By LYDIA EARHART

lee003@latech.edu

 

Some of the offices in Wyly Tower of Learning are playing a game of “musical locations” to get ready for the renovations scheduled to be finished next fall.

Pamela Ford, dean of enrollment management, said renovated floors include the second, twelfth and fifteenth. 

The second floor will house a new Student Achievement Center.

Enrollment management, marketing and public relations, the Web master team, institutional research and continuing education will all move to the twelfth floor of Wyly. 

The fifteenth floor will house an intellectual property officer, a director of economic development, several conference rooms, information systems and the grant-writing research office.

“[Wyly Tower] is in the heart of campus — it is a big deal to select that location for the Student Achievement Center,” Ford said.

“It was very purposeful to locate the center in the heart of campus, so it would be easy for students to find.”

Ford said she is looking forward to the much anticipated Student Achievement Center.

“It will be a space that contains tutoring services, group study space and space to begin a formal instruction program,” she said.

Ford said the center may also have help with supplemental advising.

“Supplemental advising would answer student’s questions on advising or basic information about registration, policies and procedures,” Ford said. 

Ford said Tech also hopes to showcase opportunities for student exchange and study abroad in the center.

“We want [the center] to become a very comprehensive space for students to get together and get help or questions answered,” Ford said.

“We also hope to bridge academic life with dorm life together with this space.”

Ford said with all the people working on this project, she hopes the center will be successful.

“Common sense and committee consensus ended up in the same place, and that was a missing thing,” Ford said.

“We found out that most selective admission institutions that we aspire to be like do have Student Achievement Centers.” 

Jerry Drewett, vice president for administrative services, said Tech had money left over from the construction of Hale Hall to complete the Wyly Tower project.

“Part of my responsibility is to prepare the capital outlay budget,” Drewett said.

“There is a part of the Hale Hall project that had some funds left over.”

Drewett said Tech had $1.8 million state and university funds left over from the project.

Tech President Dr. Dan Reneau, along with his administrators, identified areas he thought would be useful to renovate in Wyly Tower, Drewett said.

“We made an appeal to the legislature to let us use the left-over funds for renovating Wyly Tower,” Drewett said.

“The appeal was approved for renovating the west side of the building.”

Drewett said some floors are going through an asbestos abatement.

“There is nothing wrong as far as the safety,” Drewett said. “We have never had a problem with an abatement project.”

Kate Archer, director of marketing and public relations, is enjoying her temporary office on the third floor of Wyly.

“[Marketing and Public Relations] is in what used to be a classroom, and we have put up these dividers that remind me of corporate culture,” Archer said.

Archer said she was on the second floor at the beginning of this year and then moved to the third floor because of the asbestos abatement.

“Obviously the move will be very good because, in the twelfth floor, they are building offices to give us the space we need,” she said.

Archer said having marketing and public relations in one room is a good way to get to know employees better.

“Any department that wants to be more productive and wants to get to know each other should all be swept in a one-room-set up,” Archer said.

“We are excited to move to the twelfth floor; right now it is kind of like office musical chairs.”

Lida Millman, a senior family and child studies major, likes the idea of having a Student Achievement Center in Wyly Tower.

“I think that it will be a place for students to go for motivation,” Millman said.

“I think for inspiration to excel and become a great student, leader or adult, the center is what we need.”