It all came down to President Gary Ransdell wielding oversized scissors finally cutting the ribbon to the Social Science Research Center at the Center for Research and Development.

On Wednesday, a group of faculty members, ranging from political science, public health and sociology departments, and Ransdell introduced the SSRC to WKU and the Bowling Green community.

Jerry Daday, associate professor of sociology and the new director of the SSRC, said the center is primarily meant to provide students the opportunity to research in the social sciences.

“We can now give our students, for the first time, a really meaningful research experience before they graduate,” Daday said.

The center can conduct “large-scale” telephone or internet surveys, Daday said, and “measure the opinions and attitudes among society.”

Already, the center has conducted a survey as part of a $25,000 contract to measure the attitudes of individuals toward the 2012 election, and will also measure opinions toward disasters in Kentucky.

Daday said prior to SSRC, students had to utilize professors’ offices to conduct surveys and research, which he said was a limiting experience.

“We have not been able to give strong research experience in social science,” Daday said.

When introducing the center, Randsell said he saw the value of the new center, for both the community and WKU.

“This is a great step forward to us,” Ransdell said.