Nearly 15 months to the day since groundbreaking for Buller Hall, part of the new Undergraduate Learning Center, Andrews University President Niels-Erik Andreasen is pleased to invite the public to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for this recently completed building on Friday, July 29, 2011, at 11 a.m. Special guests Allan and Mickey Buller, lead donors for Buller Hall, will be in attendance. Immediately following the ceremony, building tours will be offered.
 
“We have created a teaching and learning home where students and teachers have daily meetings of minds that inform, inspire and support the finest ideas the Seventh-day Adventist Church has developed since Andrews University was established in 1874,” says President Andreasen.

About Buller Hall
The new Buller Hall, along with the 70-year-old renovated Nethery Hall (renovations still in progress), will comprise the new Undergraduate Learning Center at Andrews University. The façade of Buller Hall reflects the traditional brown-brick and limestone exterior of Nethery Hall. The two buildings are connected by an interior bridge walkway and exterior courtyard that is both philosophical and practical. The bridge will tie together the departments and disciplines that make up the core of the undergraduate learning experience while also providing a protected walkway between the two buildings in times of inclement Michigan weather. Some other notable features of Buller Hall include an amphitheater-style classroom, a small chapel for quiet reflection, a student lounge and academic departmental lobbies with fireplaces.
 
The Troyer Group of Mishawaka, Ind., is the designer of the Undergraduate Learning Center. CSM Group from Kalamazoo served as project managers.

About Allan and Mickey Buller
Allan and Mickey Buller met and began courting in the spring of 1939, while attending what was then-known as Emmanuel Missionary College and later became Andrews University. They both studied business administration and Allan exhibited a spirit of service and leadership as president of the student body and president of his senior class. After graduation and military duty, the couple married. Mickey earned a teaching certificate and was a Title I reading specialist for elementary students. Allan’s expertise in business led him to Worthington Foods where he led a long career, culminating with president and chairman of the board. The Bullers made their home in Worthington, Ohio, where they raised their four children, and serve the Worthington Seventh-day Adventist Church in many capacities.

Attending EMC during the lean years right after the Great Depression and World War II, the Bullers know from firsthand experience that bricks and mortar alone does not transform a student’s learning experience. However, as Mr. Buller once commented with great satisfaction, “Andrews University has a long tradition of creating the best with the means God provides. It’s wonderful to be a partner with Andrews as we support our faculty and ignite a love of learning in future generations of students through this building project.” It is poignant to note Buller Hall stands on the spot on campus where Allan proposed to Mickey.
 
A grand opening for the completed Undergraduate Learning Center is planned for Sept. 29, 2011, during Alumni Homecoming Weekend. Details for this event will be made available at a later date.

-Written by Keri Suarez, media relations specialist, Office of Integrated Marketing & Communication