Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

USU to Construct New Building for Language Programs

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/12/21

The Utah State Legislature recently approved the construction of a new home for Utah State University’s foreign language programs. The $17-million Mehdi Heravi Global Teaching and Learning Center will house all of the university’s language-based programs under one roof.

The Legislature approved $14.5 million in state funds for construction of the new facility. An additional $2.5 million will come from private donors, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Legislature had already approved the project in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic effected budget cuts.

Though all the university’s foreign language classes fall under the umbrella of the Department of Languages, Philosophy, and Communications Studies, they’re spread across four different buildings. “The Mehdi Heravi Global Teaching and Learning Center will bring together in one location all language-focused programs in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences,” said Joseph P. Ward, Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Ward estimates that about 2,200 students enroll in lower-division foreign language classes each year. Amenities in the new building will include conversation, teaching, and computer writing labs; and centralized spaces for student advising, studying, and tutoring. It will also contain the university’s Intensive English Language Institute.

The new facility is named after USU alumnus Mehdi Heravi, an Iranian-born teacher, scholar, philanthropist, and author. Heravi has established multiple scholarships at the university.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Dallas ISD Voters Approve $6.2B Bond Package

    Dallas ISD voters have approved a record-setting $6.2-billion bond package that district leaders say will modernize aging campuses, eliminate portable classrooms and reshape learning environments across one of the nation’s largest school systems.

  • UT-San Antonio Begins Residence Hall Renovations

    The University of Texas at San Antonio recently began a $6-million renovation project to one of its residence halls, according to a news release. Originally completed in 1986, Chisolm Hall measures in at 120,860 square feet and is the oldest and largest residence hall on campus.

  • Girl Sitting at Library Desk, Using Laptop

    How Campus Design Shapes the Finals Week Experience

    Academic performance is not just about preparation. It is closely tied to how students manage stress, maintain their energy, and shift between work and recovery modes. Much of that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by design.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.