Technological advancements, such as lighting and audiovisuals, are being installed in MTU classrooms across campus. MTU’s construction manager Michael Lehman said, “Lighting, audiovisual, chairs, tables, and acoustical panels can be expected in the renovations”. The details of the renovations include the lecture halls in the M&M, EERC, MEEM, and Forestry Building as well as classrooms on the EERC’s third floor and in Walker. In addition to the classroom and lecture hall renovations, medical labs are moving from the MEEM to the fourth floor of Dow, nursing program learning spaces are moving into Dow 708, and teaching lab renovations are on the seventh floor.
When asked what the timeline is, Lehman said “It varies per classroom…. The work is being constructed at times when students are off, like winter break and spring break, with a big push happening in the summer”. Students can expect most of the work to be done by the time they return for the fall semester, although there will be some overlap towards the end of construction. There are restrictions set up for the contractors regarding classroom and lab times. If any outages occur, the contractors must give 24-hour notice so the University can adjust if needed. M&M U113 and U115 are already gutted and ready to advance to the next stage. The renovations maintain the facility management’s vision, centered around lighting, clean buildings, and infrastructure improvements.
Traditional classrooms are becoming more collaborative based on feedback received from students and faculty. Examples similar to this in previous years are the EERC second-floor renovations and ChemSci 501 and 601 lab renovations. When asked about the finances of the project, Lehman said “There was a bond that MTU got that can only be used for classrooms, labs, learning spaces, and lecture hall renovations”. The bond is driving the financial aspect of the renovations.
