The Kenyon community will gather for a reception celebrating the new Cox Health and Counseling Center at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23. The reception will be followed by a dedication of the building at 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
The Cambridge, Mass., firm of Graham Gund ’63 H’81 designed the center, which cost $3.3 million. Key donors to the center include Dr. James D. Cox ’60 H’97, a former College trustee for whom the building is named; Carl Mankowitz ’66; Katherine Stautberg ’87 and Timothy Stautberg ’85; and the estates of Quentin Draudt ’51 and Lee Meier ’51.
Cox said he saw the need for a better space to care for students’ physical and mental well-being. “Students needed facilities where they had privacy,” he said. “That was particularly true with the counseling.”
Located in the center of campus, the building boasts natural lighting, more examination rooms, a centralized nursing station, and separate waiting rooms and stairways for health and counseling services. Conference rooms built off the two lobbies allow students to hold meetings in the facility after the center has closed.
“It’s the ultimate of great,” said Patrick Gilligan, director of counseling services, of the new center. “It’s not just the appearance and the aesthetic; it’s the location.”
Director of Health Services Kim Cullers, CNP, said the student response to the new building has been overwhelmingly positive. “Upperclassmen are really impressed with the facility,” she said. “Many say it’s nicer than their doctor’s offices at home.”
Cox, who will be on hand for the dedication, said he is humbled to have the building named after him. “I would feel just as proud of it if my name wasn’t on it,” he said. “It’s like icing on the cake to have my name on it.”