Marvin W. Meyer Athenaeum dedicated in memory of professor who made it happen

The late Professor Marvin Meyer was dogged in his campaign to have a faculty athenaeum on campus — a place where Chapman University faculty could gather in an environment that fostered intellectual community.

On Friday, May 10, Meyer’s family, friends and colleagues gathered to formally dedicate the space named the Marvin W. Meyer Athenaeum in his honor.

“He was very tenacious about moving forward and having a place, a facility on campus where faculty could come together, break bread, and seed the ground for inter-collegiality and intellectual discourse. I am so thankful that before he passed on he knew we were moving forward with this athenaeum,” President Jim Doti said.

Located on the second floor of Argyros Forum, the athenaeum includes meeting, dining and social areas and opens onto a rooftop patio garden overlooking the campus. On Friday, as the center room filled with faculty for a champagne toast, Chancellor Daniele Struppa reflected that the sight would have delighted Meyer.

“He would simply be happy to see all his friends gathered here in the athenaeum,” Struppa said. “The reason why he wanted it is because he had a very deep belief that I think many of us share — that new knowledge is only advanced when you bring together a group of friends committed to the advancement of knowledge and you share ideas across boundaries.”