from ancient to contemporary to not-yet-invented. All three projects incorporate green initiatives and feature natural landscaping to accent the facilities. Peter H. Armacost Library Opening In March 2002, anonymous donors contributed $13 million, the largest donation ever given to the college, to establish the 58,000 square foot (5,388 square meters) 2-story library named for past president, Peter H. Armacost. Fox Hall was demolished to make room for the library. The donation was taken as a "vote of confidence" from Eckerd College donors after an endowment shortfall during the Armacost administration. It was later revealed that the donors involved were John and Rosemary Galbraith, a former Eckerd trustee and board chairman, as well as a retired mutual fund executive and philanthropist. The library was planned to hold 300,000 books and be twice as large as the previous library at the Cobb center, opened in 1962. Construction of the library would be left to Ayers/Saint/Gross interdisciplinary design firm. The groundbreaking ceremony was held December 2002 with Armacost and his family in attendance. "I am humbled and deeply grateful to those who made that possible," Armacost said in response to the library being named after him. During then Eckerd president Eastman's speech, he said, "This library, and the national reputation this college has achieved in the blink of an eye, are nothing less than dreams that have come true." With a Friends of the Library membership, the public would be able to borrow books for $30, $40 for families. Upgrades Since its opening, Armacost Library has had several changes to the building. In 2018, the Current, Eckerd's campus newspaper, students were concerned about the lack of gender-neutral bathrooms in the library. As of 2022, construction was completed on gender-neutral bathrooms on the library's first floor. In 2021, the first Seed Library was established within the Armacost Library by the librarians. Student life and activities Eckerd College maintains a regular series of on-campus events for the benefit and enjoyment of campus and community. The music, theatre, and visual arts programs are active in staging concerts, dramatic productions, and exhibitions, respectively, throughout the academic year. On-campus speakers have included, among many others, the late nobel laureate in economics Milton Friedman, the late Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban, Jimmy Carter, Michael Collins, Anderson Cooper, Jared Diamond, Gerald Ford, Jesse Jackson, Coretta Scott King, Stephen King, Henry Kissinger, Richard Leakey, Dennis Lehane (a 1988 Eckerd grad), Seyyed