Classroom Upgrades Project

Note: This Initiative has been suspended. Please contact Jim Foerster at 453-1014 with any questions

Overview

Auditorium pictures
In September 2002, Chancellor Wendler announced a $4 million, two-year effort to improve classrooms. The project was funded with $2 million in tuition revenues and $2 million from deferred maintenance and local funds.

The SIU Board of Trustees approved the project in November 2002, and improvements began in summer 2003. The project provides infrastructure, technology, equipment and aesthetic upgrades for classrooms and auditoriums throughout campus.

Lawson Hall, which houses many large lecture halls, was the top priority. When it opened in 1967, Lawson was a state-of-the-art technology center. In 2003-2004, major upgrades were completed to 21 auditoriums in Lawson and elsewhere on campus as well as 22 smaller departmental and general use classrooms.

Another $1 million per year in 2005 and 2006 was committed to upgrades of still more auditoria, most notably Davis and Muckelroy, and classrooms in Faner and Quigley. In response to a survey of faculty needs, improvements included new chairs, podiums, overhead projectors, blinds, shades, and acoustics. Departmental classrooms have been increasingly included in the renovation process on a shared-cost basis. (See Upgrade Request Procedures for further information.)

A Classroom Improvements Implementation Team, composed of representatives from the faculty, Instructional Support Services, Information Technology, and Plant Services Operations, is responsible for administering the upgrades.