Good morning,

Thank you for coming out to support this wonderful occasion. My name is Hiba Ahmed, a senior at Knox College, and the current President of our Student Senate.

Standing as a dark, ominous building, Alumni Hall, for quite some time, stood empty. In fact, for majority of the duration of my time on campus, Alumni Hall was the mysterious, creepy, and seemingly useless building that all students somehow wanted to get inside of.

Visiting as a prospective student, my father and I accidentally pulled into this circle drive believing that Alumni Hall was the true "front" of the college. You can only imagine how confused we were when we realized this building was completely empty, but hey I ended up at Knox so my visit must have gone well.

Anyways, the location and grand stature of this building really does lend it to be viewed as the entrance and epicenter of the college. I'm glad that today, it once again will be taking and fulfilling that role.

Alumni Hall, standing on this north edge of campus, welcomes those on the outside. The opening of Alumni Hall connects Knox College to Galesburg by fostering a sense of connectivity rather than isolation with the college and the rest of the community.

The opening of Alumni Hall also welcomes other visitors; those who may be visiting campus for their first time. Prospective students visiting to campus will now be welcomed by this building that not only includes the Office of Admission, but also the Center for Research and Advanced Study, the Center for Career Development, the Global Studies Center, the Center for Community Service and many more. Prospective students will now see a holistic Knox College, incorporating many facets of what opportunities are available to Knox students and what makes Knox students, our own unique and atypical kind of student.

What I love most about Knox is its history, and we are all proud of our history. We are proud of the traditions that we have managed to hold on to to this day such as Pumphandle and Flunk Day. We are proud that Abraham Lincoln climbed out that window a couple hundred yards away. It's the history and tradition of the college that makes individuals such as you and I fall in love with this school. With the addition of the new and improved Alumni Hall, Knox now has a terrific combination of both history and modernity, keeping close to our beloved roots, while also bringing our campus into the 21st Hall coming to a close we get our perfect blend of new and old; traditional and contemporary; maintaining our history, yet furthering our technology and resources.

What kind of building will this be for our students? Honestly, that is not something I could tell you right now. Each and every year our students break bounds, definitions, and restrictions and change the campus dramatically from what it was just the year before. That typical Knox student first comes to campus with unique, diverse, and incredibly different perspectives than those of their peers. It is what makes our community stronger, yet also means I cannot be the one that defines this building for us students. We are going to have to define and reshape this building for ourselves.

What I do know, is that this building offers great resources and opportunities finally all in one location to allow our students to become even more successful, more knowledgeable, and more prepared for our life beyond college than before. What we students have now is a building better set for our needs and concerns as we go through Knox and go on to the next chapter of our lives. While Knox students for years to come will utilize the open spaces and useable rooms and facilities differently than their predecessors, our students will always utilize the academic, century, finally. With the renovations of Alumni career, and social resources that this building will provide for us, and we cannot be more thankful.

Again, thank you to all that made Alumni Hall a reality. We as students hope to carry on your traditions and your experiences, but we also hope to create our own traditions and ever greater experiences within our new building.

To all administration, faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees, and community partners, congratulations, and we hope to see you inside soon!

Thank you and enjoy the rest of your Homecoming weekend.