By Katie Knapp Schubert
Omaha, NE – Students in UNO's College of Education will have a state-of-the-art facility to attend class in next year.
A groundbreaking was held Thursday morning for the redevelopment of Roskens Hall. Formerly UNO's College of Business, it'll now be home to the College of Education. The $13.7 million dollar redevelopment project will add 20,000 square feet of space.
U-N-O Chancellor John Christensen says the new College of Education will meet the unique needs of metropolitan teachers. "Metropolitan educators must be prepared to address complex challenges brought about by poverty, English as a Second Language, shifts in ethnic and cultural diversity, truancy, and the medical, emotional, psychological well-being of the young people they serve," according to Christensen.
NU president J.B. Milliken says as many as one-third of Nebraska's teachers are graduates of UNO's College of Education. He says the Roskens Hall redevelopment means more research opportunities and better technology. "The work done inside these walls will affect the education and the lives of countless Nebraskans in the future," Milliken says.
New classrooms, a center for science, engineering, technology and math, and an innovation center are all part of the redevelopment.
It's expected to be complete by next fall.