鈥淕asp!鈥� exclaimed one former student. 鈥淣oooo,鈥� said another. A third alum recalled his 鈥渢wo great years in that drafty old house.鈥� Yet another: 鈥淪ad to see a part of my life is now gone.鈥�

In the 1970s, Martin House was among several sites that became intentional communities for EMU students. Normally the communities were led by an older couple who lived in the house. In the case of Martin House, Loren and Pat Swartzentruber were early leaders. Loren is now .

The 86-year-old house, on the corner of a busy intersection at the edge of campus, needed to give way to a future traffic roundabout and a formal entrance to EMU. The is planning a solution to the awkward and dangerous intersection of Chicago Avenue, Park Road, and Mt. Clinton Pike. At the same time EMU asked an architectural firm to develop options for building a welcoming entrance for visitors who turn into Park Road.

Lewis and Cora Martin built the house in 1927 when they moved from Maryland to the edge of campus to operate what was known for many years as Martin鈥檚 Store. It was located across Mt. Clinton Pike from them. EMU eventually acquired the store, turning it into a snack shop. Today the former store is part of complex.

Martin House was still structurally sound but needed a new roof, windows, wiring, and plumbing to bring it up to current standards for student housing. 鈥淏asically the house needed everything,鈥� said , assistant director of . 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 worth the cost of investing in Martin House, knowing that its future was uncertain.鈥�

For the last two years, the house stood empty, and its condition deteriorated further. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing what happens when a building is not breathing,鈥� said , longtime physical plant director.

The future traffic roundabout will take more space than a normal intersection, but it will be safer, more sustainable, and won鈥檛 need stop lights, say Harrisonburg city officials. Roundabouts are common in Europe and becoming more popular in the United States.

But don鈥檛 look for the roundabout at Homecoming 2013 or even Homecoming 2014 or 2015. Such major changes occur on a long timeline, involving the coordination of the city, university and multiple other parties.

To make room, in addition to demolishing Martin House, EMU has already torn down Village House on the intersection and will demolish Redmond House as well as one of the Village apartments in the near future.

The biggest drawback to the demolitions, according to Kurtz, is the loss of student housing options, especially for intentional communities.

One solution circulating on campus is to transfer an academic department or two from houses to a three-story former residence hall named Roselawn. The departments鈥� houses would then be available for student housing. Another solution is for older EMU students to create intentional communities off-campus, as is already happening.

In the meantime, EMU continues to purchase private homes that become available near campus. An entire residential block adjacent to the campus to the north, for example, is now owned by EMU, with the exception of two homes. Kurtz and others dream of a 鈥渟ustainable neighborhood development鈥� that would be a mix of renters and owners who are students, faculty, retirees, and others. The development would include common shared areas.

鈥淲e need to continually assess all the spaces we have on campus so that we can use them more efficiently and sustainably,鈥� said Kurtz.

It won鈥檛 be long until lights up again with comments on new initiatives.

The one-day event included a tour of the Harvard Medical School facilities in Boston, Mass., and the , a collaborative research effort of Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Broad Family Foundation, in Cambridge.

Historic gathering

鈥淭his is a historic gathering,鈥� said President Loren Swartzendruber, DMin (EMU 鈥�76 and 鈥�79) in his opening comments. 鈥淣ever before has such a diverse group of leaders – alumni who have achieved great success in their fields along with business, industry, science and other leaders – come together to think about something this big and transformational for EMU.鈥�

Harvard Dean on EMU

鈥淢y time at EMU was most formative in my personal and professional journey,鈥� said Dr. Martin, reflecting on the year he took off from the University of Alberta to study Bible and ethics at then Eastern Mennonite College. 鈥淭he opportunity to study ethics and broaden my horizons beyond my small Mennonite community proved invaluable.鈥� He noted that the collaboration occurring at EMU and with these leaders was similar to the collaboration that had to occur for the Harvard Medical School expansion under his tenure.

EMU accepted Dr. Martin鈥檚 invitation to host the gathering because 鈥渋t seemed important to us to see what can happen when people who are well trained in the sciences have facilities in which they can thrive,鈥� said President Loren Swartzendruber.

鈥淒r. Martin is one example of hundreds of EMU science alumni who are making a real difference in this world. While these facilities are not a scale to which EMU aspires, we do believe that new labs and a renovated building at the appropriate scale, can facilitate our ongoing exceptional program.鈥�

EMU鈥檚 current Suter Science Center, built more than 40 years ago, 鈥渄oes not do justice to the quality of faculty and program of study we offer,鈥� he said.

Leadership phase

EMU is currently in the leadership phase of its campaign for the new and renovated science facilities at EMU, noted Kirk Shisler (EMU 鈥�81), vice president for advancement. It is a time to focus on lead gifts toward the anticipated $30 million needed to complete two phases. The first phase will include construction of a new 50,000 square foot lab facility to better support the collaborative original research EMU science students complete with professors; renovation of the existing Suter Science Center will follow.

鈥淲e are in a time of burgeoning potential,鈥� said Shisler, noting that as EMU has ramped up communications about the campaign, spontaneous unsolicited gifts are coming in for the campaign.

While these gifts are encouraging and exciting, and currently total nearly $2 million in gifts and pledges, the focus of the day鈥檚 gathering was on establishing momentum toward gifts in the top tier of the strategic funding plan, gifts and commitments in the $500,000 to $10 million range.

Broad Institute tour

The afternoon鈥檚 visit to the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard provided an opportunity for participants to see the country鈥檚 top collaborative multidisciplinary research facility. The group heard about the institute鈥檚 vision and structures, and a presentation by geneticist Stacey Gilbert, PhD, about her genetic research among Mennonite populations in Lancaster County, Pa.

Open floor plans, glass walls, entire walls and glass office windows that serve as 鈥渨hite boards,鈥� and community space all inspire creativity, innovation and collaboration, explained Michael Foley, PhD, director of the chemical biology platform at Broad. 鈥淲e鈥檙e here to help you in whatever way we can as you plan your facility,鈥� he told the group.

Closing comments

The recent announcement that President Loren Swartzendruber has accepted an invitation to a third four-year term in his role as president is good news for this project as affirmed by Dr. Martin, EMU trustee Dr. Paul R. Yoder, Jr., (鈥�65) and EMU board chair Andrew Dula (鈥�92). Each of them noted the integrity with which President Swartzendruber serves, the level of trust in his leadership, and the momentum he and his team have established for the campaign.

Acknowledging their supportive comments, Swartzendruber noted, 鈥淏ringing this campaign to a successful conclusion is my number one goal for these next four years.鈥�

In the photo:

First row, left to right: Greta Ann Herin, PhD, EMU associate professor of biology; Provost Fred Kniss, PhD (EMU ’79); Dr. Todd Weaver (EMU 鈥�87), Weaver, Reckner, Reinhart Dental Associates; EMU trustee Anne Kaufman Weaver (EMU 88), leadership coach, Coaching Connection, Brownstown, Pa.; Joe Paxton, county administrator, Rockingham County, Va.; Phil Helmuth (EMU 鈥�76) executive director of development for; Carol Yoder, (EMU ’63 ) civic leader/ volunteer; Charlotte Rosenberger (EMU 鈥�65) civic leader/volunteer, Blooming Glen, Pa.; Pat Swartzendruber, EMU advocate and church-wide leader.

Second row, left to right: Doug Mason, advancement consultant, Gonser, Gerber, Tinker, Stuhr, LLP, Naperville, Ill.; EMU trustee Evon Bergey, general manager, Magellan Health Services, Perkasie, Pa.; Dr. Krishna Kodukula, executive director, CADRE, Biosciences Division, SRI Shenandoah Valley; Dr. Joseph B. Martin (EMU 鈥�59), dean emeritus and professor of neurobiology, Harvard Medical School; John 鈥淩oc鈥� Rocovich, Jr., attorney, Moss & Rocovich and founder and chairman of Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Va.; EMU President Loren Swartzendruber, DMin (EMU ’76 and ’79); Joyce Bontrager Lehman (EMU ’65), program officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, Wash.; Bob Hostetler, PhD (EMU 鈥�59), campaign co-chair, professor emeritus mathematics, Pennsylvania State University; 聽Gerry Horst, campaign co-chair and president, Horst & Sons, Inc., New Holland, Pa.; Kirk Shisler (EMU 鈥�81), vice president for advancement; 聽Laura Daily, assistant for advancement.

Third row, left to right: Doug Hostetler, Hostetler & Church, LLC, Clarksville, Md.; Roman Miller, PhD, EMU professor of biology/Daniel B. Suter Endowed Chair, Doug Graber Neufeld, PhD, EMU professor of biology; Mark Grimaldi (EMU 鈥�94), president of Equinox Chemical Company, Albany, Ga.; Andrew Dula (EMU 鈥�91), chair, EMU Board of Trustees and CFO,聽 EG Stoltzfus Inc.; EMU trustee Kay Nussbaum (EMU ’78), partner, The MVP Group, of White Bear Lake, Minn.; Henry Rosenberger (EMU 鈥�67) farmer and sustainability entrepreneur; Dr. Paul R. Yoder, Jr. (EMU ’63) Rockingham Eye Physicians, Harrisonburg, Va., and EMU trustee; Knox Singleton, CEO Inova Health Systems, Falls Church, Va.