St. Cloud State unleashing new traditions with Husky Plaza

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Students, alumni and fans make the walk down to Fan Fest during Homecoming 2019 following the dedication of Husky Plaza.

It’s officially time to unleash new traditions at St. Cloud State University with a brand new gathering space on campus.

On Saturday, Sept. 28, in conjunction with the week-long Homecoming 2019 celebration and in honor of the St. Cloud State’s sesquicentennial, the university celebrated and officially unveiled its new Husky Plaza, which is located on campus just north of Centennial Hall between Atwood Memorial Center and the Performing Arts Center.

The plaza, which was completed in August, features a bronze Husky two-times life size created by sculptor Chris Bennett that is placed in front of a curved wall and is surrounded by over 500 bricks inscribed by St. Cloud State alumni, students, parents, employees and friends who have left a permanent legacy on campus.

The gathering space is designed to help build pride and new traditions on campus, while also enhancing the physical appeal of the university for many years to come.

Orders are still being accepted for the inscribed bricks around the plaza, with the second installment of those bricks are scheduled to take place in Summer 2020 with future installments anticipated to take place in the summers to follow, depending on availability.

Approximately $80,000 in revenue raised from brick sales will go towards scholarships given to students at St. Cloud State, most notably for the Strive Thrive Succeed fund, which helps students in financial need stay in school.

During Saturday’s dedication of Husky Plaza, St. Cloud State President Robbyn R. Wacker, along with Vice President of University Advancement Matt Andrew, Student Government President Kridish Uprety, St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis and Alumni Association President Terry Fraser made remarks in front of a large crowd in attendance on the significance of the new gathering space on campus.

Along with their remarks celebrating the new space, a ceremonial burring of a time capsule was placed in a plaza column during the dedication ceremony.

The time capsule consists of a message from St. Cloud State in the present to St. Cloud State of the future as the university continues to look ahead to the next 150 years and beyond. Within the capsule, materials consisted of a message about what the university is now and included letters from Wacker, Uprety, Kleis and others, while also containing a certificate of recognition for the sesquicentennial from Minnesota governor Tim Walz and other items.

Students, faculty and members of the community are encouraged to come visit the space, rub the nose of the Husky Dog for good luck and help unleash a new tradition on campus for many more years to come.