EUGENE, Ore. -- (June 9, 2009) -- Future teachers and specialists will become better prepared to help children and families in spacious new facilities at the top-ranked University of Oregon College of Education.
The public grand opening of the University of Oregon's new education complex took place at
4 p.m. Thursday, June 11, on the plaza of the new HEDCO Education Building, 1655 Alder St.
"We will change education and social services for the better," said Michael Bullis, dean and Sommerville-Knight Professor. "This incredible new building symbolizes hope for the future."
The $50.5 million project, the first construction for the college since 1980, included renovation of all the buildings within the complex. It provides the college's 1,295 students, 325 faculty and 119 staff members with the most advanced technology for teaching and learning at the university.
"The work done at the UO College of Education benefits everyone, from premature infants to school children and from families coping with autism to senior citizens struggling to recover from strokes," said UO President Dave Frohnmayer. "The new HEDCO Education Building will serve as a grand central station for learning on all levels."
Frohnmayer said the project, which provides all of the buildings in the education complex with the same technologies, exceeds his wildest hopes for creating an inspiring learning community that reaches far beyond its physical walls.
"If you cannot come to our campus, we now have the technology to meet you where you are," he said. "We want to lift you within reach of your dreams. We will do all we can to help you achieve your highest potential."
The new complex also includes the college's original historic brick quad, named for donor Lorry I. Lokey in appreciation of his $12.50 million investment in the project; the Clinical Services Building; and the Education Annex, known informally as "the little red schoolhouse."
What began as a plan to expand and modernize facilities overwhelmed by a tripling of enrollment has resulted in the transformation of the entire 9.8-acre site. Gardens, courtyards and walkways extend gathering opportunities into natural surroundings. The main "Walk of Fame" linking the new building with three newly renovated buildings features pavers purchased by alumni and friends to honor their mentors.
THA Architects of Portland designed the centerpiece, the 67,000-square-foot HEDCO building with input from faculty and students including those with special needs. Additional details are available here.
The building is named for California's HEDCO Foundation, whose president, Dody Dornsife Jernstedt, is a 1969 UO graduate who holds bachelor's and master's degrees in communication disorders and sciences. The foundation's lead gift of $10 million in 2004 helped secure the 2005 Oregon legislature's authorization of $19.4 million in general obligation bonds for the project. Ultimately, $29.2 million from private gifts covered 60 percent of the project cost.
At four stories counting the basement parking structure, the HEDCO building increases the college's space within the complex by two-thirds and brings its five clinical training programs under one roof.
"Now future classroom teachers can mingle with and learn from their colleagues in speech therapy, school psychology and related clinical professions," Bullis said. "We believe this will have a powerful positive impact on how well children learn."
The new education complex is among the largest of 20 major UO building projects in various stages of completion made possible by Campaign Oregon: Transforming Lives, the most successful fundraising drive in the state's history.
About the UO College of Education
The University of Oregon College of Education is the nation's top public education college according to U.S. News and World Report's 2010 edition of "American's Best Graduate Schools." Established in 1910, the college's roots trace back to 1880 when the UO instituted the state's "normal course" curriculum for training teachers. The college consistently attracts about $30 million in federal grants and contracts annually.
(Editor's note: Speakers at the June 11 opening included UO President
Dave Frohnmayer, Dean Michael Bullis, donors Dody Dornsife Jernstedt
and Lorry I. Lokey, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Susan Castillo.)
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The UO is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
Contact: Julie Brown, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu
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