Building C was abuzz with excitement as over 350 students, faculty, and staff welcomed Montreal-based for AV福利社鈥檚 inaugural Mountaintop Activation Event on September 17.
鈥淭ransforming the Mountaintop Campus鈥 is one of six in AV福利社鈥檚 strategy. Through this initiative, the university aims to fully activate the 740-acre Mountaintop Campus into a vital destination and resource for the AV福利社 community and beyond.
A few months ago, while discussing upcoming events at , Provost Nathan Urban asked Mark Wilson, Zoellner Arts Center's executive director, whether any musical performances coming to Zoellner might be appropriate to bring to the Mountaintop for a university-wide event. Wilson joked that he didn鈥檛 know about music, but AV福利社 did have a circus coming to town. Cirque Kikasse at Mountaintop was conceived.
鈥淏ringing a circus to Mountaintop was not in my initial plan for the semester, but this event is only possible because of the unique possibilities of our Mountaintop Campus,鈥 said Urban. 鈥淚 think you鈥檒l have a hard time finding another university that could hold a circus inside an academic building. This is what makes Mountaintop unique: we can do big, messy, loud things, but we can also host seminars, lectures, receptions, and outdoor events. I don鈥檛 want people to think that any event that they plan must require death-defying acrobatics. Still, it鈥檚 a unique challenge and opportunity to know that we are limited by neither imagination nor space should an opportunity arise.鈥
For Wilson, this event allowed for connections that would not have happened otherwise.
鈥淲hat excited me about having Cirque Kikasse perform on Mountaintop were the interactions that I had with a staff member and a student,鈥 said Wilson. 鈥淏oth told me that it was their first time coming to the Mountaintop Campus. A third staff member who works at Mountaintop thanked me for bringing excitement to the bay. I love finding ways to help make new discoveries in our own backyard.鈥
For Mark Erikson, interim vice president of strategic planning & initiatives, seeing the Inspiring Future Makers strategy come to life set the tone for future events.
鈥淐irque Kikasse is a perfect example of how we can use space on our Mountaintop Campus to host exciting events,鈥 said Erickson. 鈥淲e look forward to future events with Zoellner and other campus partners.鈥