Joy Building groundbreaking marks new era

The groundbreaking of the Russell T. Joy Building last Tuesday marked the end of an era for the UW Tacoma campus. It is the last of the old warehouses on Pacific Avenue to be renovated for campus use. "I love the sense of completion," said Tacoma's Deputy Mayor Julie Anderson, who spoke at the ceremony, calling the building "the last piece of the puzzle." Though a traditional groundbreaking wasn't possible (there's no new dirt to turn, as the building already exists on the site), the dignitaries in attendance took part in a ceremonial signing. The Joy Building, which is expected to be completed in spring 2011, will be the new home of the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences program offices and help meet the needs of lower division courses. Unlike most existing classrooms on campus, spaces have been designed to accommodate classes of 50 or more students. It may also ease the campus crunch. The building will provide capacity for 600 students over current enrollment. "We're already out of space," Chancellor Pat Spakes said. "Part of the reason we're doing this building is to meet our existing need." But community and campus leaders are hopeful this building will do more than expand the size of campus. "This building really does represent the city of Tacoma and all of Pierce County coming together," Spakes said, noting that the building came to be in spite of a tough legislative session. The theme of prevailing through tough times continued throughout the ceremony, highlighting the important role of higher education in the recession. "We're building the economy right now, with the jobs and the construction, but we're also building the economy of the future," Governor Gregoire's Chief of Staff Cindy Zehnder said. Zehnder's signature, and those of the other honored guests at the event, will be included in a book documenting the building's history and construction. As part of a new UWT tradition, the book will be added to the campus library's collection once the building is completed.