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WALKER HALL DEDICATION: A ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony held recently marks the official opening of Myrtle E. and Earl E. Walker Hall. As announced during the ceremony, Maryville’s College of Health Professions has been renamed the Myrtle E. and Earl E. Walker College of Health Professions, in honor of the transformational impact of their contributions.

In recognition of the transformational impact of their contributions, Maryville University has announced the naming of the College of Health Professions as the Myrtle E. and Earl E. Walker College of Health Professions.

The naming of Walker College was revealed during the recent ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for Myrtle E. and Earl E. Walker Hall—the new home to Maryville’s health professions programs.

“Earl Walker was a man of vision and a believer in the strength of local communities,” said President Mark Lombardi, PhD. “The naming of the College of Health Professions for him and his wife, Myrtle, is a testament to that vision.”

Through the programs of Walker College and in the building’s state-of-the-art classrooms and facilities, Maryville University prepares students for careers in nursing, music therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and rehabilitation counseling.

“This opportunity provides us with a challenge to continue the educational mission set forth by Earl Walker, with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, innovation, community service and philanthropy,” says Charles Gulas, PhD, dean of the college. “We are grateful for his leadership.”

“The Walkers have definitely left their mark on Maryville, and it goes way beyond their financial commitment, which was very generous, ” said Tom Eschen, vice president for Institutional Advancement.  “Walker Hall, the numerous Walker scholarships, the expansion of the Walker Scottish Rite Speech Clinic to Maryville, the resulting new academic program in speech and language pathology, and the Walker Medal for Health and Wellness—all of this will have a profound effect on what was already an outstanding college of health professions, and will have a ripple effect on the entire university.”

The Myrtle E. and Earl E. Walker Medal for Health and Wellness was established by the Walkers to recognize and celebrate excellence in the field. In recognition of their contributions at Maryville, the inaugural medal was awarded to the Walkers at the annual Spirit of Maryville awards dinner held in May.