After an 18-month construction project, the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) celebrated the opening of its new home in Craig Hall with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday.The celebration was marked with the help of a mariachi band, an Olivia Newton John quote and a crowd of eager viewers.The sentiment of the speakers made it clear that Craig Hall is not only a building, but a representation of an important field of work which means a great deal to countless people.Before its complete renovation and expansion, Craig Hall, previously called Spruce Hall, was built in 1949 as a dormitory. GSSW moved there in 1976. The rooms in Spruce Hall were cramped, dim, and lacked an academic atmosphere. The much needed renovation was jump-started by a $4 million gift from the Rebecca T. and James P. Craig Foundation. Rebecca is a GSSW alumna who earned her master’s in social work in 1984 and her doctorate in 2000. With combined donations of $11 million, Craig Hall was transformed into a state-of-the-art academic facility. The complete renovation and expansion of the building will have a total of 50,000 square feet of classroom, office, library and community space.Debbie Jones, director of communications for the School of Social Work, is pleased with how the renovations “created an incredible sense of community among students, faculty and staff.” This was achieved by placing classrooms at the ends of the building’s two wings and faculty offices along the hallways leading to them, allowing the two groups to have constant interaction. There is an outdoor classroom near the entrance of the school. Then, as one ventures into the building, it is easy to spot the school’s new technology and innovation. There is wireless Internet access in all public areas of the building. To aid guests, a touch screen shows room and staff information in addition to a large flat panel screen television for announcements and general information. State of the art technology is in the offices and classrooms. Four flat screen televisions and five cameras aid in the school’s distance-learning program in Durango. Clinical practice suites permit students to conduct mock therapy sessions in an office surrounded by two-way mirrors, so classmates can observe the sessions. These sessions are recorded and shown on two flat screens in the classroom. Students can then take their tape to an editing room to critique their performance. In addition to the state-of-the-art technology, beauty is incorporated in the design. Ginger Mayette, a GSSW alumna, said that “Craig Hall’s beauty and functionality are amazing.” The atmosphere was created by removing the roof to raise the ceilings, adding large windows and stained glass windows to the rooms. The most impressive stained glass window is on the fourth floor. It is a depiction of a tree, an image that has deep ties to the field of social work. The design was chosen by the staff.The tree provides shelter, roots in the community and renewal. Craig Hall represents a ray of hope not only for the university community but the city of Denver and the surrounding area, speakers said.The meeting and conference spaces will be available to community groups throughout the Rocky Mountain region, and the new technologies will be available for numerous human service organizations.At the ceremony, Chancellor Robert Coombe said, “This building is a testimony to our school as a great university dedicated to the public good.”