2008 Woodie Awards
Out with the old...
David Howton
Issue date: 9/1/05 Section: News
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The renovation of Ayers Hall was completed in July, ending more than three years of work. A New York company who, after review, gave JSU an "A" rating for projected growth granted the $8 million bond.
The JSU Board of Trustees chose Chorba Contracting Corporation of Guntersville to head up the reconstruction process.
Due to federal guidelines, before the renovation could begin, asbestos and other harmful materials had to be removed. This process, the first of many, began in May of 2002 and was finished later that summer.
The building was basically rebuilt from the ground up; with the inside being completely "gutted", according to on-site supervisor David Stout. The President's Capital Projects Report states that the "Final Inspection for the building was conducted July 15." A few items remained to be completed at the time, but were quickly finished.
With the completion of Ayers, it is now possible for the departments of Mathematical, Computing and Information Sciences and the Department of Technology & Engineering to be in the same building. Since they often use the same equipment, this is beneficial to both departments.
The Psychology Department also moved back into Ayers. Dr. Allen Smith, head of the Psychology Department, is relieved the process is complete so things can finally get back to normal.
Dr. Martha McCormick, head of MCIS, enjoys the new offices but can't wait until everything is moved in. When asked if she felt the combined environment would affect the student's movement on campus, she replied, "Freshmen and sophomores probably won't feel the change as much as juniors and seniors will. Juniors and seniors have a lot of projects that require them to work together. Professors will enjoy the change because they won't have to move around and students will benefit more because their professors will have more accessible office hours."
In addition to the availability of professors, Dr. McCormick is excited about the new research and computing labs stating, "now we have an actual room for these labs instead of them being located in the back of a classroom." While some teachers are faced with the problem of last minute furniture arrival, the consensus seems to be one of excitement and pleasure.