Sterling College invites community members to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the new Rian Fried Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems on Saturday, September 13, at 1:30 p.m. Speakers include Sterling College President Matthew Derr, faculty member Louise Calderwood, and members of Rian’s family. After the official ribbon-cutting, there will be tours led by current Sterling College students.

“We are excited to officially launch the Rian Fried Center and show the community how our campus farm and landscape have changed,” said President Matthew Derr. “We were among the first institutions in the United States to link the stewardship of our environment with farming practices, and we were among the first colleges to offer a major in Sustainable Agriculture. This new center is not only expanding our on-campus farm, but it will also strengthen the experiential basis of the Sterling model of study.”

He continued, “This center stands as a bold reminder of the vision and leadership of the late Rian Fried. Rian led the way for the college to divest our endowment from fossil fuels, and his contributions to the wellbeing of our community were numerous. We are honored to care for the legacy of a member of the Board of Trustees whose loss was felt with great sadness, but whose inspiration will remains with us."

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