Nancy A. Puccini earned her master’s degree in 1987, when the School was still the Institute, the average class size was fewer than 25 members, Professor Walt Franke was the Director and Fritz Drasgow, now the Dean, was in his first years on the faculty. Even then, Nancy was already making impressions.

“Nancy was a thoughtful student. She asked good questions – not the standard fare,” recalls Drasgow. Thoughtful questions from students will be abundant in the new Nancy A. Puccini Classroom, a 60-seat, state-of-the-art tiered lecture hall where LER students will learn the core curriculum of LER.

The Puccini Classroom, made possible with a donation of $250,000, will be the largest learning space in the LER building. Named to honor Nancy, who passed away in early 2014, Adeline “Jo” Puccini, Nancy’s mother, is a longtime supporter of the University of Illinois, including a leadership gift to the Chez Family Foundation Center for Wounded Veterans in Higher Education. This classroom will be transformative for LER and will honor Nancy’s legacy for years to come at the University of Illinois.