Housed on the ground floor of Mann Library (B75), the hub serves as a meeting space for undergraduates, graduate students and Humphrey Fellows in Global Development. The space is designed to facilitate faculty-student interactions and be a meeting place for collaborative and cross-program work, learning and exchange. As part of the renovations made over the summer, students now have access to small conference rooms, a welcome lounge and a beverage and snack station.
At the hub's entrance, a tribute wall showcases Professor Sisler’s life and the values that inspire faculty and students in Global Development — curiosity, community, resilience and engaged learning. The Sisler family played an integral role in bringing Professor Sisler’s essence to the space. Professor Sisler’s son Steve donated handcrafted walnut furniture to honor his father’s love for woodworking. Steve’s generous contributions include wall paneling, office doors, group work tables, coffee tables and a credenza. Professor Sisler’s wife, Carol, and her friends at the Kendal senior living center created eight textile decorations using fabric gifted by a former student of Professor Sisler who is from Nepal.
"I feel that we won the naming lottery," said Lori Leonard, professor and chair of global development. "I have never encountered anyone who engenders such absolute love and affection from his students and colleagues. The responses to the announcement of this gift in Professor Sisler’s name were immediate and effusive. People wrote to say what a difference Dan Sisler made in their lives and careers, what a wonderful person he was and how pleased they were to have his name associated with the department.”
As part of a generous three-part gift from an anonymous donor, the hub’s naming coincides with two additional ways to honor Professor Sisler: a research and engaged learning fund that will expand access to engaged learning experiences for students in Global Development and an endowed professorship. Jenny Aker, a renowned development economist whose research focuses on understanding how information barriers affect development, was named the Sisler Professor of Development Economics effective July 1.
