In what architects envision as a fourth performing space, a grand piano graces the lobby of the Performing Arts Center, where patrons gather prior to and following performances. In noting that the university finally has a performing arts venue to match its student talents, President Milton A. Gordon lauded the opening of the new center as the concrete realization of a dream and called it "a world-class learning environment.. one of the best arts facilities in the nation, a cultural treasure for the community."