During the summer break, the IUS Graduate Center for business and education classes moved to the 300 Building, located in downtown Jeffersonville.
The center was previously situated in the McCauley-Nicolas Building and was there for more than 10 years.
Alan White, dean of the School of Business, said the move was necessary due to the demand for more classrooms and newer equipment.
“We need additional classroom space,” White said. “We needed better fit and finish.”
It took IU Southeast six weeks to make the move in order to have the new building ready for fall semester classes.
The remaining item left to be finished is getting new furniture in the classrooms and in The Commons area, a project they expect to complete by mid-September.
The new building has four classrooms and one office for all the staff to use. It also has a lounge area to allow students to wait or study for classes.
One of the classrooms has new equipment that allows for more interaction, including an 80-inch touchscreen TV.
The main reason the center moved was due to the lease ending on the previous building, which comes out of the university fund.
This will be paid for by the addition of one more classroom. The funding for technology comes from endowments received from donors, allowing them to purchase items without using university funds.
Jeff Barrick, graduate in business administration, said he loves it because it is closer to his home in Louisville.
“[It’s my] first time here, [and] it’s great,” Barrick said.
Stephen Clark, graduate in business, said he likes the new center because it has better technology and larger classroom size.
“[The building] has more space, [it is] more open and [it has] a little area to kick back and study,” Clark said.
Kathy Ernstberger, professor of business administration, teaches at the Graduate Center and said one advantage is the type of lighting she works in because in the former building, Ernstberger taught in the basement.
“Natural light helps energy level,” Ernstberger said. “[The building is] beautiful, just as continent and [with] state of the art technology.”
Ernstberger also said she thinks the move was positive for the university and appreciates how she can see more students.
By JEREMY EILER
Staff
jreiler@ius.edu
