The Craig School of Business (CSB) unveiled its newly revitalized fountain on March 18, marking the completion of the student-led fountain beautification project in the Leon S. Peters Business Building plaza.
The unveiling featured guest speakers, rock painting for attendees to leave their mark in the plaza and giveaways to celebrate students’ hard work and initiative.
Faith Bither, a business administration major, began the project last year after noticing the fountain sat dry and untouched during a campus event.
Soon after, she contacted administration in an effort to restore the fountain and garnered community support with the help of Associated Students Inc. Senator for the Craig School of Business, Kirsten Martinez and Kennedi Campbell-Caldwell, a business administration major.
In January, the fountain was officially fixed.
In her speech, Bither reflected on the year-long project and her teammates’ work on marketing the fountain beautification.
“This has been a long time coming but it’s been so worth it and just so beautiful to see how everyone came together for this one area,” Bither said. “This is what we all really wanted, and it’s just been the highlight of my college career.”
Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval attended the fountain unveiling and praised the girls’ commitment to the project as well as their leadership potential.
“What I see in you right now is current Fresno State students, but what I really see are future leaders,” Jiménez-Sandoval said. “When you graduate, you’ll return to this space and say to yourselves, ‘If we were able to do that, we are able to accomplish this, this, this and much more.’”
In addition, Jiménez-Sandoval commended them on their ability to envision a project, organize a team and execute their plan.
In preparation for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the CSB hosted its annual Craig Clean-Up on March 13. Approximately 70 students showed up to beautify the CSB plaza, including the fountain area, where some replanted greenery and laid mulch.
Mya Correa, a business administration major with an emphasis in data analytics, attended the event to support Bither and helped with gardening.
Having now contributed to its revitalization, she is excited about the fountain’s new look as it once again brings life to the plaza.
“There was always something kind of missing, especially because of the plaza’s gray architecture,” Correa said. “I’ve always wanted something more vibrant, more creative and this is one of the really good steps to make that possible.”
With the fountain fixed, CSB Dean Julie Olson-Buchanan said the college plans to continue renovating the plaza.
Future plans include a mosaic behind the fountain, additional shade structures, more seating areas and a student-run coffee shop.
Despite numerous meetings to approve these plans, her end goal is to provide students with a dedicated space to call their own.
“Our students need a place to gather, to study, to eat and we don’t have that space in this building,” Olson-Buchanan said. “You see students sitting on the stairs, working on group projects and so they need this space to really build community.”
Correction: This story was adjusted on March 23 at 11:38 a.m. to correct the spelling of Kirsten Martinez’s name.
