Indiana Tech Plans New Academic Center


Fort Wayne, Ind. (PRWEB) July 24, 2012

Indiana Tech is planning construction of a new academic center to accommodate growth in enrollment and expansion of degree programs. The estimated cost of the project is $ 15 million, and the university has a goal of raising half that total before starting construction.

Weve been very purposeful about developing academic programs and improving our campus to attract more students, and weve been successful in doing that, said Dr. Arthur E. Snyder, president. So successful, in fact, that we now need to add classroom space and other amenities that contribute to our learning environment.

Ground-breaking for the project is tentatively planned for May 2013. Construction is expected to take about 18 months, making the academic center ready to open in January 2015.

The 60,000-square-foot building will be constructed north of the Wilfred Uytengsu Sr. Center on the Fort Wayne campus. It will have an academic wing and a library wing, joined at a rotunda area with a multi-flex auditorium and theater.

The academic wing will have two stories plus an unfinished lower level for future completion as needed. It will house Indiana Techs fastest growing college, the College of General Studies. This wing will include multimedia-equipped classrooms, as well as laboratories for the School of Education and the Center for Criminal Sciences, two of the universitys programs that are increasing the most in enrollment. The academic wing also will have student study rooms and offices for the vice president for academic affairs, and the dean and faculty of the College of General Studies.

The library wing also will have two levels. Since todays information is largely digitally based, the library will have two state-of-the-art computer facilities. It also will have technically enhanced spaces for collaborative research and learning, with a multi-functional seminar room for instruction, faculty development, and video conferencing with satellite campuses. There will be group and individual study rooms, space for traditional print media, and offices for the library director and staff.

The rotunda will accommodate gatherings, a caf