---
title: ‘A Link to the Past and a Window to the Future’
date: 2022-10-26T16:59:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/a-link-to-the-past-and-a-window-to-the-future"
section: Articles
---
# ‘A Link to the Past and a Window to the Future’

*October 26, 2022* — by [Lauren Brown](/author/lauren-brown)


> UMD Dedicates School of Public Policy Building That Invites Problem-Solving Discourse

*SPP Dedication 10262022 JC 0593 1920x1080 1 — From left, School of Public Policy graduate student Naomi Atughonu, Dean Robert C. Orr, Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson; UMD President Darryll J. Pines; Maryland Speaker of the House Adrienne A. Jones; Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice; and Ethan Brown M.P.M. ’97, founder and CEO of Beyond Meat mark the ribbon-cutting of the school's new building on Wednesday.*

The School of Public Policy’s new home is inspired by ancient Greece, but Plato and Pericles would surely be befuddled by its immersive videoconferencing, mic’d-up seating and transparent walls.

Still, the great philosopher and politician would laud (with exceptional oratory) how the striking, light-filled structure, officially dedicated today, supports the school’s mission to advance the public good.


*School of Public Policy Building*



*Agora study space*



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**Lecture Hall** This space for the entire university’s use has movable seating for 140 to allow students and instructors to collaborate in small groups. A glass-fronted conference room one level up in the back can serve as VIP or overflow space.



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*Deliberative Classroom*



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**Do Good Plaza** The outside area fronting the Rossborough Inn will celebrate UMD’s role as the nation's first Do Good Campus. Public art will include a set of giant illuminated rings that will activate as people pass through with audio on how Terps are doing good in the community and around the world. These rings will lead people into the atrium, where they can interact with displays that tell the university’s greatest “do good” stories.



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*Reading room and terrace*



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[Youtube Embed related to ‘A Link to the Past and a Window to the Future’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k4wYiRVe8o)




**Sidebar note:**

**Building’s Interactive Exhibit to Showcase Terps Who Do Good** As the hub of University of Maryland’s Do Good campus, the new School of Public Policy Building features an immersive experience that showcases how Terps are serving the public good.

Unveiled at today’s ribbon-cutting, the new exhibit, presented by the Do Good Institute, celebrates projects and people who are creating impact on campus and beyond.

Located on the bustling ground floor, the exhibit has interactive kiosks inviting people to immerse themselves in life-size and in-depth storytelling. Told by the students and alums themselves, the stories will inspire current and future Terps to tackle today’s grand challenges.

The inaugural set of stories was drawn from a pool of hundreds of past Do Good Challenge teams and alums over its 10-year history:

- Audelia Community Response Team
- Food Recovery Network
- Hungry Harvest
- James Hollister Wellness Foundation
- Mount Olivet Cemetery Stormwater Retention Project
- Press Uncuffed
- ROOTS Africa
- Students Helping Honduras
- Scholars Promoting and Revitalizing Care
- TerpThon





**Topics:** [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community)



**Units:** [School of Public Policy](https://today.umd.edu/topic/school-public-policy)