By Thomas Gibbons
Dominican University broke ground on the state-of-the-art Learning Commons in the Rebecca Crown Library over the winter break. Study rooms, tutoring centers, a recording studio, individual work spaces, and so much more will be here before we know it.
Pardon the dust? Yes, there was minor construction as students came back to campus to start the spring semester, but trust the process because it is going to be a sensational finished product.
Barrington Price, Vice President of Student Success and Engagement at Dominican and one of the leaders of the project, provided an update on the Learning Commons. “Over the winter break, the goal was to build the frames of the study rooms on the second floor of the library,” said Price. “Construction is on hold until the summer so we do not disrupt students and faculty during the semester.”
From the start, this has been a student focused project. There were focus groups last summer and Price visited student government and students studying to become librarians for feedback. In addition, there was a website set up for students and faculty to give their input too.
The next step for students to give feedback on the Learning Commons is the Furniture Fair. “We are still planning where the fair will be,” said Price. “Students will be able to come and try out the furniture and give us instant feedback.”
An interesting development during the process of planning the Learning Commons was that students were calling for a lot more outlets. “It was something I heard from every student,” said Price. “A few students told me the reason they did not visit the library because there were not enough outlets.”
I can confirm there will be plenty of outlets so you can crank out your midterm paper or enjoy catching up on your Netflix show.
The construction is on schedule. The Learning Commons will be completed by the first day of school in September followed by a grand opening shortly after classes start.
With these big projects, the budget is always in question. As Price confirmed, they have plenty of funds to complete the project on time. “Money is not going to be a problem,” Price said. “We cannot build or design anything that is not in the constraints of the gifts we got for this project.”
“To hear students talk about what they need for their learning has been really exciting,” said Price. “It has been a way to talk more deeply about learning and that is why we are here.”
