The email below arrived this afternoon (Friday, May 7, 2021), and I thought it good to share here as well. See the bottom of the email in this post for a link to a page with more details. My take on it is that they are thinking of their students and faculty with this move, considering feedback provided over what their current space lacks, and also practicing fiscal responsibility. With the COVID-19 pandemic office space in the real estate market has taken a big hit, so it's prime time to get into an affordable new lease on a better location.
Dear friends of Meadville Lombard,
We are moving!
Meadville Lombard’s 10-year lease for office space at the Spertus Building expires in December 2021. Although the lease provides for two 5-year renewals, the Meadville Lombard Leadership Team believed it was in the best interests of the school to test the real estate market given the current environment that has resulted from the pandemic. This was not a decision that we came to lightly, but we strongly believe that this move will enhance the experience of our students and prepare the school well for the future.
Over the years and, more specifically, in a survey taken by the Student Advisory Council in the Spring of 2019, our students have shared their desires for improvements to our space, such as access to classrooms with natural light, small group meeting space, a chapel, transgender and non-binary student safety, and ADA accessibility.
We also needed a space that allowed us to invest in our future and innovate, to create new programs that prepare a larger, broader audience of students to carry our UU values into the world, as well as to host community groups with whom we are growing relationships. A recording studio will enable us to host podcasts with scholars, faith leaders, and community leaders to help us become recognized as the thought leader that we already are.
We firmly believe we have designed a great space—one that provides classrooms that we can use any time of day or night without additional expense, one that provides a chapel that will be available to students of all faiths, and one that provides us the flexibility to make changes as we grow into our future.
The address of the new space and more details about the decision can be found on our website: https://www.meadville.edu/ml-commons/details/mlts-is-moving/
Sincerely,
On behalf of the Meadville Lombard Leadership Team
Cindi Redman
Vice President for Finance and Administration (credman@meadville.edu)
