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Remarks of Charles W. Lindsay, PhD, Dean

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome. We are delighted that you are here to help celebrate this important moment in the history of New Church education.

This is an auspicious day for Bryn Athyn College that marks a turning point in the history of the institution, as we gather to break ground for the Grant R. Doering Center for Science and Research. This building, and a second 30,000 sq. ft. student life and admissions facility that will be build about 200 feet behind me adjacent to Pendleton Hall, signal not only an enrichment of campus life and of the student experience at the College, but a renaissance going on in New Church higher education.

With that thought in mind, I would now call on Rev. Eric Carswell, President of the Academy, to say a few words.

As an architectural milestone and an educational facility, the Doering Center will provide students and faculty with learning experiences found nowhere else in the world—specifically the opportunity to study science in the light of the Lord's Second Coming. In the Spiritual Diary (5709), Swedenborg speaks about two foundations of truth, one from the Word, and the other nature. The passage goes on to say that these two sources of truth agree with each other when rightly understood; and that the sciences offer the potential to open people's understanding, to the extent that they are in good. This statement illustrates the promise and potential that New Church science offers and indicates one way that Bryn Athyn College can make a significant contribution to scientific understanding.

The Doering Center will be a space built to feed the soul and to inspire the mind—for inspiration is what drives the scientist and the student to do their best. Great spaces can inspire us to do our very best and kindle the creative process both for the individual and for a common purpose—for it is in coming together in with others in the Lord's name that we create an experience larger than ourselves.

Bryn Athyn College's 30-year goal is to become known and respected throughout the world for integrating spiritual life, academic discovery, and practical application. This idea is incorporated into the design of the Doering Center, which will feature state of the art laboratory facilities, gallery and display areas, classrooms, faculty offices, meeting rooms and space where faculty and students can come together outside of class to discuss the realities of the natural and spiritual worlds.

In a larger sense, this facility will help meet the needs of our rapidly changing world—in environmental science, biology, chemistry, microbiology, physics, and more; in the creation of new multidisciplinary areas of study, and especially in the discovery of new, cross-disciplinary methods of problem-solving. A special feature will be the many learning opportunities provided through our partnership with the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust.

I want to give a special thank you to Dr. Allen Bedford and the other members of the mathematical and sciences division for their work in helping to plan and design the Doering Center.

I'd now like to turn things over to Dr. Gregory Baker, retired professor of physics and mathematics, who over his thirty-seven year career, provided a great deal of energy and vision for this project.

And so, as a sign of our gratitude and affection for the commitment of Wren and Grant Doering, to the study of the sciences in the light of the New Revelation, I'd like to present this gift on behalf of the College to Mrs. Grant Doering.

The inscription reads: For the earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof.

This quote from Psalm 24 is a reminder of the responsibility all of us must exercise in safeguarding the environment and exercising prudence in managing our natural resources. This quote will be a focus for science education in the future at Bryn Athyn College and one that is exemplified by the fact that the building itself will be LEED certified. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a rating system put in place by the U.S. Green Building Council to encourage the adoption of sustainable green building and developmental practices throughout the country.

We are stewards of the present, and builders of the future, who share an unbroken bond with the founders of the Academy, those for whom faith and commitment achieved the impossible. At this college, we can do no less.

So today, we break ground for this new facility—and take the next step toward our future. In recognition of the fact that the Doering Center will serve future generations of New Church scientists and researchers, we have asked four students, one from each class at Bryn Athyn College, to break ground for this new facility. Please welcome Geneva Echols (freshmen), Dale Zecher (sophomores), Shilah Rose (juniors), and Annika Fitzpatrick (seniors).

All Speakers' Remarks (PDF)