| Celebrating an anniversary, Kogod produces video, announces award winner
Celebrating 50 years of educating business students in Washington, D.C., the Kogod School of Business is producing a promotional video to celebrate its history. The video will debut at the dean’s dinner on Thursday night, and subsequently be shown on Kogod’s Web site and used for promotional activities. The school is getting a bit of change in its leadership. Bill DeLone is leaving his post as senior associate dean for academic affairs to return to the classroom. He will become chair of the Information Technology Department and resume teaching. DeLone’s previous position will be filled by management professor Kathleen Getz. The school also announced the winners of several faculty awards at the Apr. 18 council meeting. Ed Wasil was named Kogod Scholar/Teacher of the Year; Ron Anderson and Augustine Duru were honored for their outstanding scholarship; Ajay Adhikari won for outstanding teaching; Phil Jacoby was recognized for outstanding service; and John Katkish was honored for outstanding teaching in an adjunct appointment. Nebraska Hall renovation work begins
Nebraska Hall is getting more that a face-lift. It’s getting a full makeover, from interior walls to plumbing, that will turn it into a contemporary residence hall with apartment-style suites for 115 upperclassmen by 2007. Initially built as a nursing home and bought by the university in 1983, the box-like building on Nebraska Avenue was used for many years in the same essential form. But now “we’re essentially gutting and rebuilding the interior,” said Jorge Abud, assistant vice president of facilities. The suite arrangement is “the contemporary way of doing student housing,” Abud said. “Just about all new housing built on college campuses uses the suite concept.” At Nebraska, three or four bedrooms will be grouped together in each suite with a living room, bathroom and kitchen, Abud said. Students will be able to opt out of meal plans and do their own cooking. The suites are planned as housing for juniors or seniors, with the higher-level students getting first choice, Abud said. Currently, work is being done on hazardous material abatement, with demolition starting in about a month. “We’ll be ripping out everything inside the building that doesn’t hold it up,” Abud said. Interior reconstruction is expected to begin this fall. The cost of the project will be around $15 million. Interim DC library to open in AU rental space
AU-owned space at 4200 Wisconsin Ave. will soon become a temporary public library for the Tenleytown neighborhood, replacing the Tenley-Friendship Neighborhood Library that closed in December 2004 for reconstruction that has since stalled. The 5,069-square foot space, formerly a real estate office, is smaller than the closed branch, “but what they’re trying to accomplish is just to have some level of service on a temporary basis until a new permanent library is built,” said Jorge Abud, assistant vice president of facilities. The university has given the D.C. library system a five-year lease rather than its usual 10-year lease for rental space and has reduced the rates as well, Abud said. “We took this on partly as a public service as opposed to just a business deal,” he said. The interim library is expected to open in early fall. Physical Plant gets new name, internal changes
For years, the people who keep the physical part of AU in good condition—from the sod on the quad to the taps in the sinks—have been known as Physical Plant Operations. Now that extensive department has a new name that reflects an updated way of looking at its work. Facilities Management, as it’s now called, will also have two new assistant directors to more efficiently divide the workload. The yet-to-be-hired assistant director for facilities operations will support front-line technical staff, while the new assistant director for administration and communications, Sarah High, will handle the administrative workload that used to fall on the shoulders of the same person who once supported more than 40 technicians. Other assistant directors in the 130-person department will remain the same. “We’re moving more towards a proactive, preventative posture,” said director Willy Suter. “To me, Facilities Management connotes that more than Physical Plant Operations.” Library ‘Final Perk’ offers fuel for thought
Students can “perk” up for exams and final papers during the AU Library’s biannual Final Perk, Wednesday, May 3, in the Mud Box. Cosponsored by the library, campus life, the health center, Aramark, and several student organizations, the traditional AU study-days event offers free coffee, cookies, and Red Bull for a mental energy boost before finals. |
