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Cybersecurity

Howard University Suspends Online, Hybrid Classes After Ransomware Attack

Howard University in Washington, D.C., announced this week that its online and hybrid classes have been suspended following a ransomware attack.

New Construction

Nebraska Town Breaks Ground on New High School

A groundbreaking ceremony was held this week for a new high school in Boys Town, Neb. The three-story, 110,000-square-foot facility will stand on the site of the small town’s previous high school, which was built in 1948 and was recently demolished to make room for construction.

Indoor Air Quality

Three Organizations Partner to Help K–12 Schools Assess Indoor Air Quality

Johnson Controls announced this week that it is contributing its OpenBlue Healthy Buildings portfolio to a pre-existing partnership between two science and safety organizations. UL and SafeTraces joined forces in March 2021 to begin evaluating the effectiveness of indoor air quality and HVAC systems, as well as infection control strategies, in K–12 schools.

Outdoor Learning Spaces

Campus Amenities

How to Create Outdoor Learning Environments that Benefit Students

Too often, outdoor spaces are seen as an afterthought – spaces that can be determined once everything else is evaluated and developed. But that can be a costly mistake. When prioritized as part of the school’s overall programming, value-added outdoor space benefits students’ learning and social experience, providing a solid return-on-investment for schools.

COVID-19 and Schools

Back to School: 3 Key Risks Worth Evaluating

Across the country, K–12 school administrators, teachers and staff are preparing to return to school in the midst of continued uncertainty. As COVID-19 continues to evolve, conflicting positions on mask mandates and safety requirements have spilled out of school board and PTA meetings into the national discourse, complicating decision-making at every level. The ongoing pandemic has created new risks, and elevated others — all of which pose challenges to K–12 operations.

Adaptive Reuse

Chapman University to Convert Historic Building into Dance Center

Chapman University, located in Orange, Calif., recently announced the construction of a new facility for the Sandi Simon Center for Dance. The project entails the renovation of an historic Villa Park Orchards Building on the campus’ west side.

New Construction

University of Maryland Opens New Residence Hall

The University of Maryland in College Park, Md., has a new dorm on campus. Pyon-Chen Hall opened its doors in time for the fall semester to about 450 University Honors living-learning program students, as well as others.

University Renovations

WSU Spokane Receives Grant for Indigenous Clinical Simulation Space

Washington State University Spokane announced this week that its Native American Health Sciences program has received a grant to enrich its space.

Funding

MSU College of Nursing Receives $101M Philanthropic Gift

Montana State University, located in Bozeman, Mont., announced this week that it has received a sizable philanthropic gift for its College of Nursing.

Holmes Hall interior at Bucknell University

New Construction

Structure and Creativity: Bucknell Opens Holmes Hall

Everywhere you look, Holmes Hall is more than a collection of classrooms and studios; it’s a forum where left- and right-brain thinkers build the future together.



New Construction

University of Maryland Breaks Ground on New Chemistry Building

On the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., officials gathered recently to break ground on a new 105,000-square-foot chemistry building.

John Quincy Upper School Rendering

New Construction

HMFH Architects Unveils Design for Boston High-Rise Public School

The city of Boston, Mass., will soon be getting a new public school. HMFH Architects announced this week that it is putting finishing touches on the design for Josiah Quincy Upper School (JQUS), which will stand in a one-acre lot in the city’s “dense and diverse Chinatown neighborhood,” according to a news release.

New Construction

Fort Knox to Replace 63-Year-Old Elementary School

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) has announced a new elementary school on the grounds of Fort Knox in Kentucky.

Campus Renovations

Columbine High School Debuts Renovations

Columbine High School, located in Littleton, Colo., held a ribbon-cutting ceremony recently for a series of renovations to the campus, including a new entrance.

WKU Commons at Helm Library

Campus Renovations

WKU Commons Project Adds Food to Library Experience

A new student commons is expected to open later this fall at Western Kentucky University. WKU Commons is part of Margie Helm Library and offers study and collaboration spaces alongside dining options.

BYU music building

Campus Renovations

BYU Updates High School for Temporary Program Housing

Brigham Young University has begun "minimal" construction on a former Provo high school campus that the Utah institution purchased in 2016. The slightly remodeled building, part of a 25-acre site, will house some units from the College of Fine Arts and Communication temporarily.

Campus Design

DLR Group Acquires Two Education Design Firms

Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced the acquisitions of two major education design firms stationed on the east and west coasts.

New Construction

Texas State University Breaks Ground on Media Building

Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, broke ground last week on a new media building. Live Oak Hall will serve students and faculty from the College of Fine Arts and Communication and feature amenities like a film soundstage, a TV studio, a recording mix classroom and more.

New Construction

Butler University to Start Construction on Esports Arena

On the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind., construction is set to begin shortly on a new facility for esports and technology. The 7,500-square-foot Butler Esports Park was originally announced in 2019 but placed on hold due to the pandemic.

Campus Amenities

ASI Group Launches Integrated Privacy System for Restroom Partitions

Commercial toilet partitions and washroom accessories solutions provider ASI Group recently launched the industry’s first Integrated Privacy System for metal bathroom partitions.

Facilities

Smart Buildings on Campus Grow in Popularity

The results of a global survey reveal that nearly two-thirds (65%) of college and school facilities managers are now more likely to invest in smart building solutions than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic.

LSMSA Living Learning Commons

New Construction

La. Public Residential School Opens First Residence Hall

The Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts (LSMSA), a Blue-Ribbon boarding school for high-school students located in Natchitoches, La., opened its first on-campus residence hall this week.

Douglas High School renovation

Campus Renovations

Ariz. High School Breaks Ground on 87,000 SF Expansion

Construction firm Adolfson & Peterson Construction broke ground this week on an expansion and renovation project for Douglas High School in Douglas, Ariz.

Schools In Focus: Talking Campus Security with Mitch McKinley

Podcast

Schools In Focus: The Future of the Physical Campus

This episode’s guest is Benjamin Strain, Higher Education Design Leader for DLR Group. He's here to discuss an ongoing DLR research initiative called "The Evolution of Campus," which involves interviews and outreach to higher education institutions to help them navigate the pandemic, return to campus, and explore new spatial and design requirements to meet the needs of faculty and students. He reveals some common themes among all three rounds of research (so far) and addresses the question on everyone's mind: "What’s the future of the physical campus?"

Health & Wellness

Survey Reveals College Students’ Mental Health Concerns

A new survey from the National Society of High School Scholars conducted among incoming and matriculating college students revealed that almost half (44.1%) anticipate dealing with mental health issues in the coming semester, either their own or those of people around them.

New Construction

UCA Hosts Grand Opening of Integrated Health Sciences Building

The University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Ark., celebrated the grand opening of its new Integrated Health Sciences Building last week.

Campus Renovations

Students Arrive at Ga. University to Unfinished Housing

On the campus of Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Ga., nearly 500 students arrived to move into their dorm last weekend—only to be told that the building was still under renovation.

New Construction

Pa. University Breaks Ground on New STEM Building

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (Pitt-Bradford), located in Bradford, Pa., recently broke ground on a new, 39,000-square-foot STEM building. According to a news release, the Engineering & Information Technologies Center will be the campus’ first new academic building in 20 years.

Campus Technology

Alma Announces Student Information System Upgrades

Alma Student Information System (SIS) recently unveiled updates to its SIS platform, providing new features making it easier for districts to onboard schools and use third-party apps.

New Construction

Iowa District Opens Second High School

The Waukee Community School District in Waukee, Iowa, held a dedication ceremony this week for its newest facility. Northwest High School is the district’s second high school and will welcome almost 1,300 students and 180 staff members when the school year begins next week.

New Construction

Calif. District Opens First Phase of K–12 Campus

The Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD) recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of Abram Agnew Elementary School and Dolores Huerta Middle School, representing the completion of the first phase of an all-in-one K–12 campus. When complete, the Agnews K–12 Campus will combine elementary-, middle- and high-school students onto a single 55-acre campus in San Jose, Calif.

New Construction

Jackson County High School Opens New Facility

The Jackson County School System in Jefferson, Ga., recently opened its newest facility in time for the new school year. The new Jackson County High School was built to replace the 30-year-old Jackson County Comprehensive High School, which will be repurposed as the district’s Empower College & Career Center.

Healthy Schools

Students Fall Behind on “Routine-but-Critical” Vaccinations

A news release from the Learning First Alliance suggests that one in five children missed receiving routine vaccines during the pandemic.

Horizon High School

New Construction

Orange County Public Schools Debut Two New High Schools

SchenkelShultz Architecture announced last week that it has completed two new high schools for Orange County Public Schools.

UTSA Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence

New Construction

UTSA Opens $40M Athletics Center

The University of Texas at San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas, recently opened its new $40.4-million athletics center. A news release calls the Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence (RACE) “a milestone in the university’s strategic vision to create a central hub for UTSA Athletics and to further promote the academic success, health, wellness and performance of the university’s student-athletes.”

Stimulus Funding and School Infrastructure

COVID-19 and Schools

How Stimulus Funding Can Tackle School Infrastructure Updates

As schools and universities prepare for the return of students and faculty after nearly a year of remote learning, many are faced with growing concerns around how to keep facilities safe in the post-pandemic world. This is doubly true when considering that crucial HVAC and building management systems (BMS) are often outdated and in need of replacement.

New Construction

Central State University Breaks Ground on Honors Dorm

On the campus of Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, officials recently broke ground on a new residence hall for students enrolled in the university’s Honors College.

Research Facilities

Purdue University to Build Hypersonic Ground Test Facility

Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., announced this week that it will build a facility to test hypersonic technologies in the Purdue Aerospace District near the main campus. The Hypersonic Ground Test Center (HGTC) will be the first facility of its kind in the U.S.

New Construction

Construction Delays Opening of Ky. Middle School

When school starts on Thursday, Aug. 12, students of East Hardin Middle School in Hardin County, Ky., will return to their old building instead of a brand-new facility as originally expected.

Campus Restructuring

Two Waco Middle Schools to Run on One Campus After Fire

Waco ISD in Waco, Texas, has announced that students from two of its middle schools will combine onto a single campus after a fire destroyed one of its facilities in July.

iX-9 Series Mailing and Shipping System

Campus Amenities

Quadient Debuts Addition to iX-Series of Mailing, Shipping Systems

Quadient—a communication automation, parcel locker solutions, and mail-related solutions provider—announced this week that it has debuted the iX-9, the newest member of its iX-Series.

Grand Lakes Junior High School

New Construction

Houston-Area District Opens New Junior High, Athletic Stadium

The Tomball Independent School District—located in Tomball, Texas, as part of the Houston metropolitan area—recently celebrated the completion of a new junior high school and a new athletic stadium.

New Construction

Texas Tech Debuts School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo

Following nearly two years of construction, the Texas Tech University’s brand-new School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo, Texas, is seeing staff and faculty move in.

New Construction

Wesleyan Breaks Ground on New Art Gallery

On the campus of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., officials broke ground this week on a new art gallery. The Davison Art Gallery will be the campus’ first new art building since the mid-1970s.

Partnerships

KBS Announces Acquisition of Olympus Building Services

Kellermeyer Bergensons Services, LLC (KBS), which partners with facility managers at more than 75,000 locations around North America, has announced the acquisition of Olympus Building Services, a leading provider of facilities services in higher education.

New Construction

Kan. District Debuts New Elementary School

The Spring Hill School District in Spring Hill, Kan., is set to open its newest elementary school in time for the coming school year. Dayton Creek Elementary School is projected to welcome an inaugural group of 200 students.

Campus Security

How Mass Notification Can Play a Critical Role in Disaster Response

When a disaster occurs, schools need every tool at their disposal working towards one goal: keeping everyone safe. Efficient disaster response requires an easy-to-use, streamlined system that can perform multiple functions simultaneously to get information out as quickly as possible so students and staff can stay out of harm’s way.

Campus Renovations

Mich. District Begins Work on Two New Middle Schools

The Bloomfield Hills School District in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., has begun work on two new facilities in the district. Last year, voters approved a $200 million bond in a larger effort to scale back the number of district middle schools from three to two.

New Construction

Ala. School Board Plans $98M in Capital Projects

Members of the Hoover school board in Hoover, Ala., met this week to discuss a series of upcoming capital projects totaling $98 million.

Q & A with the Editor

Smart Lockers Now and Beyond the Pandemic

Campus operations of all kinds were severely impacted by the pandemic, as were many of the habits and expectations of students, parents, faculty and staff. Some of those changes, it appears, will outlast the pandemic — including advances in the way packages are delivered and tracked on campus.

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