Industry News


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.”

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.

Campus Technology

Enhance Student Learning Outcomes by Utilizing Technology to Create Interactive and Collaborative Environments

Over the past 18 months, professors have evolved curriculums, students have adapted to hybrid and online learning, and higher education institutions have implemented technology that supported and enhanced digital and hybrid classroom settings. As we approach a new school year, these methods have become an integral part of the new learning experience.

New Construction

Pa. School Board Approves New Middle School

The school board of the Lebanon School District in Lebanon, Pa., recently approved the construction of a new facility for seventh- and eighth-graders, as well as renovations to an existing middle school building. The renovated middle school will house fifth- and sixth-graders once the new facility is complete.

New Construction

Construction Delays Force N.D. School to Delay Opening

A new high school under construction in the West Fargo School District in Horace, N.D., will not be able to open in time for the new school year due to construction delays, according to officials. The district cites a number of issues “mostly beyond the contractors’ control” that will cause Horace High to delay its opening beyond Aug. 26, the district’s scheduled first day of classes.

COVID-19 and Schools

CDC Recommends “Universal Indoor Masking” in Schools

In response to the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19, the CDC once again updated its mask-wearing guidelines this week. It recommends "universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to schools."

New Construction

Santa Ana College Debuts New Student Center

Santa Ana College, located in Santa Ana, Calif., debuted its new $60-million student center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the evening of Tuesday, July 27.

Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) Temecula Valley Campus

Campus Renovation

Calif. Community College System Sees New Campus Completion

The California-based building company C.W. Driver Companies announced this week that construction is complete on the Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) Temecula Valley Campus in Temecula, Calif. The 350,000-square-foot campus is the first permanent institution of higher education in the city.

Higher Ed Survey

Campus Cleanliness Emerges as Top Factor in College Selection

The results of a new survey from JLL have revealed that campus cleanliness and indoor air quality now rank among the top factors in college selection. JLL, a Fortune 200 commercial real estate and professional services firm, surveyed about 500 parents of tenth- through twelfth-grade students about their priorities while considering higher education destinations.

Sgt. Jordan Shay Memorial Lower Elementary School

New Construction

Mass. Town Breaks Ground on $60M Elementary

Groundbreaking has taken place on a new elementary school in Amesbury, Mass. Construction of the Sgt. Jordan Shay Memorial Lower Elementary School was approved by city residents in 2019.

Ocean Studies Charter Middle School

Campus Expansion

Marine Science Charter Adding Middle School Capacity at Its Key Largo Location

A charter school in Florida is seeing the sun rise on a new middle school. The middle school at Ocean Studies Charter in Key Largo is expected to finished by Thanksgiving, allowing the free public charter to enable its existing K–5 students to continue their education at the same facility.

Peterson Hall at Oakwood University

Campus Renovations

Renovated Dorm to Serve STEM High Schoolers

A college in Huntsville, Ala., has just undergone a $6 million renovation. The first guests in the 100-room facility at Oakwood University will be high schoolers attending Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE), which draws students seeking advanced engineering and cyber technology studies.

Education Facilities Managers Rank Safety, Security as Top Priorities

A new survey reveals that within the last 12 months, 93% of schools experienced an emergency incident due to an infrastructure malfunction.

New Construction

University of Arizona Breaks Ground on $85M Research Facility

The University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., recently broke ground on a new Applied Research Building. The three-story, 89,000-square-foot facility will bring together eight departments from four colleges for a cost of $85 million. The building is expected to open to students by spring 2023.

Campus Renovations

Spalding Receives $2M Grant for School of Physical Therapy

Spalding University in Louisville, Ky., received a $2 million grant this week from Kosair Charities for its new School of Physical Therapy. The funds will be used for an ongoing renovation project converting a campus building into the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program’s new home.

New Construction

UW Tacoma Starts Construction on New Academic Building

Construction has begun on a new academic building, Milgard Hall, on the campus of the University of Washington Tacoma in Tacoma, Washington.

Campus Renovations

West Texas A&M Proceeds with $18M in Renovations

West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, has announced a total of $18 million in renovations spread across four regions of the campus. All renovations are slated for completion by August 2021, in time for the beginning of the 2021–22 academic year.

Campus Facilities

Restroom Partition Redesign Increases Privacy

Commercial washrooms solutions company Bradley Corp. recently announced the redesign of its Mills Phenolic No-Site Partitions to eliminate gaps between doors and pilasters, offering increased privacy in all types of educational facilities.

Loyola Academy Center for the Performing Arts

New Construction

Chicago Private School Breaks Ground on $25.7M Performing Arts Center

Loyola Academy, a private Jesuit college preparatory school in Wilmette, Ill., recently broke ground on a brand-new, 29,000-square-foot performing arts center. The Loyola Academy Center for the Performing Arts comes with a $25.76-million price tag and will feature flexible indoor and outdoor performance spaces.

New Construction

Florida District to Open Four New Campuses This Fall

Orange County Public Schools, headquartered in Orlando, Fla., has announced that it will open four new campuses this fall. The new facilities include two high schools, one new elementary school, and a K–12 school for students with behavioral disorders.

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