Named for James L. Buckley, chairman of the University’s first lay Board of Regents. Buckley Center met a major need on the UP campus for faculty office space, general-use classrooms, nursing and communications labs, and a 400-seat auditorium.   

Fun Facts 

  • Scenes from the movie “Mr. Holland’s Opus” were filmed in Buckley Center Auditorium. 
  • A TV studio for communication students (UPTV) was located in the basement of Buckley Center and used between 1983 and 1992. 

Architectural rendering of proposed faculty office and classroom building that became the Buckley Center, May 1967

Buckley Center construction from north, February 1968

Buckley Center with Commons and Willamette River in the background, 1969