University president addresses ongoing renovations
WAYNESBURG – As the administrative and technical details of the ongoing renovation of Stewart Hall are nailed down, Waynesburg University teachers and students have begun to look more closely at what the coming changes will mean for classes and day-to-day activities.
The remodeling of Stewart Science Hall began in the fall of 2012. It has been divided into six phases and will likely be completed in 2017.
At President Douglas G. Lee’s press conference las month, he indicated that phases one and two have gone according to plan and were mostly completed in the fall of 2013. This included a large addition to the building with common lounge areas for students and replacing the bricking on the entire building.
So far, classes have been minimally disturbed by the construction of the exterior. Evonne Baldauff, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Forensic Science, believes the benefits of the project outweigh any disruption she and her students may experience.
“I did have a classroom where they were jackhammering while I was trying to teach, and it was a challenge,” said Baldauff. “But the end result is worth it.”
As phase three commences this spring, work will begin on Stewart’s interior. From May to November of this year, the roof and windows of the building will be redone, and the fifth floor will be demolished and rebuilt.
This may pose a greater challenge to the continuation of classes in the building, although Lee hopes any difficulties will be minimal.
“We’ve been very careful to focus most of the renovations when classes are out, with the exception of summer course offerings that we have,” said Lee.
“The provost and the dean have been working very closely with the construction companies to makes sure that the classrooms that we need will be available throughout this time and that nothing gets canceled or delayed because of renovations.”
The fifth floor renovation will likely not be complete in time for the start of the fall 2014 semester, but affected classes will be redistributed to other campus buildings.
Richard Leipold, chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, said there will be some rearrangement of classrooms for his department.
“Our department is already starting to reserve classrooms in the CRED building, because we know there’s going to be a limit on the number of classrooms,” said Leipold.
Many of the faculty members have been involved in the plans for the final interior of the building. According to Lee, “the faculty has been a part of the process throughout and continues to give input.”
Baldauff said the project’s workers were very receptive to the input of different professors.
“We’ve met with architects and designers, and told them how we would like the flow of our laboratories to go, how we would like the different equipment for different laboratories,” said Baldauff.
Leipold said it is more important for the science departments to be heavily involved in the plans for classrooms and labs, since his department does not require as many specialized areas or types of equipment.
“It’s more like, let’s have some classrooms and let’s have some computers and that’s it,” said Leipold.
Still, he is looking forward to the inclusion of newer computers in the labs and upgrades in teaching technology, such as the addition of SMART Boards.
Both Leipold and Baldauff see the new lounges on each floor as immensely beneficial to students.
“With the new common areas, I’ve seen students there a lot,” said Baldauff.
“It kind of helps bring a sense of collegiality to the department.”
Other changes to Stewart’s interior include new offices for every faculty member, with a window in each, and a new color scheme that will reflect the university’s colors.
Baldauff believes the renovation will be an improvement for Waynesburg’s science community as a whole.
“It will make us competitive with a lot of other science programs that are also renovating and building new buildings,” said Baldauff.
“It will give students a better sense of pride in their program, and I think it will give them a greater respect for what’s here, and they’ll treat the equipment and space respectfully.”
Leipold hopes the changes will have an effect on potential Waynesburg students in addition to those currently using the facilities.
“The most important thing, the thing that’s going to affect everybody in Stewart, is just a more pleasant atmosphere,” said Leipold.
“For students who are thinking about Waynesburg, coming into Stewart they think it’s maybe not so great a building. Hopefully with the new renovations it’ll bring more students to Waynesburg.”
Phases four, five and six will take place from 2015-2017 and will include renovations to the third and fourth floors of Stewart and parts of the first and second floors.
With the continued collaboration of architects, construction workers, administration and faculty, the project is likely to be completed according to current plans and will bring numerous benefits to the affected departments and the university as a whole.
“I think my entire department, both students and faculty, is really excited about this renovation and the very positive changes it will bring,” said Baldauff.
“The benefits are innumerable.”