The University of Nevada, Reno celebrated a significant milestone in construction of the William N. Pennington Student Achievement Center with placement of the building's final steel beam, Thursday, Jan. 22. CORE Construction, the contractor for the project, led the event with a traditional "Topping-Out" Ceremony. As part of the ceremony, University administrators, along with construction crew members, signed the beam before it was hoisted to its permanent location.

"Topping out," sometimes referred to as "topping off," is a term used by ironworkers to indicate the final piece of steel being lifted into place. Tradition dictates that along with the steel beam, a U.S. flag be hung from the beam and a fir tree is included on top of the beam. The tree symbolizes bringing life to the building.

"This ceremony is both an expression of pride for the workers and a sense of accomplishment," Jim Miller, vice president of CORE Construction, said. "There are 1,161 tons of steel that have gone into this project, and with the tree hoisted up on this last beam, we honor a tradition that is 1,000 years old."  

The William N. Pennington Student Achievement Center will bring in one facility a myriad of student-success services now scattered across campus. Clustering together many of the student-centered services in one location creates synergy and allows for flexibility in scheduling. The Pennington Center will offer evening hours to accommodate students' schedules, something that is not currently viable with these services spread throughout six or more buildings. Services proposed to relocate to the center include the Writing Center, Math Center, Tutoring Center, Career Studio, Advising Center, Nevada Military Support Alliance Veterans' and Military Center, Disability Resource Center, Counseling Services, and TRiO Scholars Programs. Completion of the building is slated for January 2016.  

As construction continues, plans for the inside of the building are coming together. The most recent addition to the building includes a Meditation and Reflection Room.  

"The room is intended to meet the different spiritual needs of our students," Cindy Marczynski, University Counseling Services director, who will be overseeing the space, said. "It is shared space for meditative and reflective practice, separate from the surrounding world, crossing the boundaries of belief and its alternatives, transcending all religions and their absence. The space will be intentionally neutral and peaceful to serve as a backdrop to all meditation and reflection. A small portion of the room will allow for private reflection and secured storage will available for such things as rugs, meditation cushions, mats, books and pictures."  

The Pennington Center will also offer a new food service option through Nevada Dining. Menu details are still in the works.