After more than five years of fundraising efforts, CU Boulder鈥檚 School of Education celebrated moving into its new campus home: the Ofelia Miramontes and Leonard Baca Education Building. The milestone, made possible by collective philanthropy, was marked with a festive building dedication and community open house on Oct. 4 to showcase the school鈥檚 collaborative new spaces, highlight its influential research, celebrate educators and honor the passionate community that made this project possible.
Launched in the spring of 2019, the initiative to move the School of Education to its newly renovated home (previously known as the Fleming Building) was a multi-phase renovation project. The school鈥檚 dean emerita, Kathy Schultz, spearheaded the move with donor and campus leadership support.听
A united effort
An extraordinary 97 families donated to the renovations 鈥� resulting in 23 named spaces in the building, from classrooms to meeting spaces and private study rooms, demonstrating the strength of the school鈥檚 community support.听
鈥淚t took a whole village 鈥� The building was much-needed, to be competitive with other universities and to provide a state-of-the-art location for students, faculty, staff and our community,鈥� said Barb Quinlan (Edu鈥�65, MA鈥�86), donor and member of the school鈥檚 Development Advisory Board. Quinlan is also a member of Women Investing in the School of Education (WISE), which supports faculty research, initiatives, and a student scholarship. In addition to contributing to the project, she led a group effort to inspire other passionate WISE members to name one of the school鈥檚 classrooms.听
The building鈥檚 name honors two former CU Boulder School of Education faculty members, Ofelia Miramontes and Leonard Baca, and their lasting legacies of exceptional mentorship and groundbreaking leadership 鈥� particularly in the field of bilingual education, which continues to uplift educators and support historically marginalized students today.听
Miramontes, who passed away in 2005, was represented by her sister and niece at the dedication, and Baca was present with his wife and grandson. The heartwarming ceremony featured stories of gratitude from their former students, and many family members, mentees and former colleagues were in attendance to honor Miramontes鈥� and Baca鈥檚 impact.听听
Together at last
Moving to the Miramontes Baca Education Building marks the first time in recent history that the entire School of Education will be together under one roof. Previously, the school鈥檚 centers and programs were housed in a variety of buildings. In addition to providing more space, the new location is equipped with the technology and facilities to support modern teaching methods and community-building opportunities.
A hallmark of our School of Education is a commitment to collaborative and interactive communities, both in our classrooms and in the entirety of our work as scholars and educators. Our space reflects this commitment 鈥� I am excited to see where we go in the future.." 鈥� Melissa Braaten,听associate professor听in the School of Education听
"This renovation has allowed the School of Education to create spaces that suit the programming and classes that it offers,鈥� said Suzanne Hoover, development board member and longtime supporter of the school. 鈥淚t has allowed the school to have up-to-date technology that is so important to education in the 21st century."听Suzanne and Dave Hoover helped kick off the fundraising effort for the school in 2019. In recognition of their generosity and dedication to education, the school named its new central collaborative space the Hoover Atrium.听
"For us, our educations have been paramount to our ability to dream of a future and to reach those dreams,鈥� said Suzanne Hoover. 鈥淓ducation broadens horizons and opens doors for those who pursue it."听
Additional features of the Miramontes Baca Education Building include modernized classrooms and conference rooms, private study rooms, a food pantry and community kitchens, and learning labs for specialized disciplines such as STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education.听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Associate Professor Melissa Braaten, program chair for STEM education in the School of Education, remarked that the new spaces are being used exactly as they鈥檇 hoped 鈥� with students from all over campus connecting and collaborating in ways they weren鈥檛 easily able to before.
Heartwarming support
Braaten noted that teaching in classrooms named after the dedicated and generous families that support the school offers a sense of 鈥渓egacy and community.鈥� She said听future philanthropy for the school can continue to ensure adequate classroom space and enhance learning for tomorrow鈥檚 educators.听
鈥淭he fundraising effort has taken many years and many contributions, large and small, to generate the resources that we need to renovate our building,鈥� said Braaten. 鈥淚 have had the opportunity to meet the donors and families responsible for supporting the classrooms where I teach 鈥� it鈥檚 so special to hear their stories of the compassionate, dedicated teachers in their families and see their commitment to education.鈥�
An innovative component to the school鈥檚 new classrooms is their ability to be reconfigured 鈥� the seating has been designed to be movable, offering a more interactive approach to teaching and classroom collaboration. The building dedication and open house on Oct. 4 allowed attendees to tour the newly renovated spaces and see these features firsthand. Guests also engaged in a research showcase and family-friendly activities and enjoyed live mariachi music, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and remarks honoring the community鈥檚 commitment to education.听
鈥淎s one of the most important things we can provide for children, education is top of the list 鈥� it鈥檚 a gift of a lifetime,鈥� said Marty Coffin Evans (A&S鈥�64), donor and board chair for the school. 鈥淚 believe strongly in the power of education. It has the ability to change, enrich, inform and mold lives.鈥澨�
A bright future
Evans remarked that the school鈥檚 new home reinforces its value and formally acknowledges 鈥渢he powerful education found within its walls.鈥� She hopes gratitude and a passion for education can drive future philanthropy efforts.听
鈥淚f you've had a special teacher, counselor or coach in your life, this is a wonderful way to say: 鈥楾hank you for believing in me, thank you for teaching me,鈥欌�� said Evans.听
In addition to enhancing innovative education and bringing the whole school together, the renovated facilities will help attract and retain top faculty, as well as support the school鈥檚 mission of preparing the teachers and leaders of tomorrow.
鈥淎 hallmark of our School of Education is a commitment to collaborative and interactive communities, both in our classrooms and in the entirety of our work as scholars and educators,鈥� said Braaten. 鈥淥ur space reflects this commitment 鈥� I am excited to see where we go in the future.鈥�
听
听听
Photo captions:
Above: The ribbon-cutting ceremony included Angela Snyder and Marcela Martinez-Jones (Ofelia Miramontes' sister and niece), Dean Emerita Kathy Schultz, Interim Dean Fernando Rosario-Ortiz, Chancellor Justin Schwartz, Chancellor Emeritus Phil DiStefano, Leonard Baca, his wife and grandson, Eleanor Baca and Jaylen Baca
Center:听Melissa Braaten teaching elementary education students in the new Learning Sphere Classroom, a space named by Trish Shapiro听in the Miramontes Baca Education Building.
Below: Leonard Baca and family,听and Ofelia Miramontes' family and close friends.