The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Kent State campus getting upgrades
Exterior building updates, the transformation of the nursing skills lab and classroom and the student lounge are in Kent State University Geauga Campus’s future, as well as the transformation of the library into a new nursing lab and classroom.
In 2019, all of the regional campuses of Kent State began a master planning process, which concluded about a year ago, said Angela Spalsbury, dean and chief administrative officer of Kent State University at Geauga in Burton.
The master plan recommends that there is more student engagement space, Spalsbury said. Once the wall between the current student lounge and the current nursing lab are removed, the square footage of the student area will be greatly increased, giving students more room to collaborate in a space without being interrupted by campus traffic or other events, she said.
“As part of the master planning process, we surveyed our students to learn what they wanted to see in our campus, and they told us they wanted dedicated spaces to gather, that they wanted it to feel more like a college campus and that they want food,” Spalsbury said.
The master plan had three key themes. The first was to demonstrate continued commitment to communities as educational destinations. Under this theme, one of the recommendations is to provide academic programs that support credential attainment, workforce development and lifelong learning that address the unique needs of each community.
“The second key theme was to improve the student experience,” Spalsbury said. “Some of the recommendations under this theme include to create educational environments which foster collaboration and connections, and to create environments which address the need of the whole student beyond education.”
The final key theme is to reinforce campus identity and access. Under this theme, recommendations include to update the facilities to reflect the quality of the institution and to strengthen first-time visitor experience, said Spalsbury, who recalls when she arrived on campus three years ago for her interview.
“Our building has been meticulously maintained,” she said. “Thanks to the strategic use of technology, we were situated better than most for remote learning when the pandemic began.”
However, Spalsbury said technology has made the campus’s building in need of renovation. In the past 15 years, the front entrance has been renovated, as well as the William T. and Margaret R. Clark Commons. A parking lot was also put in on the eastern side of the building.
The campus’ outdoor patio area is adjacent to the current student lounge, where there are picnic tables, the Frenchie garden and open outdoor space, Spalsbury said. The patio faces both the back of the university’s property and will also face the soon to be completed pre-k to 12 Berkshire school.
“Because the new school is going to be built and this will be the entrance that students or visitors from that school will see, our plan is to add more vibrant signage so visitors know that this is Kent State in their community,” she said.
In addition, the learning commons will be transformed into a multipurpose area where students can study individually, work together in groups, access library services and get something to eat, Spalsbury said.
“Our current student lounge hasn’t had many updates,” she said. “All we have are some vending machines, a refrigerator and a microwave for students, but they would like more than that.
“One complaint that we hear over and over from students is they want food service, so our plan is to remove those vending machines and to put in some type of cafe and coffee shop.”
The new learning commons area will also be accessible from the outside for community members, and for staff and students to enjoy, Spalsbury said.
The final piece of the renovation plans will include updating the nursing facility on campus.
“Educating nurses is a priority for all of us... Northeastern Ohio is facing a severe nursing shortage due to retirement,” she said.
Last year, the nursing shortage was estimated to be near 3,000 nurses, Spalsbury said. The current nursing classroom only has four hospital beds and can only seat up to 20 students, she said.
“Our cohort sizes of classes are much large than 20, so we can’t accommodate them all at once,” Spalsbury said. “It’s small, it’s narrow, it’s hard for students to work collaboratively together.”
In the new nursing facility, 36 students will be able to be seated, Spalsbury said. There will also be a moveable glass wall between the classroom area and the skills lab, which will allow for multiple lessons to occur at the same time.
The bed capacity will be doubled so students can continue to practice
“One complaint that we hear over and over from students is they want food service, so our plan is to remove those vending machines and to put in some type of cafe and coffee shop.” — Angela Spalsbury, dean and chief administrative officer, Kent State University Geauga
their clinical skills. As people walk into the new commons, they will also be able to observe nursing students in action.
The last major component of the new nursing lab will be the simulation labs, Spalsbury said. In the new space, there will be two simulation labs with a control room in the middle.
“They provide our nursing students with hands on interaction with a variety of simulations and simulated patients,” she said. “By practicing these mock scenarios, students can carry out critical decision making skills in a risk free teaching environment.”
The renovations are to take place over the summer when nursing courses are not in session with a goal to make the renovations in the summer of 2022, Spalsbury said.
“Our fundraising campaign has just started and our goal for that is $1.2 million,” she said. “We received a gift from Preston Superstore — a check for $20,000 and UH Geauga Medical Center donated three hospital beds to use in our nursing, so we’re really grateful. It’s a great start.”
Spalsbury emphasizes that the building is not being expanded, but rather using the current space better, she said. The entire renovation is just over 5,000 square feet.
“Our facility is outdated and really needs to be modernized in some aspects,” she said. “The university recognizes that certain programs (nursing) will never be entirely online. We want to invest our students.”
In the 1970s, B.J. Shanower donated land to Kent State University for the Geauga Campus to be built. The campus hosted a groundbreaking ceremony in 1974.
It now serves 800 to 1,000 students each year and students can complete more than 20 different degrees on campus.