The 2014 Senior Class Gift committee announced the winner of this year’s voting and presented the idea to President Erickson moments ago. The HUB green roof terrace option beat out planting a descendent of Old Willow on campus and extending CAPS hours.

The project, described by the committee as an open-air rooftop terrace which will provide additional seating and expanded room for organizational programming, will be the newest addition to the already ongoing HUB construction.

“You want to pick something the students will enjoy and that they will use,” said Senior Class Gift director Katie Esarey. “You also want it to be something that is realistic, something the students will like and want to vote for. It is us starting our legacy, so it should reflect something we want to see on campus, and we definitely think that the HUB green roof terrace reflects that.”

Seniors who donate to the class gift will help to fund the terrace project, including aesthetic additions such as park benches and landscaping work that will provide much needed seating to the always-crowded HUB. Not only will the rooftop terrace provide additional seating, but it will also help to advance sustainability on campus and provide a scenic view of Mt. Nittany.

The gift will allow members of the Class of 2014 to leave a lasting legacy at the university in the most frequented building on campus. Construction is currently underway for the HUB, which will include the newly gifted terrace and is expected to be completed by May, 2015.

“I am really pleased that your class has selected the HUB green roof terrace as your gift to the University,” said President Rodney Erickson. “I know its going to be a very inviting space here that will be well appreciated by all, especially located in proximity to the HUB, a place that has beauty and functionality and environmental sensitivity that I know everyone will appreciate. It will add to the sustainability of the building by helping to lower our carbon footprint, and provide a new habitat for plants, birds, and insects, I hope not for rabbits, squirrels and geese who already have their own habitat here well provided on campus.”

Here’s the official description from the committee:

This gift, “as part of the current HUB expansion and renovation, provides an opportunity to fund the construction of an open-air rooftop terrace. Space in the HUB is often limited, and the new terrace would provide additional seating as well as expanded room for organizational programming. This green space would help advance sustainable architecture and design on campus. It would also provide several key environmental benefits, including reducing the heat island affect that traditional roofs create, allowing for better management of storm water, and creating a new habitat for plants, birds and insects.”