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College of Education building dedication to be held Aug. 18

Appalachian State University will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new College of Education Building Thursday, Aug. 18, at 4 p.m. The building is located at the corner of College and Howard streets.

Guided tours of the building will follow the formal ceremony. Tours will conclude at 6 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

The new 124,547 square-foot-building will house the Reich College of Education. Features of the five-story building will include 121 faculty offices, 17 classrooms, 12 conference/seminar rooms, administrative suites, a design lab, computer teaching lab, student computer labs, media production lab, a counseling training clinic and a reading clinic with tutoring and diagnostic rooms. The building is targeted to achieve a LEED designation. The building's sustainable features include solar hot water heating, a vegetated "green" roof and other enhanced energy and water efficiency items.

Other features are a 24-foot diameter mural by artist Brenda Councill and a gathering hall named in honor of former educators Bryce and Izoria Gordon located on the building's first floor. With a seating capacity up to 300, the hall will provide meeting space for receptions, conferences, workshops and catered events, and can be configured into three smaller classroom areas.

The $35 million building was designed by the architectural firm LS3P /Boney Associates and constructed by Hickory Construction Company.

Departments or centers within the college are the Math and Science Education Center, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies, and the Department of Reading Education and Special Education.

The college also provides support to various partnerships and projects including the Appalachian State Public School Partnership, Adult Basic Skills Professional Development Project, Blue Ridge Family Literacy Project, Caldwell Early College High School, Learning Partners Tutorial Program, Family Support Network of the High Country, North Carolina Center for School Health Training, the National Center for Developmental Education and Tuesdays' Tutors.

The college employs approximately 120 faculty, 30 staff and administrators and serves about 2,400 students each year in its bachelor's, master's, education specialists and educational doctorate degree programs.

Building Dedication Live Video Stream

The Stream will become live at 2pm on August 18th..

In order to view the Broadcast of Commencement, you will have to have Adobe Flash installed on your computer. Adobe Flash is available free of cost and runs on both Windows and Macintosh computers. It can be downloaded by clicking here.

If you would like to make sure your computer will properly play the video streams in Adobe Flash, click here for a test animation in the Flash format. You should see video and hear audio. If you are unable to view the test page, you be given the option of downloading and installing the newest version of Adobe Flash.

Building Site News:

(Feb 5, 2009) New projects emerge
The area where the building will be located, adjacent to the University Post Office and Counseling & Psychological Center, is currently undergoing site development. [The Appalachian]
(Dec 5, 2008) Educators and others celebrate groundbreaking for new college of education building at Appalachian
With the ceremonial turn of shovels, representatives from Appalachian State University and local and state government broke ground Dec. 4 at the future site of a new academic building that will house the Reich College of Education. [ASU News]
(Dec 3, 2008) College of education groundbreaking to be held Dec. 4
Groundbreaking for Appalachian State University's new college of education building will be held Thursday, Dec. 4, at 4 p.m. at the construction site at the corner of College Street and Hamby Alley across from First Baptist Church in Boone. [ASU News]
(Jun 9, 2008) Students, parents, faculty chime in on campus construction
Students, parents, and faculty walking around Appalachian Sate University's campus during the summer months have most likely seen at least one bit of construction taking place. [The Appalachian]
(Apr 15, 2008) Demolition for new education building starts
Students looking to snag a free parking space on campus last week were met with a chain link fence, as access to the vacant property purchased for the new College of Education building was restricted in preparation for today's demolition. [The Appalachian]
(Jan 24, 2008) Town council amends education building zoning
The Boone Town Council passed two amendments to the zoning of the property between Howard Street and Hamby Alley. [The Appalachian]
(Jan 21, 2008) Council vote lays foundation for new college of education building
The Boone Town Council's adoption of two zoning amendments could mean a new college of education for Appalachian State University - along with numerous other uses. [Watauga Democrat]

Building Renderings

The selected site for the new education building is along College Street between Hamby Alley and Howard Street (formerly the location of apartment complexes) near the new parking deck, University library and bookstore.

It is being considered that the 1st floor of the new building will be underground, housing the majority of the mechanical components, thus freeing space above ground for more usable space.

As a result of discussions between the university and the town, a revised footprint and building structure are under review. Below are the most recent drawings.

Aerial Renderings (August 2008) (Click image for enlargement)