"The center is going to be a critical resource for students and community partners," Dooley said.
Within the next year, the center will continue VT Engage's mission by connecting students, faculty, staff and alumni to community service opportunities. Also, a Student Leadership Engagement Council and faculty development workshops will be initiated by the CSECP. Members of the center plan to hold an engagement-based conference and send faculty or teams of faculty to visit other colleges with similar projects.
On June 18, Norris Hall -- excluding the second-floor wing -- was reopened because it contained office space and laboratories that were essential to the engineering program but immovable.
"We made a decision very early on to reoccupy the building," McNamee said. "The decision was in the best interest of the university."
Despite some controversy about the decision to even reoccupy the building, McNamee said all the feedback he has heard about the move has been positive.
"It's hard to know how individuals feel at any given time, but my impression is that people feel good about the decision to use the building," McNamee said.
Although the task force stopped meeting after submitting the final proposal to university President Charles Steger and will no longer convene, work on the building is only just beginning. The Office of the University Architect will evaluate the best long-term uses for Norris this summer by performing a feasibility study.
"We try to keep these things very straightforward -- make the fundamental decision, and then let the people who are experts at doing the work go ahead and do it," McNamee said.
Benson, who was on the task force, was "comfortable with the decision."
"There's just no clear answer on this one," Benson said. "These things are very personal. Both sides are right in their own way."
Benson's office, which used to be in Norris, has been relocated to Torgersen Hall.
"Our intention is not to move back to Norris Hall," Benson said. "Given the emotional burden of being in Norris, I felt that we didn't need to take that on."
On May 27, some of the workers in Benson's office had just finished moving in. The third floor of Torgersen was full of boxes.
"Our future is in a different building," Benson said.
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