When Bud Seretean committed $1.5 million to Emory, it was with the goal that Emory be "the healthiest campus in the country." Next winter, when the M. B. Seretean Center for Health Promotion opens at 1525 Clifton Road, his goal will be on its way to becoming a reality.
The Seretean Center will house a number of health- and wellness-related programs of the School of Public Health, and will include educational facilities such as classrooms, conference rooms, a demonstration kitchen for nutrition education activities and the 100-seat Phyllis S. Alperin Auditorium, named in honor of Seretean's sister. The center also will include the Earle B. and Stephanie S. Blomeyer Health Fitness Center with exercise equipment, an aerobics room, indoor track, and locker rooms and showers, as well as the Earle B. and Stephanie S. Blomeyer Teaching and Resource Center. The Blomeyer's $900,000 gift was inspired by both Seretean's gift and his commitment to making Emory a healthy campus. The fitness center will be available for faculty and staff of the University as well as those of nearby institutions such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Cancer Society. Occupants from other health-oriented divisions may be included in the center in the future.
"Bud Seretean's vision is for a healthy campus," said James Curran, dean of the School of Public Health, "and that vision will be realized as we use this space to teach and conduct research. This type of facility will provide not only a service to the employees of Emory, but also state-of-the-art facilities in health education."
The Seretean Center is part of a five-story building, which also will include three floors to be used by The Emory Clinic for primary care functions and activities. This facility will be linked to a five-story, 400-space parking deck. Although construction began last fall on the site, the proposed completion date has been moved back several times. According to Marcus Vess, project manager in Campus Planning and Construction, plans currently call for the building to be completed some time in early 1997. Much of the work was slowed by severe weather, including Hurricane Opal and the above-normal rainfall levels that followed.
-- Nancy M. Spitler