Kohl Hall will be experiencing major changes during the upcoming Spring semester.
It will undergo $3.5 million renovation throughout the entire building. The Chapman Learning Community and Partners in Context and Community will be moving into a newly remodeled Kohl Hall starting Fall 2003.
“This is a culmination of a major revolution on this campus in the way we educate our students,” Tom Klein director of Chapman Learning Community said.
Most of the changes to Kohl Hall will be seen on the ground floor of the building. The ground floor will feature three classrooms, a computer lab, a music recital room, recreation room, a quiet study area, conference room, library and 18 faculty offices. The entire ground floor will also be air conditioned.
“It is going to have a lot of benefits for students and faculty,” Brett Holden, associate director of Chapman, said. “It’s a wonderful teaching and mentoring opportunity.”
The ground floor will also feature a kitchen and a cafe. All the profits that the cafe makes will go to charity. Additional improvements that will be made to the building include new bathrooms, windows and an elevator. Also, new air circulation and electrical systems will be installed.
The major construction and renovation of Kohl Hall will begin in January. According to Bob Boucher, project manager for the Kohl renovation, the project is currently working on the architectural and mechanical drawings. All the documents are being finalized so that the bidding process can begin. After the bidding is complete the work will begin.
“It is a symbol of the success of the living and learning communities on campus. A symbol in the Universities belief in this new form of education,” Klein said.
Some students currently living in Kohl are not happy with the upcoming remodeling. Some students are only hearing about the renovations through word of mouth.
“I think that it is going to be hard to study here,” Ashley Hasting said. “Why can’t they start all the construction in the summer?”
The Chapman Learning Community was created six years ago. Chapman brings together students and faculty in a community environment. Students live together and take some of their courses within their living environment. Many of the faculty have their offices located within the community.
“Our hope is that students have a very solid start to a four-year stay and that they will stay at BG and graduate,” Holden said. “We will be able to provide all the resources that we can through a facility like this.”
The Partners in Context and Community is a program for middle childhood education majors. Students involved with Partners in Context and Community learn to teach by actually working in high-need schools starting their first semester at college.
