What: UTEP President Diana Natalicio will celebrate the grand opening of UTEP’s Centennial Plaza and Lhakhang cultural center with the community during an open house.
When: 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 18, 2015
Where: Centennial Plaza in the heart of campus
The University of Texas at El Paso invites the community to celebrate the grand opening of its Centennial Plaza and Lhakhang cultural center starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 18, in the center of campus.
The free public event will begin with remarks from University President Diana Natalicio and the Honorable Kunzang C. Namgyel, Bhutanese ambassador to the United Nations.
The open, pedestrian-friendly plaza is the centerpiece of the University’s Campus Transformation plan. The 11-acre site incorporates arroyos, drought-resistant vegetation, rock structures and a natural amphitheater, and will give people shaded places to relax, socialize and collaborate.
There also will be tours of the intricately hand-carved, hand-painted Lhakhang, which the people of Bhutan gave to the people of the United States in 2008 with the request that it be permanently installed at UTEP. The Lhakhang was part of Bhutan’s presentation during the Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. The building’s interior is full of beautiful hand-painted images and statues that tell a story important to the history of Bhutan.
After the open house, the Lhakhang tours will be by appointment only.
The University also has scheduled an open house where representatives from different University programs and academic departments will set up around the perimeter of the plaza and showcase their work. This is an excellent opportunity for prospective students and their families to visit the campus, start conversations about possible majors and get a sense of campus life.
Refreshments and live music from UTEP’s commercial music majors will be part of the celebration. Some popular food truck vendors also will be there.
Free parking is available in the Sun Bowl Parking Garage and ADA parking will be available around University Avenue and Wiggins Road.
Attendees are asked to RSVP to universityrelations@utep.edu by the end of business Thursday, April 16.