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

  • Houston K–12 District Opens New Elementary School

    The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (Lamar CISD) recently announced the completion of a new elementary school in a western suburb of Houston, Texas, according to a news release. Haygood Elementary School measures in at 110,000 square feet, has the capacity for 854 students, and is the first of three new schools scheduled to be built in the Cross Creek West community.

  • Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland, OR

    Preserving Legacy, Designing for the Future

    As historic academic buildings age, institutions face a difficult decision: preserve and adapt or demolish and rebuild. How do we honor the legacy of these spaces while adapting them to meet the needs of modern learners?

  • UT System Board of Regents Approves $108M Housing Complex

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently announced the approval of a new, $108-million housing complex at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), according to a news release. The facility will stand four stories and have a total of 456 new beds for freshmen students.

  • Preparing for the Next Era of Healthcare Education, Innovation

    Across the country, public universities and community colleges are accelerating investments in healthcare education facilities as part of a broader strategy to address workforce shortages, modernize outdated infrastructure, and expand clinical training capacity. These projects, which are often located at the center of campus health and science districts, are no longer limited to traditional classrooms.

Digital Edition