONS: Peace College is located in downtown Raleigh at 15 East Peace Street, directly to the north of the N.C. state government’s Archdale Building. Detailed directions to campus are available on the Peace College web site at http://www.peace.edu/files/shared/pdfs/aboutPeace/campusmap.pdf.

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Click here for more details on the project!

Click here to see a slideshow of renovation pictures!

Click here to see pictures from July 14, 2009!

Click here to see pictures from July 7 & 9, 2009!

Click here to see pictures from July 2, 2009!

Click here to see pictures from June 5, 2009!

Click here to see a slideshow of recent construction pictures!

Click here to see a slideshow of construction pictures taken this past January!

The renovation and expansion of Peace College’s Lucy Cooper Finch Library is well underway and will be re-dedicated on its 40th anniversary on October 15, 2009.

The $3.8 million project will add 2,200 square feet of space and completely renovate the building’s interior. It’s the first major renovation of the building since it was built in 1969.

Among the project’s features is the creation on the main floor of a "learning commons" with pods of computer workstations. The new library will house an information technology help desk and all of the college’s tutoring programs. The library will also feature a coffee bar. The project is expected to be completed later this year.

The library is named in honor of 1922 Peace graduate Lucy Cooper Finch, who along with her husband, George Finch, donated $100,000 toward the original construction of the library. Lucy Cooper Finch’s family has long ties to Peace. The relationship began with her mother, Emily Faucette Cooper, who graduated with the Class of 1890. Lucy Cooper Finch was an active alumna and served on the college’s Board of Trustees from 1953-1971. Her daughter, Lucy Finch Gaddy, obtained degrees from Peace’s high school and college programs, graduating in 1961.

Gaddy and her husband, Charlie Gaddy, served on several Peace governing boards. Lucy Finch Gaddy served on the college’s Board of Visitors and on its Alumnae Association Board. Charlie Gaddy, who served as a trustee for 18 years and as a member of the college’s Foundation Board for 15, led several capital campaigns for Peace.

In honor of the Gaddys, their sons, Fin Gaddy of Manteo and Will Gaddy of Asheville, recently made a $500,000 leadership pledge in support of the library renovation project.

Keep checking back for more updates! Click here to visit the Alumnae and Friends website!