The Outdoor Learning Lab (OLL), a teaching area on the south side of Greenfield Community College below the greenhouse, will be formally dedicated to Dr. Robert L. Pura on Friday June 1, 2018 at 2:00pm. The Dr. Robert L. Pura Outdoor Learning Lab includes a Botanical Garden, a Permaculture Garden, Wetland, Wildflower Meadow, Geology Path, and the Rice Family/Congressman John W. Olver Greenhouse. The celebration will highlight student contributions to all phases of the OLL design, curriculum and implementation.

Regina Curtis, Executive Director of Resource Development & GCC Foundation, affirms the OLL is a true public-private partnership, with significant contributions made by donors, alongside federal and state grants, to fund this remarkable teaching and learning experience for our students. We are so pleased that the College's federal and state legislative delegation and donors will be present to celebrate the dedication, honor GCC President Bob Pura and enjoy a firsthand experience of the gardens, geology park and greenhouse.

Teresa Jones, Chair of the Science Department at GCC, expresses the appreciation of the community when she says, "I've been thrilled to be part of this learning journey with Bob for 17 years. He has been both our leader and a fellow learner in exploring sustainability and how to implement it. This garden manifests that journey in a living, breathing way. We grow, we learn. It grows.  It changes and is intertwined with us as we interact with it. And Bob - as a true leader - let us lead him in learning what we wanted and needed to do here, what our students wanted to do and needed us to do here. He showed how delightful it is to be that learner."

Peter Rosnick, Director of SAGE - Sustainable Agriculture and Green Energy Education Center - and a former dean when the greenhouse was built adds, " The OLL epitomizes so much of what Bob Pura has valued and fostered: that education must be founded on the Liberal Arts (Science very much included); that students should be encouraged and resourced to learn with both mind and hands; that projects are best done when generated by faculty and students; that sustainability must be central to all that we do.  We are so very grateful that The GCC Board of Trustees agreed to name this learning, living space in honor of Bob."

For more information about this event, contact Regina Curtis, Executive Director of Resource Development & GCC Foundation 413.775.1426 office 413.834.3954 cell,