Across the Nation: New medical education campus

ANNANDALE - Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), the third largest community college in the United States with more than 60,000 students, is planning its new medical-education campus. The total construction cost of the project is $24.3 million.

The new campus will include 121,000 square feet of teaching space for NOVA's nursing, medical, dental, pharmacy, imaging, emergency medical services and related health-sciences industry programs. The building contains a public medical/dental mall with clinics, pharmacy, vision care, bookstore and cafe, and administrative facilities for the health-sciences departments. A 750-car, multistory parking garage links to the building through an atrium.

The facility initially will accommodate 1,500 full-time students, but usage is expected to double. NOVA plans for continued, phased expansion on the site over the next 10 years. It also will offer expanded degree programs with educational partners, including Virginia Commonwealth University and George Mason University. A secondary Health Academy is planned for the campus in collaboration with regional school districts.

Gilbane is construction manager for the project, which is scheduled for completion in 2002.

The 2000 Eagle Institute, a three-day executive-development conference held annually in Washington, D.C., brings together education officials from across the nation to honor recipients of the prestigious Eagle Award.

Sponsored by the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International and Siemens Building Technologies, Landis Division, the Institute provides school professionals the opportunity to participate in intensive career-development sessions, as well as get firsthand briefings by top public-policy officials. A highlight of the event is the reception and dinner in the private Mansfield Room of the U.S. Capitol, where attendees met and had the chance to discuss education policy with key members of Congress.

For more information on the 2001 program, contact ASBO at (703)478-0405 or visit www.asbointl.org.

District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) recently was recognized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for its efforts to include the community in school planning and preliminary design initiatives. A unique series of charrettes hosted by the district last fall enabled district residents to view designs in progress, and provided an opportunity for students and community members to interact with architectural teams.

In addition, community dialogues in September were a followup to an initial round of meetings held in June. The public participation is part of the district's Community Master Facilities Planning Process, which involves School Planning Area Committees within each of eight planning areas.

The sessions have been designed to allow for full community participation. At the first session, residents received information on area school buildings, including enrollments, building capacities and facility-condition assessments. After completing a questionnaire addressing local issues, community members participated in small-group discussions.

The Community Master Facilities Planning Process will determine how DCPS will modernize its inventory of approximately 150 school buildings, which on average are more than 65 years old. Several important steps have been completed or are currently underway, including the generation of a new set of districtwide educational specifications, an initial master plan platform, the development of educational facility standards and the series of community design charrettes.

This year, students at Columbine High School, Littleton, Colo., returned to find a new library and atrium.

The Colorado Glazing Contractors Association (CGCA) and other professional organizations pooled their strengths and talents in a voluntary effort to build an atrium and new library funded through the private efforts of Healing Of People Everywhere (HOPE)/Columbine, a group that comprises 54 families.

By state law, construction on the atrium and library could not begin until HOPE raised the $3.1 million necessary to complete the entire project.

In addition to the contribution from Harmon's Gump Glass, Turner Construction, Empire Construction and Alvarado Construction agreed to donate up to $200,000 worth of general contractor and engineering services, plus solicit free labor and materials for the atrium and library renovation project.