The Desmond Tutu Education Center, which is being currently developed by General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church, will help support lay and ordained ministry from within the area and visitors from around the world.
Aramark Harrison Lodging (AHL), a leader in the conference and corporate training centers industry, was given a contract on Apr. 30 to manage the building.
"The Desmond Tutu Education Center combines the sophistication of 21st Century technology with the historic charm of 19th Century gothic architecture," said Marcel Kromhout, director of sales and marketing of AHL and the center. "It's the ideal location for any event from a corporate presentation, meeting or training session to an elegant celebration or wedding."
As a main mission of the building, it will offer a large population educational opportunities that go along with the values of the archbishop. There will specifically be a focus on spiritually, issues of justice, and reconciliation in a multi-cultural and multi-faith world, which Tutu is well known for.
Four learning centers will be lodged in the building: a Center for Peace and Reconciliation, a Center for Continuing Education, a Center for Christian Spirituality, and Center for Jewish-Christian Studies and Relations.
The center will provide much space for activity use. It boasts 8,000-square feet of conference space and 60 restored guest rooms.
It is also located on the west side of The General Theological Seminary campus, surrounded by some of the city’s most historical buildings. Both business and leisure travelers are invited to visit the center.
Desmond Tutu has been praised around the world as being a leader towards peaceful reconciliation. In 1984, he received the Nobel Peace Prize. He is the recipient of the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism and in 1986 received the Magubela prize for liberty. He is also a major spokesman for the fight against the worldwide AIDS epidemic.
The Desmond Tutu Education Center is set to open on Sept. 11 and will have a three-day international conference titled Reconciliation at the Roundtable: God’s Call in the 21st Century.
