By Michelle Hines, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 4-29-09
UNCG will break ground on a new School of Education building May 18.
GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG will break ground May 18 on a new, 120,000-square-foot School of Education building. It is expected to be ready by Fall 2011.
The new building, the first “green” building on campus, will stand on Spring Garden Street next to the Bryan School of Business and Economics. The $47 million structure will meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The construction start carries an economic benefit. State economists estimate that every $1 million spent on a construction project results in 36 new jobs, and for each dollar spent on a project, $2.28 is pumped into North Carolina’s economy.
The public is invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony which begins at 11 a.m. in the Bryan Building parking lot.
“The new building will give us added space to accommodate our growth in the past several years and room for future growth as we expand enrollments in teacher education and other disciplines,” said Dale Schunk, dean of the School of Education. “The building also will provide state-of-the-art facilities for technology to be used in instruction, and meeting places in which to hold professional development sessions for educators.”
Schunk said only one department – Counseling and Educational Development – will remain in the Curry Building, the school’s current home. The counselor education program operates a counseling center, the Vacc Lab, in the adjoining Ferguson Building.
UNCG will seek LEED certification at the silver level for the building. The sustainable design is expected to save an estimated 35 percent on energy costs.
Five of six SOE departments (Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations, Educational Research Methodology, Library and Information Studies and Specialized Education Services) will move from Curry into the new building.
These departments offer degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels, and they provide coursework to support licensure programs campuswide. SOE teaching and support resources will include: a teaching resource center, a state-of-the art sign language lab, a multimedia lab, instructional computer labs, an assistive technology lab, a student advising center and offices to support outreach activities.
The building will also include 19 general use classrooms with capacities of 30, 40, 60, and 70 seats; two new general use lecture halls of 200 and 300 seat capacities; and a 100-seat, tiered case study classroom . In addition, collaboration spaces, intended to facilitate and encourage student/ faculty interaction, will be provided throughout the building. All classrooms and lecture halls will have A/V and data systems installations with teaching stations and presentation systems incorporated into their design.
The new classrooms are critical to the university’s need for teaching space. Student enrollment currently stands at 17,467, up from 17,157 the previous year.
The $47 million budget includes design fees, furniture and contingencies.
