2008 Woodie Awards
Blueprints outline future of education
Chase Becicka
Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: News
In a continuing effort to improve Kirkwood Community College, construction on all sides of campus is laying the foundation for the future of the school. With two of the new buildings already taking shape and two more in the planning process, Kirkwood is right in the middle of a multi-million dollar expansion that will cater to both students and area businesses.
The four new buildings will include a horticulture building, an academic building, a hotel and culinary arts facility and a simulation building for students in health sciences.
The hotel and culinary arts facility, also known as phase two, will be an addition to the new continuing education building and is scheduled to be a two-year project. It should be completed sometime in the year 2010 according to Tom Kaldenberg, executive director of facilities, and will include about 74 hotel rooms including suites on each floor. The hotel area will have all the features of a regular building - a lobby, several conference rooms and kitchens for the restaurant side where culinary arts students will work.
Students in the Hotel Management and Culinary Arts programs will be the backbone of the hotel and in return they will receive on the job experience before completing their degree. "It will be a great experience," said Andrew Balek, culinary arts major. As for providing business to the new hotel Kirkwood met with local business such as Aegon to insure that the business venture would be worth while, explained Kaldenberg.
The new academic building is the most visible of all the current construction because it's right in the middle of east campus. The new 87,000 sq.ft. academic building is scheduled to be finished in December of this year.
The building will largely be classroom-based. The plan, explained Kaldenberg, is to move the English classes along with the academic assistance programs over to the new building and free up space in Linn Hall for the health science and math programs.
The four new buildings will include a horticulture building, an academic building, a hotel and culinary arts facility and a simulation building for students in health sciences.
The hotel and culinary arts facility, also known as phase two, will be an addition to the new continuing education building and is scheduled to be a two-year project. It should be completed sometime in the year 2010 according to Tom Kaldenberg, executive director of facilities, and will include about 74 hotel rooms including suites on each floor. The hotel area will have all the features of a regular building - a lobby, several conference rooms and kitchens for the restaurant side where culinary arts students will work.
Students in the Hotel Management and Culinary Arts programs will be the backbone of the hotel and in return they will receive on the job experience before completing their degree. "It will be a great experience," said Andrew Balek, culinary arts major. As for providing business to the new hotel Kirkwood met with local business such as Aegon to insure that the business venture would be worth while, explained Kaldenberg.
The new academic building is the most visible of all the current construction because it's right in the middle of east campus. The new 87,000 sq.ft. academic building is scheduled to be finished in December of this year.
The building will largely be classroom-based. The plan, explained Kaldenberg, is to move the English classes along with the academic assistance programs over to the new building and free up space in Linn Hall for the health science and math programs.
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