Building on the sentiment of Commons, three signature spaces named with community, connection, culture & creativity in mind.
As Yale’s first university-wide space dedicated to student life and the arts, the Yale Schwarzman Center (YSC) aims to belong to every discipline, every school, every type of student and community member. Today, the Center takes concrete steps toward the same through the revelation of the names, and the naming process behind, three of its newly renovated spaces. The Well, a grotto-like pub recognized by its physical location directly below Memorial Hall, sparks images of gathering as a community to quench a thirst, for a beverage or for conversation. The name is a nod to the notions of collaboration, wellness, and belonging that drive the mission of the YSC. The Bow Wow, a reference to Yale’s mascot, Handsome Dan, designates a grab-and-go space where students are likely to meet incidentally. The name draws on a unifying reference in the Yale lexicon among graduate, professional, and undergraduate students. Finally, The Underground locates the new bistro space geographically within the Center, and conceptually as a versatile venue for both dining and performance.
Maurice L. Harris, director of marketing and communications at the YSC notes: “We aspire to hold these spaces for collaboration, for belonging, and for our individual and collective wellness through deliberate design. The naming process reflected this aspiration, given the diverse representation of stakeholders who constituted our naming advisory group .”
Indeed, the summer-long process saw involvement from students and alumni, as well as individuals affiliated with the School of Public Health, Office of the University Printer, Yale College Dean’s Office, Office for Graduate Student Development and Diversity, Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale, Office of Public Affairs and Communications, and Yale Hospitality. Over the course of multiple sessions the stakeholder group brainstormed words and phrases within “Purpose-driven,” “Yale-DNA driven,” “User-friendliness” frameworks. Three core themes around Values & Aspirations at YSC, the Yale Lexicon, and the function of the respective spaces emerged, which ultimately informed the naming recommendations that the University recently formalized.
To learn more about the signature spaces and for a sneak peek at artistic renderings of The Well, The Bow Wow and The Underground, visit Venues & Spaces on our website.
About the YSC
Now in development, the Yale Schwarzman Center (YSC) is transformational for Yale in providing, for the first time, a center for student life and the arts at the historic heart of the Yale University campus. It's a place where all Yale students — undergraduate, graduate and professional — faculty, visiting artists and speakers, and the wider community will be able to share transformative artistic, cultural and dining experiences. In advance of its projected 2021 opening, the YSC is producing digital programs and arts experiences focused on collaboration, wellness and belonging.