 Yeah, yeah, that's fine. Good afternoon today. I Think it's very fair to say you just can't make this stuff up. Did you ever think for one minute? That you would be attending an indoor groundbreaking. I know I didn't But as with most things immaculata You do what you have to do to make things work and Honestly, nothing will dampen the spirits of this day. All I can say is I Just don't appreciate God's sense of humor. Sorry, sister. Me. This is an absolutely fantastic day It's gonna be hard for me to hold back here this project has been a long time coming In fact, I remember when we first started talking about a science building I Could see the bubbles above several people's heads and They seem to read Yeah, we've heard this before Well in effect what they were saying was it wouldn't be done. It couldn't be done And you know what? It's going to get done. I have so many so many people to thank you today First and foremost our thanks go to the Parsons family Whose generous donation? Whose generous donation allowed us to jumpstart our fundraising as You know this facility is being named in the Parsons family honor and As a tribute to their late parents Don and Betty Parsons So a warm welcome to the honorable and Mrs. Donald Parsons, Jr Mr. And Mrs. Gerald Parsons, Mr. Mrs. Leo Parsons Mrs. Miss Christine Parsons, Ben Dennelli sister Judith Parsons and Miss Elizabeth Parsons Forsythe and Bob Parsons both of whom were not able to be with us today Sister Judith, I never realized How big a family you have until I see them all together We are sorry, who did we miss? Richard my apologies, we will welcome Richard and Claudia Parsons Apologies there were so many I didn't think we could miss any But we are most grateful and appreciative of your generosity Second, I would like to welcome and thank the IHM congressional leadership who's here today We appreciate your support over the years for this great institution, which you founded now 101 years ago Third my thanks go to the administrators and faculty in the sciences Who spent countless hours with our project manager Kerry Jones? For that alone you deserve combat pay Discussing the layout the equipment needs and other requirements of this new building It was tedious work. I know But I think you will see it was worth the effort to ensure that this new building has what it needs We're also joined here today by our partners in this project Chester Valley engineers our construction manager RC Lignini our architects Crabtree Rohrbach These folks along with our project manager are responsible for bringing this project in on time and on budget Did you get that? Okay Miss Sue Drummond from the East Whiteland Township Board of Supervisors is here And we also have several of our board of trustees and donors with us this afternoon I am very appreciative of you taking the time to come here and join us. I Do want to acknowledge our students This building is for you All Students will take classes and labs in this new building Our students I've said this numerous times our students and our faculty deserve the best we can offer And we can now provide that with the Parsons Science Pavilion and thanks to the generosity of so many of our donors Finally a big shout-out goes to Susan Arnold and her team for reaching their fundraising goal despite the pandemic COVID was no match for this team in a few minutes We will break ground or something like that And I'm very excited to have another opportunity to get a shovel in my hand Honestly it never gets old We broke ground for the IHM Student Center then the track and now this Immaculata University we just keep getting better Thank you all for joining us this afternoon I now have the distinct honor and privilege to welcome our next speaker mr. Jerry Parsons who is representing the Parsons family Including Leah The Parsons are longtime friends of Immaculata the IHM sisters and Catholic education The Parsons family provides the corporate leadership of communications test design Inc Many of us know it as Ctdi They are international headquarters are in Westchester This company was founded in 1975 by Jerry who worked with his father Don and brother Richard in the family garage That's how it all got started Jerry now serves as chairman of the company he recently retired But is still very active in many initiatives to support and promote Catholic education He is also serving on numerous boards and supportive community outreach But now he has the long-awaited chance to more frequently visit Margate or Florida Where he and his wife Eleanor love to entertain and fish? I also know that Jerry likes to play a little golf. How do I know? Well a couple of years ago at one of our annual IU golf outings Jerry played in a foursome with some of his family members. I Was in a foursome behind them. I Didn't know at the time who was in front of us All I know is that whoever it was Played really really slow. I remember saying to someone in my foursome Do they really think they're playing for the green jacket? Somebody needs to tell them to pick up the pace The person looked at me and asked Do you really want to tell Jerry Parsons to play faster? That would be no As my mom would always say Barbara discretion is always the better part of our So Jerry it is with great appreciation and thanks that we ask you to say a few words this afternoon I'm going to blame the snow slowness of play on my brother Richard. Well, thank you Barbara. Thank you Everyone thanks for those kind words and an introduction a very Appreciate it The Parsons family is certainly very proud to be part of this wonderful day an important moment in the history of McElada universities The Parsons family has been engaged with the McElada ever since our parents moved to Chester County over 60 years ago Not amazing 60 years ago Of course the IHMs Have been an important part of our family They taught all eight of us Just five miles down the road at Saints Philip and James and Exit and even more so We are most proud that our very own sister sister Judith Parsons is a proud IHM and a proud professor right here at McElada, let's go to go to The Immaculate of campus this beautiful campus is really like our family backyard Because we only grew up just a few miles from here on boot road The Parsons have played on the basketball court the tennis courts the soccer fields Our children attended you're ready the early learning center Many years ago we have taken hundreds of classes Some of us have taught classes some have graduated from the university Some of us have coached the teams We have held fundraisers Our first fundraiser for the foundation for Catholic education Was right here at the Great Hall with sister Carol right very important moments in in in our in our history and we have gone to countless concerts and masses many of our many of our kids are right up here on this stage But our most important and memorable events have been our Parsons family Christmas dinners, right Jude? Right here in the Great Hall for many years Where our own sister Judith has been the director of our Christmas pageant some of the IHMs have been there and Where we had 32 grandchildren and great-grandchildren in our pageant Jude I must say some of them were a little better than others But they were all very precious So it's only fitting that our family Support Immaculata was such an important strategy for the university as as Barbara has outlined to start a new chapter for Immaculata as they expand and bring more technology into their sciences and healthcare Programs and I really like what Barbara said that all students will benefit from the science Pavilion so as Barbara said we are the family is very rooted in the sciences where a lot of us are engineers and others but Through our family business. We're really tuned into the sciences. So we you know support your initiatives 100% We congratulate the university the IHMs the board of trustees the students and The donors on the vision and hard work that has resulted in today's groundbreaking Ceremony especially as Barbara said in these difficult times very very impressive So best of luck with the construction and the planning We will keep your efforts in our prayers and thoughts and we look forward to the opening of the new Beautiful Parsons Science Pavilion hopefully on time in the fall of 2022. Thank you I now have the pleasure of introducing one of our students Francesca Calley Francesca is a junior pursuing a biology secondary education degree She serves on several organizations on campus including her leadership the class of 2022 Francesca, it's all yours Good afternoon president. Let's hear guests students faculty and Administrations Administrators I would first like to thank the Parsons family and all of the generous donors who have made today possible My name is Francesca Caley and I'm a junior biology with secondary education major here at Immaculata University It is my pleasure to share the special event with you today Which marks the changing of Immaculata universities natural science department for the better I'm so thankful to all of you for making this day happen So that Immaculata can expand the campus and make the experience top notch for students especially those who are studying in the sciences Back in high school when I was looking at colleges to further my academic career I was looking for a school that had an outstanding biology program as well as an education program Immaculata had exactly what I was looking for Two outstanding programs that would flow together as one so that I could pursue both areas Professors to support me every step of the way a well-rounded curriculum and various opportunities to grow and thrive as a student and individual In fact, this was very true because I was able to achieve so much over the past three years in the classroom Over my time here. I have learned so much from every course I was able to work very hard and get high marks in each class and I had so much encouragement and support along the way Because of the support of my professors and my academic successes I have gained membership of three academic honor societies on campus Sigma Zeta, Kappa Delta Pi and the Immaculata Honor Society Not only was there the opportunity to succeed in the classroom But I also immediately knew that I was able to succeed outside of the classroom This was true because today I hold many leadership positions like being the class of 2022 president The commuter assistant and admissions ambassador. I have been involved with new student orientation And next year I will be the secretary of the IU Dance Company My successes would not have been possible if it weren't for the wonderful community here at Immaculata especially my professors Because of my positive experiences here at Immaculata I feel with no doubt that I am prepared to graduate in the spring of 2022 and then start my career as a secondary education biology teacher after graduation As one can tell from a short glimpse of my experiences Immaculata's natural science department is incredible for students However, the Parsons Science Pavilion will enhance the department even more than ever I think I can speak for everyone in the natural science department by saying that we are all beyond Excited and grateful that we will have a new building to call home By building the Parsons Science Pavilion It will give students the opportunity to have an even better experience in the classroom that meets every student's needs As a future educator I am a true believer that all students learn in their own unique ways and This new space will help support students learning experiences With all the hands-on learning that will take place in the new labs in the Collaboration room each student will be able to find something that works for them to help them to succeed In addition This new space will help students to learn new skills and complete research in the labs that will better prepare them for their future careers in the professional setting Overall the Parsons Science Pavilion will benefit our students greatly by creating a beautiful new space Filled with innovative technology that will help students to further their studies in the science field and to have a more enhanced learning experience Once again, I would like to thank everyone here today Who has helped make it possible to have the new addition of the Parsons Science Pavilion to Immaculata's campus I am so grateful to you all because you truly have made an impact on Immaculata University's natural science Department President and future students are so blessed to call this new space home. Thank you for your generosity Our next speaker next speaker is Maggie Barnes. Maggie is a junior She is in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program She is also the current president of the Immaculata University nurse association So, please welcome Maggie Barnes Good afternoon President Latire generous donors and everyone present here today Before getting started, I would like to say I am extremely honored and grateful for this opportunity My name is Maggie Barnes a junior student in the traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and current president of the student nurse association of Immaculata When I first started at Immaculata, I really had no idea how much it would impact who I am or where it would take me I grew up in Mexico a country of scarce opportunities and after moving around Working multiple jobs and even sometime backpacking through Asia. I made my way here where Immaculata received me with open arms Around this beautiful campus is where students spent endless hours studying preparing for exams writing papers and care plans But also daydreaming of our future our future as nurses biologist music therapist educators and more Immaculata is where roots are planted But it is thanks to our faculty the learning environment and the amount of resources available that we are able to blossom Into the professionals that we will become If the last year has taught us anything it's the importance of the medical industry in which nursing forms an intricate part of Nursing is a career focused on understanding the complexities of the human body and is deeply steeped in evidence-based practice and hands-on methodology Immaculata's nursing program is based on a holistic approach and Intertwines science and technology to serve as a strong foundation for our practice Nursing students rely on each other our faculty and our environment to prepare us for a successful career in the field The search for knowledge is ingrained in our genes and we must stay curious Remain life-long learners and continue to dedicate our hard work in the name of science The new science pavilion and its cutting-edge technology is geared towards expanding our minds and encouraging students to continue working collaboratively to achieve our academic and professional goals When I first heard about the Parsons science pavilion I began reminiscing on all the learning opportunities and experiences. I have had here at the University From microarray Experiment labs in efforts to understand the expression of human genes to tracking the growth of bacteria in petri dishes Through the lenses of a microscope to the sophisticated simulations. We often do in the nursing labs Dedicated space like the new science pavilion will provide students of all majors with modern technology to practice and expand mastery skills and to explore the critical concepts in science the reality is Being able to spend our days in an environment that is committed and conducive to our learning and our growth is one of the greatest gifts a student can receive Having experienced educational settings in different parts of the world I can appreciate the importance of having state-of-the-art technology resources and equipment easily accessible With this groundbreaking we thank you Maculata the donors the partners and everyone involved for honoring the scientists The scholars the students past and present who encourage and inspire innovative thinking in the field of science We are grateful for the constant support that this university provides and the environment that the faculty fosters This new and improved technology will help form students who are eager to one day enter into the professional fields of health and sciences Again, I want to thank you President LaTeer generous donors and everyone involved in making this a reality. It is truly a gift and we sincerely thank you Time has come To break ground So with the Parsons family, please join me on stage and if you wouldn't mind staying we're going to take a couple of photos Well, one thing you got to admit. It's the cleanest groundbreaking you ever saw Okay, now I'm going to invite Carrie and our construction architects Actually vendors that are going to make this all possible for us So come up on stage and if you wouldn't mind staying for a couple photos I do want to point out that the shovel that I had the honor to hold is The actual shovel that was at the groundbreaking when they broke ground for Villa Maria Hall now. We're going to have a Somewhat of a blessing. I don't know how you do this, but we're going to figure it out Sister Mary if you're not Barbara, we can do this member that we live in the presence of God And everything we have is gift And so we pray Lord Yours is the earth and all that is in it and in your goodness. You haven't trusted it to our care To provide us with food Places to dwell and to do all we can to enhance human flourishing We ask you to bless the ground outside today and I have the holy water And I will sprinkle it with holy water after we leave the auditorium May the Parsons science pavilion be a place where your designs for our students lives are wisely discerned and nurtured We ask your blessing on all who planned for this building and For the safety of all who will work on the construction site May they be filled with your strength and peace as they labor to bring to fruition The plans that you have inspired for our new pavilion May all who enter to teach study Research and experiment in the new labs Be filled with the joy of your abiding presence as they work and learn as professors students and future professionals We ask your blessing on our generous donors Particularly those who are present with us today as we make this prayer to you in the name of your son Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit One God forever endeavor Amen, and it wraps up the The event this afternoon but it wouldn't be fitting for us to end without a singing of a maculata universities alma mater and Emily Cox glass of 22 a music therapy major will lead us in this song She's going to be accompanied by mr. Joe gearing Chair of the music department the words can be found on the back of your program He travels home and as they say in the south y'all come back and see us now