College of Education and Human Services
Central Michigan University recently constructed a new College of Education and Human Services Building to enhance the ability of the school to meet the learning needs of its students, the instructional needs of its faculty, and the functional needs of its supporting staff. The new building provides up-to-date academic instructional spaces, classrooms, labs, a child development center, staff, faculty, and departmental offices. The original plan for the Education Building project included the construction of an addition and renovations to the existing Ronan Hall. During program confirmation, an assessment of Ronan Hall was performed to determine the extent and cost of required renovations and to determine which program requirements could be effectively located in a renovated Ronan Hall. Based on the Ronan Hall facility assessment, the complexity of incorporating a new building into this area of campus, and the limited cost difference between re-utilizing Ronan and constructing a new building elsewhere, the recommendation to relocate the entire project to a more suitable location on campus was accepted by the University. The building is centrally sited on what was the Washington Apartment Block. Four existing apartments were demolished to accommodate the construction of the new facility. The site is located adjacent to an existing campus utility tunnel to minimize infrastructure costs. The building’s primary axis orientation is east/west and the building has four entrances. To the east and west, the building connects to pedestrian paths that connect student-housing areas to the south with central campus to the north. A northern entrance is located adjacent to a small visitor parking area; this entry accommodates a one-story wing to the north. This wing houses a lecture hall, classrooms and building support components. Finally a south entrance is provided for the 1st level Child Development Center program. The remaining classrooms are split on the northern side of levels two and three with shared group study areas terminating the double loaded corridor. Departmental offices as well as staff/faculty offices are generally located in the southern portion of the building. The site is programmed with a dedicated drop off area for the CDC program and also includes an enclosed secured outdoor learning center. Exterior gathering areas are landscaped with drought resistant and indigenous plantings. The exterior walls consist of terra cotta rain-screen cladding, glass curtain-wall, and metal panels. A slate veneer is used at the east and west entries and the north wing. The primary structural system is a steel frame. Insulated Low-E coated and other high performance glass is used in all punched windows and curtain-wall. A Clerestory is used above the primary circulation to provide natural day lighting. Overhangs and deeply punched windows with solar screening provide solar shading. The southern low roof is designed to include a shallow green roof. Roof construction anticipated steel beams and joists and metal deck, and includes an Energy Star compliant roof membrane installed over rigid insulation, creating a ‘cool’ roof structure. High roofs are clad with a campus standard metal roof. The interior wall construction is a combination of steel studs with gypsum board and concrete masonry unit walls depending on the room usage and required durability. Interior finish selections utilize sustainable materials where appropriate. For example floor finishes include carpet tile (high recycled content), sheet linoleum and porcelain tile depending on room usage. Ceilings in the classrooms and professional work areas primarily use acoustic ceiling panels that offer both acoustical and operational advantages over open or hard surfaced ceilings. Low-VOC paints and stains are used throughout the project. The primary lighting in the classrooms and work areas are indirect/direct fluorescent fixtures. Construction for the new building was completed in June of 2009. Instructional Goals In the 113 years since CMU was founded as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the University’s historic leadership in the field of teacher education has advanced steadily. CMU’s commitment to provide much-needed professional preparation to aspiring teachers—a mission first established in 1892—are realized further with the construction of a new education building. The technologically advanced new facility brings all education-related faculty and programs together into one environment that models the integrative, interdisciplinary, and collaborative nature of the teaching profession. This new facility support a number of CMU’s important teacher education objectives: - Maintain and improve the University’s rank as one of the top teacher preparation institutions nationally In addition to classroom and laboratory spaces, learning also takes place in three educational building centers brought together and enhanced in the new building space: - Child Development Center – providing space for a laboratory school for children and a learning environment for University students enrolled in the child development major. The center mirrors programs available in day care centers, preschools, and Head Start programs. This cohesive and integrative, technologically enriched, and learner centered environment will significantly benefit students, faculty, and the wider community. While CMU has grown from relatively modest beginnings to a nationally recognized doctoral and research-intensive institution that enrolls more than 27,000 students and offers more than 200 programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, specialist’s, and doctoral levels. One constant throughout the years has been the University’s commitment to leadership in the field of teacher education. Today, CMU graduates more than 700 teachers each year. These teachers join 30,000 teaching alumni living and working throughout Michigan and beyond. In bringing together all teacher education programs within the College, the following academic departments are housed in the new building: - Teacher Education and Professional Development These departments offer a broad range of programs at all levels and many provide services via off-campus sites throughout the state of Michigan. Enhanced technological capability in the new building allows interactive courses to remote sites in the Upper Peninsula and elsewhere, while not draining faculty resources through continued long drives from the home site. This serves more students in an efficient manner and allows faculty more opportunities for research-based activities. The new education building also provides one collaborative environment for CMU’s nationally renowned and emerging education centers and programs that serve education students as well as K-12 schools, students, and teachers throughout the region: - Charter Schools Project Description:
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