On Dec. 13, faculty, staff, students and friends of the College of Medicine came together for the Grand Reopening Celebration of the Stanley W. Olson, M.D., Auditorium and the Robert A. Liebelt, Ph.D., M.D., Lecture Hall. Both of these facilities recently underwent extensive renovations, and are now equipped with an array of state-of-the-art technologies designed to support optimal learning and teaching environments.

"It is fitting that the main teaching facilities on the Rootstown Campus are named for two charter academic leaders, Dr. Stanley Olson and Dr. Robert Liebelt," said Lois Margaret Nora, M.D., J.D., president and medical school dean. Stanley W. Olson, M.D., served as charter provost from 1973-1979. Robert A. Liebelt, Ph.D., M.D., served as charter dean from 1974-1979 and as provost and dean from 1979 to 1982.
 
"I would like to thank the members of our faculty  and the members of our academic learning resources team who have been collaborating to learn to use these technologies in ways that bring the best possible instruction to our students," added Nora.
 
Stanley W. Olson, M.D., was unable to attend the celebration, but was with the College community in spirit from his home in Illinois. The event was videotaped so that he could participate virtually. Liebelt attended the grand reopening and delighted the audience with stories about the College’s beginnings. Sheri Stoll, vice president for administration and finance, thanked those most directly involved in the renovations: John Thomas, interim director of campus operations, Ron McGrady, manager of infrastructure support, and the members of their teams.
 
"We wanted to have the opportunity to show – rather than tell you – the ways in which these renovations have already had very positive impact on instruction. We have captured how some of our faculty and students feel about these technologies on videotape and created a DVD presentation," said Stoll. To view the DVD created and produced by Rey Notareschi, associate director, media and educational technology, please follow this link for the streaming video presentation. 

Following the DVD presentation, Liebelt was joined by M2 class representatives Hannah Conley, Rehan Waheed and Steve Willard as he cut the ribbon and officially reopened the Robert A. Liebelt Lecture Hall. Through Web cast technology, a live ribbon-cutting ceremony in Olson Auditorium was brought into Liebelt Lecture Hall. Mark A. Penn, M.D., M.B.A., senior vice president for academic affairs and executive associate dean, and M1 class representatives Paula Albrecht, Ali Dinani and Andrew King, cut the ribbon in Olson Hall and extended greeting to Dr. Olson and guests in Liebelt Lecture Hall.